equivalent trade, do you want it?

Saturday, December 17, 2005 T: 23 53

Having a rather academic history, competition has always been a motivation in my pursuit of education. Selfish and arrogant I admit it has been, it seems nevertheless to push me this far. I feel proud at getting rather good results despite my indolence, yet at the same time guilty of such a pride. On my way, I can’t help but notice the diligent ones who struggle half their life away yet with minimal achievements, not to boast of my own intelligence which I feel is also way beneath many. It seems not fair suddenly, that the old proverb of hard work pays seems no longer in existence. That seems to be a lie. There seems no equivalent trade, no law in this world. And this very fact has brought some to tears, and as a observer, I wonder about the suitable response to such people. ‘Work harder’ seems to be the epitome of sarcasm and malice. ‘Misfortune it must be this time’ seems to be too frequent a reason for encouragement, if not just a lame excuse. Sometimes, one questions if God is fair.

My church, Adam Road Presbyterian Center, can be almost accused of being the church of only the wealthy and the intelligence. And indeed, most of the congregation is all in specialized professions, doctors, lawyers and so on. This is also typical of many churches. Yet surely the gospel is not only for the smart, but for all, equal in the eyes of God. To make it worse, false teachers use such trends to preach the prosperity gospel, that material wealth will accompany the strength of faith. They quote some coincidental examples, and twist and turn the verses of God’s word, reading them totally out of context. I doubt the credibility of prosperity gospel, and it has no root at all in God’s word, this I have come to believe. God’s word does not promise material wealth, but it promise the wealth of wisdom and love. By wisdom, it’s not our own folly, but that of God’s, gifted to us by the Holy Spirit to allow us to be more Christ-like. I would like to think that Christianity is a perfectly logical faith and in a way, it thus attracts the more intellectual ones to believe. It is a ‘religion’ grounded by truth and historical evidence, unlike the other pagan religions which are totally flawed and have doubtful sources. The Cross is for all.

Going back to the first issue, my response is that each of us will have a gift of some sort. There will always be the very gifted theologians and preachers, like Augustine and Calvin, and there are the hundreds of common folks who would just seem to be capable of being plain followers. There will always be the people who suffer more and Christians who lead indeed a very good life. There will always be the pagans who seem to live a life of bliss, compared to the suffering Paul or the crucified apostles. But what if this is all in God’s plan so to speak? What if God’s purpose in that distribution of gifts and circumstances is present so that more can be saved by the Cross, that there will always be people of each social level to evangelize, and it will be of higher effectiveness if the backgrounds are similar? What if having material wealth does not mean less suffering since that wealth and power will tempt one further to sin, and risk the compromise of his or her godliness?

I think three facts of God will always be with me as I survive through this city of Man so full of sin and contempt. Firstly, the love of God is inconceivable (shown ultimately through and by the Cross) and He will always delight in the increasingly number of people coming to salvation. Secondly, God is sovereign and he has a perfect plan already for us. We may complain of unfairness and injustice but bear in mind that we all have a part to play and that He who begins a good work in us will carry it to the end. Thirdly, the promise of the life time is already there right in God’s word. One day, we shall all be vindicated and finally be in the City of God, and that itself is I think the ultimate lack of equivalent trade, only thanks to the love and grace of God.
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I hope I put this across rightly and will not do injustice to God in this entry. I think I plan also to write a book after my ‘A’ levels regarding the doctrines and in attempt to answer as many questions as possible. At times, I think I tend to be more worried that I may see the Bible as some academic literature with its flawlessness that I neglect the practical aspect and implications of it. I pray too that I will continue to read more books and hopefully write a book that is accurate and does not compromise on the love and justice of our Almighty God.