In the letter of James in the Bible we read:
It seems then, that though the poor of this world are in great lack as it concerns material wealth, paradoxically, it is their poverty that gives them the riches of grace in God's sight. That is, though they are poor, yet they are rich in faith in accordance with God's decree, and not only rich but those that love him are heirs of the kingdom. God has chosen or elected them (as a generality) to be rich in faith.
So then, if we take the Bible seriously, as the word of truth, it should therefore come as no surprise to find a New Zealand Herald interactive map, that gives hard data that manifestly corroborates this reality:
Clearly I am saying nothing radical when I say that the blessing of faith for those that are poor, obviously, must not be a justification for prolonging poverty. That would be akin to what St. Paul admonished in Romans Ch 6:1-2 "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.". A sign of our devotion is that we are to be (2 Corinthians 9:8.)"abounding in every good work". Proverbs 22:9 (ESV) “Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.” St. Paul writes of his own concern for the poor and is witness to the concern of others in the church as well when he wrote in Galatians2:10 "All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along." Every Christian therefore is called to exercise compassion to alleviate the suffering of the poor, socially, politically and personally.
That God chose the poor to be rich in faith is also no justification for prolonging the excuse that we need not make any effort to reach out to the wealthy, the influential, or the educated.
Let us not think, like the world, whose prophets make the observation that because faith is more common amongst the poor, that therefore it is a result of being weakheaded and gullible, neither should we give them ammunition with which to accuse Christians of gullibility through ignorance and superficiality. God is using the poor of this world to confound the wise and bring to nought their wisdom, sending strong delusion instead. Let us not "see with the eye" and our native wisdom, but "through the eye" as Blake said, with the wisdom of God and not that of ourselves.
Where he said "Behold I make all things new" he was including your intellect.
"Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" James 2:5Although James poses this as a question, it is clear that he wishes his hearers to recognize and acknowledge this as a reality. James' concern here is that his hearers are showing a prejudice towards the rich at the expense of the poor.
"But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?…" James 2:6,7His reprimand, is justified by the way he contrasts the people who are giving favour to the wealthy, in distinction to the favour that God shows to the poor. James also shows his evaluation of the riches of faith in distinction to the temporal riches of the wealthy. Why do you show such favour to the rich- when clearly God focuses his grace on the poor? Why are you at such odds with the will of God? James effectually asks.
It seems then, that though the poor of this world are in great lack as it concerns material wealth, paradoxically, it is their poverty that gives them the riches of grace in God's sight. That is, though they are poor, yet they are rich in faith in accordance with God's decree, and not only rich but those that love him are heirs of the kingdom. God has chosen or elected them (as a generality) to be rich in faith.
So then, if we take the Bible seriously, as the word of truth, it should therefore come as no surprise to find a New Zealand Herald interactive map, that gives hard data that manifestly corroborates this reality:
"[B]ased on 2013 Census data and the New Zealand Deprivation Index, shows that religious New Zealanders live mainly in poor suburbs, with rich Kiwis increasingly turning their backs on God and religion."
Though it is true that the poor, the less educated, and the disenfranchised have yielded a rich harvest of souls for Christendom, it is by no means an absolute.There are several things that we should not assume from this manifestation of God's prophetic word of truth, (that is applicable, not only of the Kiwi experience, but is also true of our universal experience of the world and throughout history).
- Christians are called to alleviate poverty.
Clearly I am saying nothing radical when I say that the blessing of faith for those that are poor, obviously, must not be a justification for prolonging poverty. That would be akin to what St. Paul admonished in Romans Ch 6:1-2 "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.". A sign of our devotion is that we are to be (2 Corinthians 9:8.)"abounding in every good work". Proverbs 22:9 (ESV) “Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.” St. Paul writes of his own concern for the poor and is witness to the concern of others in the church as well when he wrote in Galatians2:10 "All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along." Every Christian therefore is called to exercise compassion to alleviate the suffering of the poor, socially, politically and personally.
