How Committed Are You?

 (Originally written for The Baldwin Bulletin: Pastor's Column February 14, 2024)

…And all who dwell on earth will worship [the blasphemous beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. (Revelation 13:8-10)

Yes, here I come interrupting your lovely Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Day celebrations with some difficult words from Revelation. I honestly had considered writing about Christian origins of today’s consumerist holiday, but I’m not well-versed and Wikipedia seems to do a thorough job.

I am currently preaching through the bulk of Revelation at Baldwin Christian Reformed Church. My interpretation is not a strict literal interpretation of the book. I believe it may contain some literal aspects but is largely symbolic in revealing things that God’s people from the time of its writing until Christ’s return should know and pay attention to. In this middle section, there’s a lot about wicked enemy forces that are warring against God as well as his people. There’s a dragon—who we’re specifically told is the devil and Satan (12:9), a couple beasts—at least one of whom is what some Christians are looking for as the Antichrist, and other enemies. My intent here is not to get into all the different interpretations and applications of such things.

Chapter 13 is a wake-up call. There are two groups of people named: those who have been in the Lamb’s (Jesus’) book of life written before the foundation of the world—the saved—and all who dwell on earth [who] will worship [the blasphemous beast]—those whose end is hell. The wake-up call I’m referring to is not just that both heaven and hell are real. It is that those who are worshiping the enemy of God, who blasphemes God, appear to far outnumber those redeemed of the Lord. God’s grace is incredible and sufficient to cover any number of sins for all who believe, but faith is an acceptance and commitment to the love and worship of God. It is not just living a comfortable, blessed, fairly moral life. It’s knowing you’re a sinner before God, repenting, and gratefully living with the renewal that God is working in you. Most people do not have such true faith. There are no additional categories here—it’s worship God or don’t.

When John writes about captivity and death in verse 10, he’s not talking about the final judgment of unbelievers; he’s talking about the persecution and martyrdom of Christians in this age. Not too many of us are accustomed to those, but believers throughout history and elsewhere in the world today are. To be threatened, harmed, or killed for faith isn’t a sign of God’s unfaithfulness; it’s the fulfillment of what has been prophesied that the devil will attack, seeking to snuff out the church.

What’s God’s purpose in revealing this to us? …A call for the endurance and faith of the saints. It’s a call to not lose hope, to not stop trusting God, but to persevere in believing, to remain committed in our faith. Commitment continues to decline in many areas of our society. We see that in widespread divorce and increasing avoidance of marriage, the growing trend of college athletes jumping from one school to another, and decreasing attendance, involvement, and submission to a local church.

The Belgic Confession (one of the Reformed tradition’s documents that summarizes our beliefs from Scripture) instructs and encourages commitment in this way: …[The universal church] is the gathering of those who are saved and there is no salvation apart from it, people ought not to withdraw from it, content to be by themselves... All…are obliged to join and unite with it, keeping the unity of the church by submitting to its instruction and discipline, by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ, and by serving to build up one another, according to the gifts God has given them as members of each other in the same body…All who withdraw from the church or do not join it act contrary to God's ordinance (Article 28).

How are we to remain committed to faith in such a way that we can endure whatever comes against us? Remember these words, …The steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:17-19). Remaining committed to the Lord is not simply doing good-looking or even right things; our salvation is not in our actions. Remaining committed to the Lord is trusting his love is steadfast and he is ruling over all. The believer can have confidence that God graciously chose them and will keep them unto salvation. “…Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown” (Revelation 3:11)