Expectations

Excerpts from Kevin DeYoung post:  Doing Good, But a Little Less Than Others

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Or maybe you are better at other things.

Here’s one of the hardest truths for Christians to understand, let alone embrace: some of us will do more of a particular good thing than others and some will do less. And the difference may not be sinful.

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So is it ever acceptable for Christian A to do less of a good thing than Christian B? Most of us will say yes, and yet we feel like we should probably also feel a little guilty if we are Christian A. Or, we find a way to judge Christian B to get rid of our low-level guilt. Or, when we are Christian B, we add a little guilt to Christian A for not doing the same good things we are doing.

Sometimes those who are great examples of great things make the mistake of insisting that everyone excel in the same ways they do. A Christian brother throws out his T.V. and looks down on those who still watch ESPN. A sister decides only to buy from the thrift store and bludgeons her friends into doing the same. A friend decides to read through Calvin’s Institutes in a year and exhorts his small group that if they were serious about growing in their faith they would do it too. These are made up examples, but they’re probably real somewhere. When we get fired up about a particular good cause, good idea, or good read, we think everyone else should be too. But isn’t it ok, on some matters, that our conscience and convictions and capabilities lead us down different paths of passion?

This is especially tricky because some behaviors are commanded of everyone in Scripture, and yet are also considered special gifts for only some. We should all contribute to the needs of the saints (Rom. 13:13), but some have the gift of generosity (v. 8). We should all serve (v. 11), but some will be particularly gifted in serving (v. 7). We won’t all be as good or zealous about the same things. This is by divine design. Our gifts will differ according to the grace given us (v. 6).

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I fear many of us are prone to taking our gifts and passions and putting them on everyone else as hard and fast commands. And on the flip side, many of us put the expectation upon ourselves. We simply don’t know what to do with another Christian who prays more or gives more or does more for the poor or reads more or writes more or mentors more. We have no category that allows for one Christian to do more of a good thing than we do without feeling guilty for how we measure up.


And yet, I know the second I think this way I’m also liable to justify disobedience or quench the Spirit’s conviction in some area. There’s no easy answer to this dilemma. I don’t have it all figured out. But here are a few thoughts that help.

1. Most importantly, any lasting obedience must grow out of the gospel. Trying to measure up or get rid of low-level guilt are not good motivations for radical sacrifice. We read and give and go overseas and evangelize and feed the poor and adopt orphans and get up early to pray and mentor college students and write blogs because we have nothing to prove, nothing to earn, and nothing to do except glorify God in a million different ways and enjoy him forever.

2. At Lausanne 2010, John Piper told the audience (I’m paraphrasing), “We should care about all suffering, especially eternal suffering.” He said the word “care” was chosen, well, carefully. He didn’t want to say we should do something about all suffering. Because we can’t do something about everything. But we can care. This means that when we hear about grinding poverty or legal abortion or biblical illiteracy we are not indifferent. We think and feel that this ought not to be so. We won’t all care about every issue in the same way, but there are many issues all Christians should care about. When we don’t give a rip about sex slaves or gospel-less preaching, then something is wrong with our hearts.

3. We must allow for various callings and various gifts (see discussion above). We need Christians who will spend their lives to improve inner city school and we need Christians who will labor for decades to provide good theological resources in Polish. And we the one Christian not to make the other feel guilty and the other not feel guilty by the presence of the one.

4. Don’t forget about the church. The work to be done in the world is Christ’s work. And Christ works through his body, corporately in word and sacrament, individually in a million other areas of life. I can’t do it all, but the church—both gathered and scattered, the church as institution and as organism—can do all that the head of the body expects her to do.

5. Lastly, we should pray. Of course, this can become the biggest unrealistic burden of all. No human can pray for all the needs in the world. You simply can’t pray for everything that everyone will ever ask you to pray for. You certainly can’t pray for it all on a sustained basis. But here’s a couple suggestions.

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All of this is simply a long-winded way of saying: don’t feel bad if you don’t read hundreds (or a dozen) books a year. I’ll keep reading and hopefully it will serve the church. You keep doing the things you can do best. And for all the other things, let’s pray that God gives us the double grace to grow where we can and also to joyfully accept that different Christians will have different passions and different callings. The difference itself is according to his grace and, if embraced with the right attitude in service to the church, will be for God’s everlasting glory.