The glorification of success and failure in world and church

- or where´s a catchy title when needed

So most of you have heard the gossip. The church is really a refuge for losers, scared little beasts on the “endangered list”, unfit for the big real-awesome world outside. I won´t really argue with that position. It´s perfectly true, actually. Mankind has been losers since way back, ever since Adam´s times. The first fruit of knowledge, is the bitter taste of getting screwed. So what else is new? I´ll simply say that my belief is, the soul is a sitting duck in this world. It can´t last long. Everything it turns to, crumbles. Like a black hole, it absorbs everything without discrimination, until it implodes of the accumulated weight of nothingness. So, thank God, the church is a refuge for losers, always with room to spare for plenty more.

And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of customs: and he said unto him, Follow me.
And he left all, rose up, and followed him.

The nature of the invitation to this refuge poses certain problems to our mindset. If some unemployed, understimulated kid calls out “Loser!”, as I pass him by on the sidewalk, I don´t turn my head. Or if I did, I instantly regret it (“You´re talking to me?”). Why and how this is so, I´ll leave aside. For a full and clear treatment of the issue, read Harald Ofstad´s book “Our contempt for weakness”. Simply put, we don´t like losers, we don´t like being losers. Yet there´s no other way to go about it. Do you need God, or are you managing just fine by yourself, thank you?

And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

Time and time again we see the same pattern in the Bible, great redemption is preceded by great failure. St Peter´s three denials of Christ on the eve of the crucifixion was necessary for him to become the rock of the church, simply because his own “foundation” in himself could not possibly do. St Paul spent his first life persecuting Christians and perfecting his own “religious man”. And started his second life by admitting it was all loss to him, all the zeal, self-righteousness and law-mentality. But still, his past never held him prisoner.In fact, this in no way means escape, rather it leads to facing up to one´s problems, “with God on our side”. Actually, it´s allowing someone mightier than me fighting the life-long battle to it´s conclusion, and ultimate victory.

And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. [Luke 5:27-32]

In religious talk this often becomes quite hollow-sounding defeatism. “We´re bad to the core, good for nothing, yet boastful, garbage people”. Often it becomes a mantra to induce apathy and passivism, which is not facing up to any truth whatsoever. Actually, it´s very hard to pinpoint anything specific in such talk, it all seems to be lofty “luxury-sins”, removed from everyday experience.
On the other hand, we have “success theology”. Whether it merits being called theology is open to debate, but in some places it´s a very real, though sub-conscious, attitude. If you look happy and have an air of confident faith about you, you´re surely in the right with God. If you´re on the dole, look miserable, have shy manners, trouble speaking in public, obviously you´re unredeemed and void of the influence of the Holy Spirit. Or so the thinking goes. The trouble with both these misconceptions of what lies behind and ahead of success and failure, is people uncapable of grasping Bible more than one verse at a time.

And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

…so if you´re down and out, you´re either lacking in faith or in prayers. But onwards…

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Neither shall they say, lo here! or lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you. [Luke 17:5-6, 20-21]

In conclusion, my failure is not my salvation. There´s little need to examine the extent and authenticity of my failure. It´s evident, I know it´s there, I know God is greater, the cross won´t fall on account of my sins being pinned to it. Is personal success possible? Yes. I pray for it, in life, love and work. But I must choose, come before God trusting that success, or come before Him trusting in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. I choose grace. My success too, is pinned on that same cross.

Advice for new Bible-readers

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
John 10:1-6

Being fairly new in the flock, it´s sometimes hard to know one´s way about. As the promise says, the voice of the Lord can hardly be mistaken. But for a newcomer, it´s hard to tell which instructions are meant for you, and which for my other woolly neighbours. It is indeed one flock, but many sheep, all called by Jesus personally with a personalized agenda. This means that the word of God not only is a statement of things godly, it has a distinct purpose and direction. If philosophical terms help, we can call it “dialectal”. It´s the shepherds staff pushing, shoving and pleading the flock in the right direction. Sometimes it even becomes a sword and spiritual bloodshed ensues.

Now, being one of the newcomers, Bible-reading can become a trying experience, with all the “dialectal swords” flying about in the texts. If I let all of them draw blood, pretty soon I´ll fall to pieces. But one will eventually discover that spiritual warfare isn´t wild carnage (and let´s not use the US spinster euphemism “surgical warfare”), the recipient always has a clear address. Not that some of them aren´t coming my way, but that all of them should be meant for me, now that´s plain silly (and rather egocentric).

One of those 100% crazy, 100% holy desert saints once said that all exaggeration is of the devil. It´s completely true, and quite an exaggeration. Another mark of the devil: He can´t keep two things in his head at once. So let´s not be afraid of dialectism in the Bible, or feel the need to balance it. After all, a blunt sword is of no use to anyone. But let´s be aware it´s there...