- God is no respecter of persons, therefore neither should we be.
That God chose the poor to be rich in faith is also no justification for prolonging the excuse that we need not make any effort to reach out to the wealthy, the influential, or the educated.
It is also interesting to note here that Paul reminds them, that at the time of their conversion, past tense; they were neither wise in human terms, nor influential, or in any sense of noble birth... As if to say, remember where you have came from, remember your past, remember your roots. This seems to indicate that having come to know Christ, now- as a result of that- they enjoyed the wisdom of God, they now have a sense of some influence and certainly they enjoy a sense of nobility through their adoption into the family of the King of kings. It is a warning not to find pride in these newfound privileges. It is a warning not to take on the values of the world, and treat some class of people as intrinsically of less value than others. It is a warning not to emulate the prejudices of the so-called wise, the powerful and wealthy, the very people that oppressed them. James is pointing out that when the tide is out, every shrimp has his own puddle. Overall, (when the tide is in), Christians as a minority in a predominantly secular culture, (or as a minority in any culture) are treated as less than others because of this attitude of superiority by the dominant tribe. James is warning against the same temptation that naturally occurs within a subculture taking on a preferential, hierarchical structure just as the overall culture did. This isn't a mark of genuine Christianity. It is a warning to guard against nepotism, showing partiality to ones own family, or the rich, or influential people within the Church.
Another assumption that might be more expected amongst those who are reporting the tendency for faith amongst the poor, and that they would do well to avoid is this: Poor people are generally less well educated therefore it is natural to assume, as an explanation, that people- lacking the necessary critical thinking skills that come with a higher education- would therefore be unable to discern fiction from fact. Therefore, this purports to explain naturally the higher percentage of poor people having faith, it apparently shows their gullibility.
- Faith is not the result of gullibility.
Another assumption that might be more expected amongst those who are reporting the tendency for faith amongst the poor, and that they would do well to avoid is this: Poor people are generally less well educated therefore it is natural to assume, as an explanation, that people- lacking the necessary critical thinking skills that come with a higher education- would therefore be unable to discern fiction from fact. Therefore, this purports to explain naturally the higher percentage of poor people having faith, it apparently shows their gullibility.
In contrast to this Saint Paul wrote: "Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful." 1 Corinthians 1:27. It is a fact that the Gospel is foolishness to the wise of this world by design! It is a fact that God ordained the poor for faith. It is a fact that God chose the way of the Cross because no one would ever think of it by themselves- so that neither the ignorant, nor the wise in their own conceit, could boast. "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:5. The Gospel was designed in such a way that only a supernatural event like the new birth could explain why, against all odds, people find it possible to be persuaded of the truth of such an unlikely event as the resurrection of Jesus. It is foolishness to the Greek or gentiles, who valued education and it is a stumbling block to those of another religion, particularly the Jew whose image of a Messiah entailed a national hero who would restore the glory of a political Israel.
Even the most uneducated of people, could recognize that someone rising from the grave after three days of death, was, under normal cirumstances, impossible, unbelievable. It's not rocket science is it! But here they were, all these people absolutely convinced, fully persuaded, to such an extent that they were willing to go to an ignominious death as a result of proclaiming the resurrection as a reality. And all for what? Personal gain? NO, not in this life anyway!
" Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace." Romans 11:6. Poverty just makes it more likely that one would find favour in God's sight such that he might open the eyes of the blind to the reality of his glorious Gospel. This accentuates the idea of the "giftedness" of that faith that is enjoyed in larger measure by the poor, "For by grace are ye saved through faith [Gr. pisteόs]; and that" [faith is]"not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;" Ephesians 2:8. For though faith is something we do- that is- something we exercise, (speaking in generic terms) it is also ineradicably true that it is the work of God, (in a specifically Christian sense) that is it is he that is working that faith in us.“This is the work of God, that you believe [Gr. pisteuéte] in him whom he has sent.” John 6:29
We as Christians, especially should not assume a position of apathy and intellectual laziness in this dialogue- thinking that we have no need to be up to speed with regard to the wisdom of this world."I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Mathew 10:16. "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren " is a constant refrain as Paul thunders from his letter to the Thessalonians and other letters- (1Thessalonians 4:13, Romans 1:13, Romans 11:25) as do Peter and John. Take note that whereas Jesus typically discipled very ordinary people such as fishermen, with no claim to an education or special intelligence we must ask ourselves the question: Was Jesus content to leave them as they were in this respect? Did his intensive and essential character training and their new birth, mean nothing to their intellect? We find the answer to this at the conclusion to Peter the fisherman's astounding speech that was addressed to the "Rulers and elders of the people!"Acts 4:8. It is tempting to read into the fact that because the scriptures record Peter as being "filled with the Holy Spirit" that therefore Peter was not in anyway responsible for the observation by the rulers that followed:
To put this in another perspective, what Peter did has similarities to what Susan Boyle did when she first came under the scrutiny of a huge audience and the "oh so critical" judges of the programme "Britain's Got Talent". Not only her frumpy appearance, her unassuming nature, and very down to earth manner of speech, but even her very name spelled mediocrity. Everyone assumed immediately that this was not going to be a memorable moment. That was the perception of everybody in that moment before her electrifying rendition of "I had a dream".
Who in their right mind would dream that Susan's performance was a spontaneous event without any prior practice or training? Who would imagine that she woke up one morning, and just took it upon herself to march on stage and give a powerful, moving tribute to that song without any discipline or prior learning? If the answer isn't already obvious, I shall spell it out- NO-ONE. But that is, at least in some quarters, precisely the opposite of what some think when we hear the words: "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, You rulers of the people, and elders of Israel..." and continued to deliver a speech that amazed the leaders and people. There are people under the illusion that Peter had little or no prior training, that suddenly, in the heat of the moment the Holy Spirit came upon him and he delivered this amazing speech without any prior commitment to learning the history of Israel as it really was through the eyes of truth, without any effort on his part to understand doctrine, and without any struggle with theology or wrestling with contemporary atitudes towards Christ by the people of his day, without any tests of character. Being filled with the Holy Spirit on that momentous occasion was the result of all the previous years of intensive discipleship, the prior preparation.
- Being poor doesn't entitle one to faith,
" Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace." Romans 11:6. Poverty just makes it more likely that one would find favour in God's sight such that he might open the eyes of the blind to the reality of his glorious Gospel. This accentuates the idea of the "giftedness" of that faith that is enjoyed in larger measure by the poor, "For by grace are ye saved through faith [Gr. pisteόs]; and that" [faith is]"not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;" Ephesians 2:8. For though faith is something we do- that is- something we exercise, (speaking in generic terms) it is also ineradicably true that it is the work of God, (in a specifically Christian sense) that is it is he that is working that faith in us.“This is the work of God, that you believe [Gr. pisteuéte] in him whom he has sent.” John 6:29
Just as the rich erroneously feel they have gotten their wealth solely by their own hard work or wits, so it would be quite wrong to attribute faith either to mere poverty or to intellectual acuity."you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.' But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth,". Deuteronomy 8:17
"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" 1 Corinthians 4:7.Therefore neither poverty, nor intellectual ability, (nor for that matter, a lack of ability), or any other thing merits God's grace. Not political status, not race or colour, not wealth or power, not age, or sex or moral standing, because if anything could, we would waste no time in making our boast of it, and delight in making God out to be in our debt and under obligation to us. God has not left that option open to us, that was not his intention.
