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DAY SIX
Warren’s depiction of life on page 47, “Life on earth is a temporary assignment”, contains a rather subtle confusion of Law and Gospel. In general, this Chapter attempts to resolve the Scripture revelation of the “tension” that Christians encounter during their life on earth. Warren avoids the tension reveled through Apostle Paul “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NIV).
Warren fails to present what it means to be alive. In creation, man was originally made and given life. That life was defined in the context of a perfect relationship with God. Through sin, man stepped out of the definition of “life” into “non-life”, i.e. death. Through the Gospel first proclaimed by God in Genesis 3:15, God promised to do all that was necessary and to give as a free gift new life through the promised Seed. We are put into and given new life first in our baptism. Thereafter, the eternal life of a believer could be described as occurring in three phases. The first phase is the life on earth wherein the believer remains both sinner and saint. He is maintained in that new life by God through Word and Sacrament. Upon death, the believer enters into an “intermediate” phase wherein the bodiless soul is in heaven with Christ still joyfully anticipating Christ’s Second Return and the resurrection of the dead. The believer’s third phase is the phase beginning with the resurrection of the dead where the believer, body and soul, is with God for all eternity.
The very word “assignment” distorts the new life in Christ first given in baptism and makes this life all Law.
Warren states, on page 47, “To make the best use of your life, you must never forget two truths: First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief. Second earth is only a temporary residence.” Warren’s “two truths”, pulled out of the context into which Warren places them, may well in fact be true statements. Life on earth is extremely brief in comparison with eternity and this life on earth is but a temporary residence while we, as believers, maintain that our citizenship is in heaven. However, those truths only find definition and meaning in Christ Crucified, not in the Law of how you use this time.
Warren is correct that there is great danger of “adopting the values, priorities, and lifestyles of the world around us”, page 48, but he fails to understand that confusing Law and Gospel, and defining life in anyway that is not founded upon, filled with, and maintaining all hope in Christ Crucified, is itself is adopting the world’s ways. Warren’s confusion of Law and Gospel is, therefore, guilty of the very thing about which Warren would purport to warn his readers.
The concept that believers on earth are to be “ambassadors” is true, but Warren fails to acknowledge properly the One whom the ambassador represents. Again, as Paul stated, “to live is Christ”, (Philippians 1:21, NIV). To be Christ’s ambassadors, we must boast only of our Lord, Christ Crucified.
Accordingly, Warren’s statement that “…life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment…”, page 49, describes a life that is not a life filled with faith, the work of the Gospel, but instead is a life filled with Law. This is easily seen in Warren’s statement “We are preparing for something even better”, page 49, because Warren would put the work of our salvation upon us. The truth is, we are being prepared by our Savior Lord for something better.
Warren’s explanation of why “followers of Jesus” experience adversity also avoids the central message of Scriptures, God’s grace in our justification. We experience adversity, as believers, because God, in His grace, uses that adversity to work in us a continued trust in only God’s gracious promises through Christ.
Warren’s confusion also is apparent on page 50 where Warren says “Realizing that life on earth is just a temporary assignment should radically alter your values.” Change is worked in man only through God’s work in His Gospel, Word and Sacraments. God works that change by the power of His Gospel!. All men know that death awaits them. Does that knowledge of impending death save? Absolutely not! We are put into God’s forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life with God only through faith in the Person and work of Christ Jesus Crucified.
One page 51, Warren says “In God’s eyes, the greatest heroes of faith are not those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.” Once again, rather than celebrate the Gospel of Christ Crucified, Warren uses the language of Law, reward and punishment, emphasizing man’s power and works. Again, our “good works” are only pleasing to God because the sinfulness attached to those works is forgiven in Christ and the good remaining is a work that truly can only be credited to the work of the Holy Spirit within us. Our good works are the Holy Spirit’s work for which we are imputed the credit.
Warren is correct that heaven is my home, but the Scriptures present that life in heaven as one of thanks and praise to God for who He is and all He has done, and not a reflection upon and guilt over my sinful life on earth.
The basic overriding problem with this Chapter is that Warren fails to present the picture of a believer’s life in the context of baptism, the initiation into God’s people and the present reality of every moment on earth for the believer.
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