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What God Has Not Given Us

by Dave Brown

June 17, 2010

God has given Christians the most precious gift that anyone could give—His son Jesus Christ through whom we have received promise of eternal life. Paul said: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). While this gift is conditional on our being faithful to Him (Revelation 2:10), faithfulness itself is a gift of God in that it leads us to have the best possible life on this earth, including happiness and peace of mind, while we await our eternal reward. Jesus said that we would “receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life." (Luke 18:30) God has also given us the privilege to assist in imparting this gift to others by entrusting to us the gospel. “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). We have been entrusted with the ability, through teaching the gospel to others, to assist them in learning about and accepting these wonderful gifts.

We may not be able to state the extent to which this is true, but we know that the Bible teaches that great blessings fall upon those individuals and those nations that uphold and respect God’s laws. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). So, to the extent that we teach and practice faithfulness to God, we bring blessings not only to ourselves, but through the influence we have on others, to society as a whole. God has given us much.

What God has not given us is the ability to control the moral state of our society, or the actions of any person in our society other than ourselves. We see the evils all around us, and we can teach by word and example against them, but we are not in any position to control them. We are pilgrims in this world (Hebrews 11:3; 1 Peter 2:11). Even men and women in the highest positions in our society can only influence things, and most often they are powerless to exercise their own will when it comes to the actions of others. When we see the futility of their attempts, we might ask, what can someone with virtually no political or economic power do to counter the evil in this world?

The answer is to first realize that if you are setting out to do good, God is on your side…or perhaps more accurately, you are on God’s side in attempting to influence our world for good. Do not think that you are powerless—but for the relatively few good people in this world perhaps it would have been destroyed long ago (2 Peter 3:7-9).

Next, recognize that the pathway toward accomplishing God’s will is not in the realm of political or economic power. The Bible does not say: “get elected so that you can have influence” or “get rich so that you can change things.” It does say: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

Wealth and political power are not evil within themselves, and if you have wealth or influence these should be employed for the Lord. But few of us have these things, and they are not essential to accomplishing great things for God. In fact, they can create barriers toward our serving God in His way when we trust in them more than in God. Jesus said, “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11).

Look around you at all of the Christians you know, and find that servant—that person who is willing to serve God and his/her fellow man without recognition or reward. In a sense you will have found Jesus, for it should be clear that Jesus is living in them. Emulate their best traits and it will help you on the goal to following Jesus (Philippians 3:17; 1 Peter 2:21).