Introduction

This article, a successor to the two about Elijah, explains how God uses everyday circumstance to manifest himself in “secular space”.[1] This is a down to earth reality in which all Christians may fully participate. The contents of the paper are based on two experiences.

I felt strongly constrained early one morning to pray that a range of people who had in some way sinned against me be strengthened by Christ to “stand in the judgement”[2]. When my wife awoke I counselled her to do likewise for anyone who had done her wrong. A little later the following happened.

I was talking with a committed believer who has a highly authoritarian boss who publicly ridicules staff. This greatly distressing treatment occurs within a system that allows no recourse. As we talked I had a strong sense of Jesus being on trial as recorded in the Gospels. Importantly, the trial this woman was going through was somehow being taken into the trial of Jesus as part of his identification with sinners. This meant that his inner responses were available in her trial through her union with Christ – his inner strength, faith, patience, trust in the Father and so on were immediately accessible through the Holy Spirit. If she drew on these resources by faith, the triumph of Jesus would be hers. This is how the kingship of Jesus can be revealed to disciple all the spheres of society.

The Kingdom of God

The “kingdom of God” was the main topic of Jesus preaching in the first three Gospels. “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”” (Mark 1:14-15). Its fundamental meaning is that the power of God to save humanity has broken into history in the person and work of Christ. Whilst the kingdom has come, “if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt 12:28), it is still to come in its fullness,“Pray then like this: …“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10).

Between the first and second coming of Jesus, God’s gracious ruling power is resisted by the forces of evil. “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matt 11:12)[3]. “12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12).

The struggle between the dominion of darkness and the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col 1:13) is not a matter of a power contest between equals but a conflict in the realm of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). The age old question that confronts the corrupted conscience is, “How can God be good if there is so much injustice?” True conversion is impossible unless the human heart is fully convinced of the justice of God. The Bible is clear that manifestations of outward force alone cannot settle this issue.

Elijah’s power encounter with the prophets of Baal ended decisively in Yahweh’s favour, but the prophet fled in fear because he knew the people of Israel were fickle and Jezebel would never repent (1 Ki 18-19). Jesus discerned this dynamic of the human heart, “many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people” (John 2:23-24). Miraculous works through Paul can provoke stoning and riots rather than conversions (Acts 14:8-20; 19:23-41). On the other hand, evil forces can do great miracles, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders” (2 Thess 2:9 cf. Rev 13:13-14).

The victory of God today must come in the same way as it came in the life of Jesus, through trial and tribulation. ““You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”” (Luke 22:28-30).

Jesus’ Earthly Trial

The whole of the life of Jesus is a trial. Satan tempts him in the wilderness to do miraculous works (Matt 4:1-6) to save his own life. His own unbelieving brothers taunt him to prove himself, ““If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”” (John 7:4). He is tested by the mocking crowd, ““save yourself, and come down from the cross!” …”come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” “(Mark 15:30, 32). If Jesus had submitted to these temptations he would have presented an image of a self-interested God who is not wholly just. Such a God cannot be fully trusted. The secret to Jesus’ obedience when on trial is his consciousness of the righteousness of the Father. He always knew that his suffering was an indispensable part of the divine plan. In saying, ““The Son of Man must suffer many things ….”” (Luke 9:22) he uses the language of the divine imperative. This “must” is not the necessity of the will of God[4]. In the final trial of Jesus the sovereign plan of God employs the evil of men; this is the nature of the gospel.

““Men of Israel…: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst…23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” (Acts 2:22-23). ““Sovereign Lord … truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus…both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.”” (Acts 4:27-28). Jesus was fully conscious that the “cup” of the divine wrath that he would bear through his climactic trial was given by his omnipotent and beloved Father ““Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”” (Mark 14:36).

It is the manner of Jesus submission to trial that dethrones the powers of evil at the cross[5]. In speaking of the defeat of the devil Jesus uses the language of judgement rather than brute force, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” (John 12:31). A little later he explains how this exorcism will occur, “the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me” (John 14:30). The text literally states, “He has nothing in me”, there was no sin in Jesus upon which Satan could pronounce guilt. Where the consciences of fallen people are tossed to and fro between the knowledge of good and evil[6], Jesus pure conscience was filled with the knowledge of God as a just Father. This reaches perfection in his passion (Heb 2:10; 5:9; 7:19).

When surrounded by false witnesses and abused beyond measure Jesus is silent. In the face of pure injustice he refuses to accuse his accusers and trusts solely in the justice of God. “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Pet 2:23). This saving attitude of Christ comes to a climax in the utterance, ““Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”” (Luke 23:34). This declaration from the heart of God means all humanity is forgiven in Christ[7]. This is God’s final verdict. The testimony of Jesus in his great trial before men, demons and angels is that God is fully just and good, even to the point of the shedding of his own blood[8].

