If we had the insight to see that God has seen everything in foresight, we would see things as having happened in His hindsight.
Nothing can happen to Christians that God has not permitted. This is not fatalism! Pontius Pilate said to Jesus, “Do you not know that I have the power to crucify you or release you?” Jesus replied, “You could have no power against me at all, unless it had been given you from above.”
But God would hold Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest, responsible for the death of Jesus. He was the manipulator and Pilate the executioner but God had foreknown all that and for the sake of the world’s salvation permitted them to take place.
We do not need to know why an evil thing is happening: we only need to know that it is happening for our sake and if so cannot be happening without God’s knowledge and permission.
However, if we perceive oppression as an injustice that appears to be without Christian purpose or value, we should do as the Apostle Paul did on two occasions and claim our civil rights. Either that or challenge it head on and fight it with all our might.
A church is an open door of welcome to all who wish to know the Lord Jesus, but this doesn’t mean that we should allow evil people treat us like doormats. Passivity in the face of injustice has no virtue in situations where God is not glorified.
We do not look forward to Christ’s return by looking backward to his birth. Yes, we delight in reading how the angel of the Lord brought the good news of the Saviour’s birth, how the glory of the Lord shone round about, and how the heavenly choir sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth!” If angels celebrated Christ’s birth, so can we — even though the Bible does not say that we must or that we should. But then, why on earth would we not?
We do need to look back occasionally while moving ahead — that’s why our cars have rear view mirrors. The big view, however, is through the front windscreen.
The apostle Paul writes that in sharing communion we “remember” the Lord’s death until he comes.” The word “remember” can also be translated as “proclaim”. Which means that Christ’s death is not just a memory of a glorious past event to be viewed in hindsight but a proclamation to those of our Lord’s present and future power.
Communion is an unforgettable and moving vision of Jesus dying for our sins and rising from death to glory, but is not a sepia-toned photo of a bloodstained cross or a silent tomb (1 Corinthians 11:26).