A word from the pastor
Well, Eurocon got cancelled and somebody jokingly said that it turned into Coronacon instead. We, of course, had hoped to be able to bring some good tidings from Budapest to you. As said, COVID-19 put an end to that. We really don’t know much at all about the development of this virus. Is it serious or is just a big bubble produced by the media? Only time will tell.
In connection with all this, I was thinking about what it means to be a “positive” person. In our daily conversations, we sometimes talk about pessimists and optimists. Some people seem to have an ability to see everything they face as impossible, difficult and wrong. Others tend to see opportunities, nothing is considered hard for them and they seem to have the ability to turn what is wrong to something “right”, regardless of the circumstances, at least from their perspective.
Should we as Christians be pessimists, considering what we observe in this decaying world? Or, should we be positive since all this has been foretold in the Bible? On top of that, the Word of God promises us a better world in the future. A lot of things can be said about these issues, not least from a biblical perspective.
On the one hand, an unsaved person, realistically speaking, should not try to be an “optimist”. In fact, there is nothing about their future to be positive about. So called “positive thinking” will rather become deceptive since it most likely will avoid the big question – how can I have a right standing with my Creator? A person who is not born again by the Spirit remains under God’s wrath (John 3:36), will have to face judgment (Heb 9:27) and has a burning hell awaiting him or her after that judgement (Rev 20:11-15). These realities won’t go away because of positive thinking or a positive confession, as if that would change anything. Things are the way they are and only a personal faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ can change these facts (John 5:24; 6:40, 47).
On the other hand, can a saved individual be anything but “optimistic”? As a Christian, there is every reason to be positive. Negative thinking is an affront to God since He has given us everything we need through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). The big “life question” is solved – he or she now has a right standing with God (Rom 5:1-2). A person who is born again is NOT under God’s wrath anymore (1 Thess 10; 5:9), does NOT have to fear a future judgment (John 3:18) and he or she can look forward to a future in eternal fellowship with his or her Savior (1 Thess 4:17-18).
Considering all this, we as believers can have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16; Phil 2:5). That is “positive thinking”. Furthermore, we can confess His wonderful truths found in the Word of God. That is true “positive confession”. This is far better than trying to be an “optimist” in this fallen world. In the same way, this goes way beyond the unsaved person’s attempt to produce a “positive confession” in order to cover up an inevitable reality.
For us, it is not a question about whether we will die or not, but rather when and how we will die. Obviously, only God knows the answers to these questions. We are His children and even if we die “too early” or “in the wrong way”, the fact is that, at that moment, we will dance on streets of gold in His presence. Yes, we are realistic. This world has problems and we are still in this world. Although we are in the world, we are not of the world (John 17:14-15). As believers, even the “negative realities” of this world can appear to be something good and valuable.
It is hard to not be positive then, isn’t it?
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