Where sin is forgiven, accusation has no ground. Through this action of costly forgiving love Satan and his angels are cast out of heaven (Rev 12:7-9); “the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” (Rev 12:10). In Christ, all will be presented “blameless” before the throne of God[9].

The Trial Goes On

This however is only the first stage in the scene of the trial of Jesus. Satan has been rendered powerless to condemn by the death of Christ (Heb 2:14-15), but he “has come down to you (the earth) in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”” (Rev 12:12). Between the first and second coming of Christ, it is “those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” that are exposed to the fury of the powers of evil (Rev 12:13-17). If Jesus’ trial at the hands of sinful men was ordained by God, so is our own, for we are the site of the trial of the name of Jesus today [10]. Through this trial we are conformed to “the image of his Son” and by it God works for good in “all things” (Rom 8:29, 28).

Sharing in the Trial of Jesus

When you encounter road rage, are unjustly accused, derided for your beliefs, put down by a spouse or child, suffer spiritual abuse, physical pain without personal fault and so on, you are exposed to the ordinary trials of life. Yet in the sovereign plan of God such trials confront us with two options.

The first option is to judge “according to the flesh” (2 Cor 5:16). This is to reckon ourselves to be helpless innocent victims. With this perspective we become angry, sulky and disillusioned with God. For us to pass sentence on the trials of life like this is to submit to “the hour of trial” that comes “on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth” (Rev 3:10)[11]. It is to believe the lies of evil powers that the tribulations of human existence are afflicted by an unjust God who does not deserve the worship of the human heart. The refrain “they cursed the name of God who had power” (Rev 16:9, 11, 21) arises repeatedly from the afflicted earth. The Babylonian systems of this world[12] are enraged, because their present tribulations are portents of the final annihilation of the present corrupted global order. Their rage, inspired by Satan, is focussed on the faithful people of God.

Praying recently I could sense that Babylon, sentenced to death by God, was falling, and as it fell it persecuted the saints of God in all the dimensions of everyday life. The injustices that believers encounter in this world are no mere irregularities, they embody within them Satan’s hostility against those who bear the name of the Son of God. Through us, Jesus is put on trial once again. If we do not understand ourselves sharing in the trial of Jesus our response is highly predictable – compromise by assimilation to culture[13]. Such believers are failing Christ in the time of trial and stand in danger of falling away.

Those however who hold the testimony of Jesus (Rev 1:2, 9; 12:17; 19:10; 20:4) witness to their Lord in exactly the same way that he testified to his Father. No matter how great the weight of injustice thrown against them, they refuse to respond in any way that sends a message to demons and men that the sovereign God whom they serve in Jesus name is unjust. Doing exactly as Christ did in his passion, they bless those who curse and pray for those who abuse, so revealing the mercy of a Father in heaven who is kind to both the just and unjust (Luke 6:27-36; Matt 5:45).

As believers unite with Christ in doing this, a deep miracle comes in the realm of saving justice. This is the one sphere where Satan cannot act. As the church on earth manifests the rich forgiving wisdom of God in every place in everyday life, the “rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph 3:10) fall from the high places (2 Cor 10:4-5) from which they blind the minds of men and women (2 Cor 4:4). Suddenly, the revelation of the righteousness/justice of God in the gospel is made plain[14], suddenly the Word is experienced in the one manner of infinite power which can be made known to a mortal creature, in the limitless experience of forgiveness (Rom 1:16-17)[15]. This is how the kingdom of God comes with power in the midst of the everyday trials of life and in the midst of the culture(s) of which we are all a part.

Conclusion

Mature Christians know that the various trials of life are to be treated with joy[16]. Not any joy, but the joy which is essential part of the kingdom of God coming with power upon the earth (Acts 5:41; Rom 14:17). These believers grasp that in the everyday trails of life they are being confronted with the same injustices that faced Jesus, and for the exact same reason, that their steadfastness of faith might be crowned for the glory of God (Mark 13:11; James 1:12-13; Rev 3:11). Whilst the fullness of the power of this royal dynamic awaits the future, it makes itself known as a kingdom presence now. Wise believers understand that painful trial is part of the predestined purpose of a God, “who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph 1:11) and whose wisdom and justice is so great he can be hailed only as ““Abba! Father!”” (Rom 8:15). They understand that no matter how strongly our consciences are tempted to call out for revenge, the shedding of our blood[17]for others is the only means by which the world can know the testimony of Jesus that God forgives all (Heb 12:24).

As Jesus bore sin for the world to attain righteousness/justice for us (1 Pet 2:24), the challenge to us all is to “fill up in our flesh” “what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Col 1:24) for the sake of the world. “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Rev 12:11).