Messes To Masterpieces

And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? I Peter 4:18

Love is a fight. A fight to the finish. You don’t believe it? Hopefully, after further explanation of the above verse you will be convinced.

A song was released several years back entitled “Love Is Not A Fight” that was a soundtrack pick for the popular move ‘Fireproof.’ It is a great song, great lyrics with an upbeat rhythm. And from the song’s perspective on love in general, and for marriage in particular, the message makes a lot of sense.

However, in retrospect, love for some things in life are indeed a battle to the finish line. What are we talking about here? We are talking about a love that goes beyond the bedroom and into a throne room. The throne room of God where Jesus Christ is seated:

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. The Book of Revelation 1:12-16

This is the source of love being spoken of here. Jesus’ love is not cheap. This love is not merchandise. Jesus’ love is pure. Jesus’ love is precious. Jesus’ love is perfect. This love was forged in a furnace of affliction, shrouded in a cacophony of shame, and purified by pain beyond imagination:

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:2-5

People of faith are going to have to fight with everything they have to keep this love alive to the finish line, and not let up until the enemy of our soul is beaten all the way to the 10 count.

Many years ago the following scripture was shared with a group of teenage Sunday school students:

And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? I Peter 4:18

As explained to them, from the surface the initial interpretation that comes to mind when reading the word “scarcely” is: barely, by the skin of one’s teeth, or just about “making it in”. However, further inspection reveals that the Apostle Peter had something else in mind here when penning the words about “making it” into heaven.

The word ‘scarcely’ used here is the translation of the Greek word μόλις (molis) which means “with difficulty: – hardly, with much work”. The Word is the Word and you just cannot twist it or airbrush it. What does this mean?

It means that to “be saved” is going to involve a battle. To make it into heaven is going to involve much work, toil, difficulty – in short, a fight. The Apostle Paul was inspired under the same vein of thought when addressing his young protégé and “son in the Lord” Timothy:

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I Timothy 6:12

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: II Timothy 4:7

Right before his pending execution Paul penned these final, parting words intended for encouragement, admonishment and heart-felt compassion for his son – remember, to keep the torch of truth and the love of Christ alive a fight would have to be won.

Is it any different for us living in the 21st century with the world around us fulfilling the prophetic words of Jesus:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Luke 21:25

The words “the sea and the waves roaring” sounds like a description of hurricanes and typhoons. We have to be awake in this hour. We might put on a pair of boxing gloves and start fighting for our lives, for our families and our neighbors who are positioned on later half of the opening verse of I Peter 4:18 – where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

May Jesus helps us all.