Safe Faith

"Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’”—1 Corinthians 15:29-34

There is no such thing as safe faith. Listening to many of the Christian radio stations, hearing the programs and reading the books from many Christian publishers, it would appear that a successful Christian is one who doesn’t look at porn, avoids certain movies, tv shows, and websites, gives money at church, and who has children that are well-behaved. In many ways, we live in a Veggie Tale world, where our faith is nothing more than Sunday morning virtues packaged in Saturday morning fun. Don’t get me wrong, I like Veggie Tales, but the problem is when we try and live in Veggie Tales. Safe faith is an illusion; there is no such thing. Safe faith is fake faith. It’s sham, a mockery, and not what Christ died for.

Jesus did not die so that we might have a safe insulated faith, but a faith that is lived out in the real world. A faith that involved ministering to IRS agents (Matthew 10:13), and the immoral (John 8:3-11). He fellowshipped with political zealots (Luke 6:15), the pious (Mark 15:43), the poor (Mark 12:41-43), the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32), the rich (Luke 19:2), the bold (Matthew 20:20-24), the braggarts (Luke 22:24), the brash (Mark 14:31), the bleeding (Mark 5:24-34), the blind (Matthew 20:29-34), and the barren (Luke 1:6-8). He ministered to the deaf (Mark 7:31-33), the diseased (Matthew 9:35), the demon-possessed (Mark 5:1-20), the doubting (John 20:26-28), and the determined (Luke 5:19). It was uncomfortable, and it was difficult. But, Christ and His followers lived their lives in a way that was not safe. Twice Christ was almost stoned (John 8:59; 10:31), until He finally was executed. Many of His disciples died in the same way He did. Our faith is to be real and costly. And to live a faith like that takes, well, real faith.

To have truly a safe faith would mean cutting ourselves off completely from the dangers of this world, and that is not what Jesus has called us to. Jesus has called us to “take up His cross,” which means taking up the symbol of capital punishment, like us taking up an electric chair or the needle. It makes no sense to the outsider. For us it means that we are pursuing a life of self-denial, not of self-indulgence, that is, unless, the self-indulgence we pursue is the pursuit of our joy in Christ.

Paul wrote about real faith in our passage for today. He wrote about individuals being “baptized on behalf of the dead.” What does that mean? It isn’t baptism such as the physical act of baptism we do when we come to know Christ. Likely, it is the baptism of replacement, whereby someone is baptized or immersed into activity. You may have heard the expression, “baptized by fire” which means being brought into the most difficult experience quickly as opposed to just getting “your feet wet” which means learning something gradually. Those who were baptized on behalf of the dead were stepping in to take the place of believers who were killed in the line of duty. Which is why Paul goes on to talk about the resurrection of the dead. He knew that this world is not our home, and the life we live is not a safe life, nor a safe faith, but a faith that cares not for this world, a life so lived to God’s glory that this world is not worthy (see Hebrews 11:38). In the world in which Paul lived, their lives were in danger every hour, but it didn’t matter, because of the all-surpassing worth of Christ. He understood that if the dead were not raised, then we should just stop living, and just eat and drink for “tomorrow we die.” But the dead are raised, and all of the wrongs of this world will be made right when Christ comes again. What do we have to fear in this world? Death? As my friend says, “It’s a graduation ceremony.” Live your life in such a way that this world was not worthy of it and don’t fear, because if we die, then we are more alive than we will ever be!

My brother or sister, I pray that we might abandon any such idea of a safe faith and embrace real faith, a faith that considers not this world its home, but so orders this life that no one but Christ is seen in us, in order that many might be saved because of our testimony, and He might receive glory. Amen.