Preservation, Not Sanctification

by Richard D. Gelina

We’ve all heard it before—the owner of the ball wasn’t able to control the rules of the game so he’s going to quit playing. This is a common occurrence among children who haven’t learned yet that sometimes we can’t be completely in charge. As we mature we begin to realize that we seldom are in charge. But do we ever really get over the desire to control things? Do we ever grow out of the urge to quit and just go home? In his first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul said, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me" (1 Cor. 13:11). That is the goal for all of us, but how well do we achieve the goal of maturity? 

Now that we have passed the 25th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, many pro-life people have begun to grumble about a perceived ineffectiveness. The statements these folks make are all very similar: "We’ve been picketing this clinic for 17 years now and it’s getting more business than ever. Maybe we’re doing this the wrong way" and "We’ve had voter registration drives with pro-life literature in front of the courthouse for the last two decades, and we now have exactly zero people in office who are concerned with the sanctity of life. Maybe this isn’t really our calling." The statements all begin with the task that the pro-life group has been doing faithfully for years, and they all end with a phrase that sounds a lot like "I’m going home and I’m taking my ball with me." 

In a world of sin and hatred, it is easy for us to lose resolve. It’s easy for us to want to shift our focus to something that may provide more direct and immediate results. But is this the apropriate thing for a mature Christian to do? Jesus told us what is expected of us while we are still on the earth. Matthew recorded the account in chapter 5. In this sermon Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth."

Prior to refrigeration people used a variety of techniques to preserve their foods. One of these techniques was salting. Salted meats will decay at a much slower rate than if they are left unsalted. Salt will not make tainted meat good, it simply lowers the rate of decay. If we apply this principle to the analogy of Christians being the salt of the earth, we see that our duty in our society is to slow the rate of decaying morals—to preserve the values that we hold dear. We are to be the salt of the earth because Jesus said that this is the proper thing to do. He also said, " but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." So if we are to continue to be used by God, we must be prepared to be the salt of the earth. We must be willing to slow the rate of decay while not necessarily ending that decay. If we decide to just quit, we are "good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of me." This is something we cannot control. If God wants to reverse the decay, He will do so. Our job is just to effect preservation. We are simply called to do that which is right.

God will provide the victory in His time.

Occoquan Bible Church