RC Sproul Jr

It was a true reflection of my own convictions, and my calling as a teacher. I was about 17; my niece was 3. We were sitting together at our local church, listening to the sermon. I know she was listening because when the pastor said in passing something about “the government,” my niece tugged on my jacket for my attention, and whispered in my ear, “We hate the government, don’t we?” Nor does it surprise me that whether I am reading a book, or watching a movie, I always see the bad guy as a metaphor for the state. Saruman, he’s the government. Longshanks is too, and Apollo Creed, Mr. T., and Ivan Drago.

I’m not suggesting that when Bunyan told the story of Pilgrim and Apollyian that it was his intention to present Apollyian as anything other than the, broadly speaking, forces of evil. Though, given all that he suffered at the hands of the English state, I can’t be sure. This, however, I am sure of- any state that does not kiss the Son is an enemy of the Son. And any enemy of the Son is and is to be an enemy of mine.

The state that does not recognize and honor the Lordship of Christ will always, in one way or another, be at war with the Bride of Christ. Refusal to surrender is rebellion. When the Roman empire fell, this principle abided. And it crosses borders as well. It is as true in the west as it is in the Sudan or China. The only difference is the nature of the warfare. Whether the state is using us as entertainment down at the coliseum, or whether it is assaulting the souls of our children at their places of education/worship, the war is on.

The scene with Apollyian, however, sticks with me not because this demon is the state, but because of the response of Pilgrim. I love the sheer practicality of Pilgrim. Facing this monster that makes Goliath look like a schoolgirl, Pilgrim takes stock of his situation. As I would be, he is tempted to run. The trouble is, while he is equipped for battle, he is not equipped for retreat. His front is in armor, his back exposed. There is, therefore, only way to go, forward.

As Paul enjoins the Ephesians to put on the full armor of God, and then goes on to describe that armor, you will notice that for us too there is no reverse in our tank. We can only move forward. But surely Paul isn’t talking about the state is he? I know we do not war against flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” With talk like this, Paul could lose his 501C-3 status.

The point of spiritual weaponry is not that it cannot work against “real” weapons, but rather that “real” weapons can’t work against it. Because I am equipped with the truth buckled about my waist, I am able to gird up my loins like a man, prepared for battle. A vague, fuzzy view that the unsubmissive state is only in a vague and fuzzy way the enemy of the King will keep me unprepared for battle. In like manner I cannot have a brave heart, nor can I protect my heart, unless I am dressed in the righteousness of Christ. The state cannot condemn me, and thereby destroy me, because I have been already plucked from the fire.

My calling is not merely to not retreat. I am called to move forward, to go through Apollyian. For this I need “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Isn’t that odd, that the gospel of peace should equip us for war? We wage the war because we’re confident of the promise of peace. The shield of faith extinguishes the fiery darts of the enemy. Because I know the day will indeed come when every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, because I know the Son will “break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9), I move forward in battle.

With the helmet of salvation, with the sword of the Spirit we will vanquish all the forces of evil, wherever they might be. His very Word is sufficient to cut down Goliath, to smite Apollyian, to topple Leviathan. There is the power because His Word is power. By His Word He made the light. By His Word He stretched forth the firmament. If we are equipped with His Word, then we are indeed strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power.

The bumper sticker is only half-right. It tells us, “I love my country; I fear my government.” It is a good thing to love one’s country. And it is a great thing to distinguish between one’s government and one’s country. But there is a problem. We can and should recognize them as an enemy. We can revile them for their failure to bow before the King. We can prophecy against them for their rebellion, warning them of the wrath to come. But what we must never do is to fear them. Fear is reserved for our King.

The truth is that Apollyian is a kitten before the Lion of Judah. The truth is, because we are in union with Him, that Apollyian is a kitten before us. All the might and power of the world’s only superpower is, we must remember, dependent and derived. What Jesus told Pilate is still true today, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.” Do not fear the beast; let the beast fear you.

It is easy enough to speak ill of shepherds, particularly when they are not shepherds, but hirelings. It’s especially easy when envy fuels the hearts of pastors of small churches berating the pastors of large churches for all their worldly marketing gimmicks. Under-shepherds, however, being merely human, will always have failures we can talk about.

What we may skip over lightly is that the sheep are likewise merely human. They too will always have failures. Human sheep do have a great deal in common with their wool covered counterparts. That, however, is not always a good thing.

We tend, I think, to think of sheep, or lambs, as embodying the virtues of gentleness and innocence. Jesus, after all, the Lamb of God, was certainly both. He opened not His mouth when led to the slaughter. They are also, however, not the smartest animals in the barnyard. They can be demanding, and are prone to wander. All of which shows up in the local church.

We rightly reject the concept held among church leaders that the church needs to discern the felt needs of the surrounding community and tailor its message to them. Crass marketing. What we ought to reject is the concept held among church followers that the church needs to discern my felt needs and tailor its message to me. That is, while there is plenty of guilt to go around, one of the reasons hirelings sell what they sell is because foolish and demanding sheep are demanding to buy it.

So the sheep wander, from pasture to pasture, and from pastor to pastor. One pastor may, for a while, feed us our favorite treats. Another may actually for a time feed us the Word. But as long as we are deciding where to eat, we have hired ourselves to watch over ourselves.

I’m not suggesting that joining a church is a lifetime contract. I am suggesting that a genuine sheep would want his shepherd to direct him to a healthy flock. I am suggesting that sheep ought to move slowly and not bolt the first time the pastor does or says something we may not like. The pastor may be in error, or in sin. So might the sheep be. One thing is for certain- the sheep probably shouldn’t be so certain it’s not him.

Our problem in the church, in short, is the church. God gave us a bevy of New Testament epistles to show us dozens of ways churches can go astray. And those same letters to show us dozens of ways sheep can go astray. It has been wisely said, “If you find the perfect church, don’t join it. You’ll ruin it.” I would add, “If you find your current church is imperfect, be sure your next one also will be, the moment you join.”

This is the thirty-ninth installment of an ongoing series of pieces here on the nature and calling of the church. Stay tuned for more. Remember also that we at Sovereign Grace Fellowship meet this Sunday April 13 at 10:30 AM at our new location, our beautiful farm at 11281 Garman Road, Spencerville, IN. Please come join us. Also note that tonight we continue our Bible study on issues dividing the church, tonight considering complementarianism and egalitarianism.