the arrival of paul on malta had two effects on the people. in the first instance, a poisonous snake attached itself to paul's hand, whereby the people of the island concluded that paul was a murderer. when paul shook off the snake with no ill effect, the people then concluded that paul was a god. paul's appearance exposed the worldview of the island inhabitants--a worldview steeped in superstition and fatalism. simply put, the islanders believed that bad things happen to bad people and that good things happen to good people."paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects" (acts 28:5)
this worldview might seem primitive but is actually very modern. it is the worldview of fallen humanity from the beginning of time up until now. without the revelation of the existence of a God who is in control of all things, we too would feel ourselves to be at the mercy of inexplicable forces of nature or circumstance. to "earn" a good life we would do good works, and we would likewise expect punishment if we hadn't lived well. stripped to its essentials, this worldview is a salvation by works. it was the worldview of the islanders; it was the worldview of the pharisees in Jesus's day; it is the worldview of hindus, muslims, and jews today; and it is most certainly yet erroneously the worldview of many christians who profess to believe in God's sovereignty but live in accordance to the above mindset. do we recognize this line of reasoning in our own lives?
what does the life of a person who believes and trusts in God's goodness and power look like practically? "paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects" (verse 5). when confronted by a potential threat or danger, paul "shook it off". this event which caused the islanders to conclude almost in the same breath that paul was both a murderer and a god did not shake paul's faith in the least. this is not to say that christians are immune from tragic circumstances or the ravages of disease, but paul remained steadfast even when his life was threatened.
we could learn a lot from paul--"staying the course", believing, trusting even when things go wrong. if we follow his example, our faith will suffer "no ill effects". unlike the islanders, we would not have our center of gravity shaken and swing wildly between two opposite conclusions trying to understand and make sense of our circumstances. may God help us to be so rooted and established in the faith that in the moment of trial and testing that our faith too would "suffer no ill effects".
1 comment:
thank you for your post :-)
sahmoneem, you bring up a great point in your reflection. i know that i am guilty of having the worldview that "good things happen to good people" or that "salvation is earned by works." i know they're not true when i examine my own life. i have done absolutely nothing to deserve God's grace, but He shows it to me anyways. I know our God loves us so much, and is not someone who finds pleasure in punishing us. Yes, there are consequences given to us for our actions..but it's different when given by God. It's given with much love and the desire to see us come closer to Him. That makes all the difference in the world.
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