Sunday News 13 April 2025

Beware – the fences are down.

Before the last general election in my country – a couple of years ago now – I remember feeling a burst of outrage over what appeared to me the shear ungodliness of one of the candidates. My feelings were increased by the apparent blindness of people, including some believers, to this reality. And the fact this person promoted themselves as a role model of decency and ‘right thinking’ (as all politicians generally do) which appeared to me the furthest possible thing from their true position.

I prayed: ‘Lord, let not this person stand in our election, so that the evil she represents is not promoted or established.’ However, I had the immediate impression my prayer did not properly represent the will of God. If I could put words to the answer I felt from God – and perhaps there were words, though not audible – it would be, ‘She must have her chance to stand’.

To give evil a chance? Is that really necessary?

Shouldn’t we do our best to stamp out and suppress evil in all its forms wherever we see it, so that people can live ‘quiet and peaceful lives in all godliness and honesty’? (1 Timothy 2:2)

Wouldn’t that make the world a better place? Surely we can all agree on that, whatever we think is involved or how it might be done, that to ‘make the world a better place’ is a good thing?

Perhaps the answer to that question is, yes. And perhaps the means of achieving that is to pray according to the will of God (more so than I did) and in the instance of my not-preferred candidate, to vote? And no doubt other means and actions besides.

But the idea that snares, pitfalls, and the people who promote them might be given a measure of space to run is not absent from the Bible.

‘For there must also be heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.’ (1 Corinthians 11:19)

This strange and seemingly unhelpful concept shines a light on a very big question – what is God actually setting about to achieve in this world? Or to use the standard simplification, ‘what is the meaning of life?’

If a major purpose of God is to lead people to himself – why would he tolerate those who are leading people, sometimes convincingly, off the track?

I remember one of my colleagues teasing another about trouble she had gotten into at work through a foolish course of action, saying, ‘Life is all about choices…’ – another cliché. But one that holds more truth than I suspect was realised when it was bandied about on that occasion.

But if life is about choices – why are such bad choices so freely available? In fact, sometimes promoted so persuasively? How is that helpful? Can’t something be done about it?

Another example of this run given to evil is found in Revelation (I must return to my Revelation in the Wilderness series soon, but for now I will borrow something for this article):

[From the Lord to the ‘angel of the church in Thyatira’] – ‘I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.’ (Revelation 2:20-21)

This sounds straightforward – this woman Jezebel is a real troublemaker and she’s set in her ways. Get rid of her immediately? God is absolutely able to do that, or in the context of the message in Revelation, to give instructions to that effect.

‘Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.’ (Revelation 2:22)

This business sounds like it was no small matter, and I shudder to think what ‘great tribulation’ might involve. But even this – God appointed a season for it?

This brings me back to the big question – what on earth is God doing?

If God is fixing things, making the world a better place – or at least one would imagine, he is fixing and building the Church – why would he tolerate, even for a season, those who are wreaking havoc among poorly intentioned believers, leading them astray?

The Bible does speak about the building and perfecting of God’s people, in particular the Church:

‘And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ (Matthew 16:18)

‘And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:’. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

So if God is building and perfecting the Church, how does it help to give space to those who are damaging it and tearing it down?

Though as we know, Jesus said the ‘tares and the wheat’ will grow together until the harvest. But it seems the reason given was to avoid damage to the crop by pulling out the tares, or dealing with them some other way, because the wheat and the tares are intertwined? Not because the tares were actually achieving some purpose which would turn out to good? (Matthew 13:24-50)

Some questions I would ask in all of this, which have helped me to find peace with what God may be doing, are these: if there is little choice, what value have the choices we make? Or if there is to be time for all of us to make our choices – how can we say what is too little, or too much time, or enough time for us to be confronted with options both good and evil? I for one am glad it is God who has appointed the times for each of us, and for all of us to make our choices, because I believe he is very greatly merciful.

The world, then, is in a selection process. It is a selection process. It is all about choices.

There is no indication in the Bible that the world is improving or will become a better place in this age at least, in any way that will be generally apparent, until the return of Jesus Christ to reign in glory. Even the Church, in which we in spiritual terms ‘are being changed from glory to glory into the image of the Lord’, in natural terms is not predicted to appear more godly as this age progresses:

‘For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.’ (2 Timothy 4:2-4)

But: ‘The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished’. (2 Peter 2:9)

So then, if you would have God deliver you from temptations and deceptions you cannot see, I counsel the reader to avoid those which you can see. For ‘to him who has shall more be given’.

The rights and wrongs of the choices we face are labelled in the Bible for those who have eyes to see, ears to hear. Do not expect that God must forcibly prevent us from hurtful paths, from dark and empty ways, if by rights we should recognize those ways when they beckon. Or if pleasures or benefits or ease of life are offered on some such paths, that does not provide any justification to set our better judgement aside.

Otherwise, how do our choices honour the Lord, and show how we value him above all, if the good things we want are only in his way? Though in the end, that is so. But as David said, ‘neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing.’ (2 Samuel 24:24)

Do not expect ‘a word from the Lord’ or some special feeling of spiritual discernment to guide you away from something which is clearly wrong, which you know from the Bible. There is your word – in the scriptures. (But if you do not know, ‘if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5)

So, as you venture on into the gathering dusk, go as you will. Use the light given to you. And I pray you find the way of peace always.

And beware – the fences are down.

Amen.