Posted on by Abe Austin

Prepared to Fail- Martyr or Traitor

Silence)

In yesterday’s post I examined how torture and threats of violence to loved ones are used as tropes in Hollywood to transfer power and knowledge from the hero to the villain. I suggested that the frequency of this pattern might make us believe that these are foregone conclusions, it might train us to give the same response if ever we face the same pressure in our own lives.

One might argue, these are simply narrative tricks, and all they are looking to do is move the story along, not influence personal perceptions in the real world. I would agree that these films may not have the intention of cultivating a defeatist mentality in their viewers, but that can still be their effect when compounded all together. And what’s more, there are examples that are much more explicit in their message.

Silence is a film based on a 1966 novel where Jesuit priests witness the torture and killing of Christian converts in 17th century Japan. While the priests do not actually have their faith broken, two of them ultimately decide to renounce Christ as it is the only way to get the Japanese officials to stop murdering the people. In the film and novel this denial of faith is presented as a morally correct choice, and one that Christ would approve of. However, that argument is not rooted in any actual words of the Savior, it is justified by inventing a message from Christ within its fiction.

I certainly would never dismiss the seriousness of such a situation in real life, and if I ever met a person who abandoned their faith in such a moment, I would firmly leave the judgment for that in the hands of God. But I will judge fictional and solipsistic media that tries to say that sometimes the right thing to do is the wrong thing to do.

Joan of Arc)

Let us look at another example actually from history, one that is actually encouraging. Joan of Arc lived in 15th century France, and she proclaimed to have had visions with angels, which called her to fight for France’s liberation from England. While she went to battle and achieved great victories, ultimately, she was captured and stood trial before the English church.

Joan was found guilty of various sins, including heresy, and brought to the Tower of Rouen and shown the instruments of torture that would be used on her if she did not recant her spiritual claims. She bravely refused, and the judges thought it unwise to actually go through with the torture, so she was spared. Two weeks later, though, she was brought to the execution platform and told she would be burned at the stake that very day. This time they meant it, and this time her conviction wavered. She signed a confession that all her claims had been false.

But that was not the end of her story or her convictions. Only a few days later, pained by her false confession, she reasserted all her previous claims, and accepted the consequences that would follow. On May 30 she was put to the flames, and as she burned to death she called out to Jesus. Today she is considered a saint.

As I said yesterday, I cannot know whether I would prove faithful or not in such a trial. And as I said today, I leave to God the judgment of those who cannot hold to their convictions in such moments. But what I can do and say is that faithfulness to the truth is always the right answer. I can say that I hope to always be true to my Lord. I can say that we have sufficient evidence that people really can remain faithful, even in the face of torture, death, and the loss of loved ones. When evil comes in all its power, there is no foregone conclusion that we must fall to it. We may yet prove faithful and true; we may be martyrs rather than traitors.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Genesis 4:17, 23, 25-26

17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.

25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.

At this point in Genesis we have a divide among the people. Cain is the father of one line, and Seth of another.

Cain’s line seems to be an industrious and inventive group, they begin building cities, raising herds of cattle, and playing musical instruments. However they also continue the more evil traditions of their father, such as in verse 23 where Lamech admits to murder.

We do not learn about the craft of Seth’s descendants, but we are told that they “began to call upon the name of the Lord.” Many interpret this as meaning that Seth’s line distinguished itself by continuing to worship of God, which practice was no longer universal. It is quite possible that this is what the “sons of God” and “daughters of men” in Genesis 6:2 is referring to. Those that continued to believe in and rely on the Lord were the “children of God” and those that did not were the “children of men.” And for a time these two groups continued separately, but eventually intermingled.

And this idea of two people, one led by God and the other not, is a common theme in the Bible. It occurs most famously between the Jews and the Gentiles, but the first instance of it was with the line of Cain and the line of Seth.

