Paul's Spirituality 1

Chapter 1 of Dr. Reeves' new book is so intensely challenging that I almost see no reason to continue. I feel like if I could live out the lifestyle Paul calls his readers to imitate--the crucified life--then everything else would fall into place.

The main idea of this chapter is that the Christian is meant to imitate Christ's crucifixion, as Paul does. Reeves asks why we think that because of a relationship with Christ we should receive comfort, riches, blessings, joy, peace, etc., when Paul suffered the loss of all things because of Christ? When Paul left Jerusalem for Damascus, he was a successful, pious, respected Jew. Yet, when Jesus blinded Paul and called him to be a follower, Paul lost all of that. Where Paul once rejoiced in obedience to the law and personal acts of holiness, now he found suffering, loss, and death as gain. In other words, Paul did not ADD Jesus to his life. No, he lost everything to gain Christ. Thus, Reeves asks what he as an American Christian has ever lost to gain Jesus.

The obvious problem is that such a way of life is contrary to our values. We want to earn God's favor through hard work, planning, and playing on our strengths. God wants to work through persecution, weakness, and depression. The reason we ask why bad things happen to good people is because we think righteous people should receive better blessings. But, if we apply that line of thinking to the cross, what does that make Jesus? Apparently, a very unrighteous person.

Therefore, it is through loss--taking up one's cross--that true gain is found. Yet, Reeves rightly cautions against a sort of reverse health-and-wealth "Gospel" here. He notes that we cannot pick suffering because we will receive something good in return. Rather, we should see suffering AS gain! Why? Because pain opens our eyes to see Jesus. Jesus is the blessing we recieve when all other blessings are gone.

Dr. Reeves points to the Galatains as examples of those who, like those of us who are comfortable Americans, admire the crucified life in others but don't exactly want to live it ourselves. Reeves writes, "Who would point to a broken-down, beaten and bruised man and say with admiration, 'I hope my life turns out like his'?" (32) Paul's churches wanted to avoid pain by any means necessary, both their own pain and Paul's. But, Paul rejoiced that his suffering led him to Jesus, and he begged his congregations to imitate him. For their crucified lives would result in resurrected lives.

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death" (Phil 3:10)

-Matt