The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have? Jeremiah 8:9Christian philosopher Dallas Willard puts this in contemporary terms with these words:
“The test of character posed by the gentleness of God's approach to us is especially dangerous for those formed by the ideas that dominate our modern world. We live in a culture that has, for centuries now, cultivated the idea that the skeptical person is always smarter than one who believes. You can be almost as stupid as a cabbage, as long as you doubt. The fashion of the age has identified mental sharpness with a pose, not with genuine intellectual method and character. Only a very hardy individualist or social rebel -- or one desperate for another life -- therefore stands any chance of discovering the substantiality of the spiritual life today. Today it is the skeptics who are the social conformists, though because of powerful intellectual propaganda they continue to enjoy thinking of themselves as wildly individualistic and unbearably bright.”
- There is no place for apathy.
We as Christians, especially should not assume a position of apathy and intellectual laziness in this dialogue- thinking that we have no need to be up to speed with regard to the wisdom of this world."I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Mathew 10:16. "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren " is a constant refrain as Paul thunders from his letter to the Thessalonians and other letters- (1Thessalonians 4:13, Romans 1:13, Romans 11:25) as do Peter and John. Take note that whereas Jesus typically discipled very ordinary people such as fishermen, with no claim to an education or special intelligence we must ask ourselves the question: Was Jesus content to leave them as they were in this respect? Did his intensive and essential character training and their new birth, mean nothing to their intellect? We find the answer to this at the conclusion to Peter the fisherman's astounding speech that was addressed to the "Rulers and elders of the people!"Acts 4:8. It is tempting to read into the fact that because the scriptures record Peter as being "filled with the Holy Spirit" that therefore Peter was not in anyway responsible for the observation by the rulers that followed:"Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus." Acts 4:13.To take this in context, what were they amazed at? Yes it was their boldness, but where did they get this? How did it happen? There would be no point in connecting their amazement at the disciples boldness if it had nothing to do with their perception that these were "uneducated and untrained men" The amazement was manifest by the truth that these previously ignorant people had become disciplined, learned and persuasive speakers who now held their previous "superiors" in awe. Being filled by the Holy Spirit does not negate the fact that these people were radically different not only in character, but in terms of their wisdom, their demeanour and their boldness. No, rather, the statement "being filled with the Holy Spirit" is established by the changes evidently wrought in them.
To put this in another perspective, what Peter did has similarities to what Susan Boyle did when she first came under the scrutiny of a huge audience and the "oh so critical" judges of the programme "Britain's Got Talent". Not only her frumpy appearance, her unassuming nature, and very down to earth manner of speech, but even her very name spelled mediocrity. Everyone assumed immediately that this was not going to be a memorable moment. That was the perception of everybody in that moment before her electrifying rendition of "I had a dream".
Who in their right mind would dream that Susan's performance was a spontaneous event without any prior practice or training? Who would imagine that she woke up one morning, and just took it upon herself to march on stage and give a powerful, moving tribute to that song without any discipline or prior learning? If the answer isn't already obvious, I shall spell it out- NO-ONE. But that is, at least in some quarters, precisely the opposite of what some think when we hear the words: "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, You rulers of the people, and elders of Israel..." and continued to deliver a speech that amazed the leaders and people. There are people under the illusion that Peter had little or no prior training, that suddenly, in the heat of the moment the Holy Spirit came upon him and he delivered this amazing speech without any prior commitment to learning the history of Israel as it really was through the eyes of truth, without any effort on his part to understand doctrine, and without any struggle with theology or wrestling with contemporary atitudes towards Christ by the people of his day, without any tests of character. Being filled with the Holy Spirit on that momentous occasion was the result of all the previous years of intensive discipleship, the prior preparation.
Let us not think, like the world, whose prophets make the observation that because faith is more common amongst the poor, that therefore it is a result of being weakheaded and gullible, neither should we give them ammunition with which to accuse Christians of gullibility through ignorance and superficiality. God is using the poor of this world to confound the wise and bring to nought their wisdom, sending strong delusion instead. Let us not "see with the eye" and our native wisdom, but "through the eye" as Blake said, with the wisdom of God and not that of ourselves.
Where he said "Behold I make all things new" he was including your intellect.