Posted on by Abe Austin

A Surety of Truth- Numbers 23:19, Mark 10:18

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

COMMENTARY

God is not a man, that he should lie; hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Previously we spoke of building ourselves on solid foundations, and yesterday we considered the folly of relying on our own self for that. We have to find external sources that we can trust, ones that we can ever be sure of for support and demonstration.
And as today’s verses illustrate, that reliable source is not found in any human. No person is a perfect foundation to build on. It is good to have friends and it is good to glean from the example of noble souls, but they cannot be the core of our faith. I have come to realize that the greatest value of mentors is simply for them to point the way to God, as He alone can provide that sure foundation.
And that applies to me, too. I am a father, and I want to always be a help and support to my children. But because I am mortal, I know that they will have needs that I cannot provide for, there will be times that I let them down, there will be examples of mine that would lead them astray, and there will be moments where my absolute best just isn’t good enough. If I want to be a good father, I must encourage them to detach their reliance on me, and put it instead on the Lord.

Posted on by Abe Austin

What Chance Do I Have?- 2 Timothy 1:7, John 14:27

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

COMMENTARY

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power
Peace I leave with you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid
It might be natural for us to try and weigh the odds of our remaining faithful, to question whether we have the “right stuff” and can hold out valiant. But such a spirit of uncertainty is not divinely approved. Many a soul runs into trouble when they start to question if they have the capacity to be good, creating for themselves a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure. Rather we are reminded that God gives a spirit of power, and of peace.
We are commanded to be faithful in all things (1 Timothy 3:11). Most often we speak of being faithful as being loyal, but the composition of the word literally means “full of faith.” And included among the “all things” that we should have full faith in…is ourselves. When I feel God’s spirit I feel a confidence in myself, an assurance that I am made in His image and that I am good. That isn’t to say that I don’t need help, only that I know God believes in me, so I should, too. The “right stuff” is in me, I don’t need to worry about that. I just need to get out of its way and let it shine forth.

Posted on by Abe Austin

What Chance Do I Have?- Question

One day I considered the records we have of faithful disciples who eventually fell away from the gospel, and it made me wonder if I might ever do the same. I have no intention of ever abandoning my faith…but then that seems to be true of so many that do. And to be clear, I’m not talking about halfhearted disciples who were never invested in the message of the gospel, and unsurprisingly sifted out over time. I am speaking of spiritual giants, ones who it appears had so much more depth of spirit than I ever have, yet somehow still lost their grasp on it.

Judas walked with the living Savior, Solomon was blessed with the wisdom of God, nine of the ten lepers had their bodies restored by a miracle, Lucifer was a son of heaven. These were the elite, the greatly blessed, the glorified…and still they fell. If even these were subject to gravity, then how can I ever hope to defy it?

In times past I have thought up some answers to these questions, but I would like to take a formal study to see what deeper insights the scriptures can provide. The gospel is one of hope, and so I am convinced that I can find the encouragement I need to address this concern.

In the meantime I would be curious to hear if you have ever had thoughts like these? How do you maintain confidence in self, even in the midst of stumbling? What do you think the key difference between disciples that fall and disciples that hold firm is? How do you keep yourself among the latter?

Posted on by Abe Austin

What Sort of Disciple Are You?- Matthew 26:33-35, 73-75

Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
…
And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

COMMENTARY

Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee
Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man
My general assumption is that Peter was not lying when he avowed he would follow Jesus to death. I think it is perfectly believable that he really thought he would be faithful to the end. But as he learned, the imagination of martyrdom is far different from actually being faced with it. It is easy to be a hero in one’s imagination.
Not all things in life are worth dying for, but some are. Liberty, truth, and the lives of others to name a few. It is good to be willing to sacrifice anything for these virtues, and those that can do so are extremely noble.
But when we say that an action is commendable, it does not necessarily mean that the inability to perform that action is condemnable. We should not be too hard on Peter for shirking when his great test came. Yes, he was lacking, but he was not bad. He was simply a work in progress.
Being willing to do all things for God’s cause only comes after years of exercising our faith. If we are not there yet, if we are still lacking in any way, if there are commitments we are not yet ready to make, then we can attest that we are still a work in progress, too. And yes, hopefully we are authentically working to make that progress, but if so, then it is alright to not be perfect just yet!