When Cozy Isn't
Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life in your neighborhood so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives. 1 Peter 2:11-12, MSG
“Unbelievers viewed Christians with suspicion and hostility because the latter did not conform to their way of life. Since believers did not honor the typical gods of the community, they were naturally viewed as subversive and evil in that social context.” – Thomas R. Schreiner
“Peter’s readers need to reorient their self-understanding with respect to the society in which they live. The terms Peter uses to describe them basically mean that as Christians they are citizens first of God’s holy nation and therefore not primarily citizens of the society in which they live, to whatever extent the two conflict… Estrangement from, and rejection by, their society are therefore no indication of alienation from God or a weakness of Christian faith…Because all Christians are citizens of God’s holy nation, they are to understand themselves as resident aliens and foreigners wherever they may be residing…” -Karen H. Jobes
Cozy is good. Right? God certainly doesn’t mind if we have our creature comforts, does He? Well, according to Peter, the answer to that statement is tricky. What we want is comfort, ease. What God promises His children in this world is not either. In fact, it is often quite the opposite. The Christ-follower finds themselves estranged, uncomfortable in a world that is not their home when they are living rightly. This is of course the logical extension of following Jesus. His words ring hollow in most of our daily experience though. When we read verses like John 15:18, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (emphasis added) we think Jesus must have been speaking in hyperbole. We are far too often working to be cozy in this world to have it hate us. This is why, at least in part, we are so quick to complain when we feel any alienation as followers of Jesus. When someone doesn’t like us for being Christian or ‘culture’ is against us or our values or the truth of God, we react as if the danger is far greater than it is. When we feel the slightest discomfort, we moan and whine like our very lives are at risk. The flesh is scary subtle in this exact way. It hates pain. It despises discomfort. It craves pleasure, with a continual desire for more. This is why Peter links what we must not do (gratify the flesh) with our status in this world (1 Peter 2:11). It is also why he urges a different kind of living upon us. One of the well placed criticism of the American church from global Christianity, is that we are addicted to comfort. Ease is our god. Hedonism is our way of life. We don’t often stand out in our neighborhood or anywhere else because, our “foreigner and exile” status is hard for us, let alone an outsider, to notice. We are like second of third generation immigrant children. We’ve adopted the values of our culture. We’ve embraced their gods. We’ve adopted their customs. We’ve found it much more pleasant than being considered weird or strange or a killjoy. We simply rewrite the parts of the Bible we find inconvenient or unpopular. Or live as if they don’t exist. As such, its not astounding that we are facing a discipleship crisis in the American church. We are not so different from the people around us that do not know Jesus at all. As a result, we have very little to offer. As our culture turns more and more from God, the “best life ever” brand of Christianity will fade. Jesus is a lousy self-improvement guru. He demands our death and our followership of His commands which are far too rigorous and painful. So too the church will die where it has given away the truth claims of the Gospel. No one is willing to suffer for Jesus if they are fairly certain that Jesus has little to offer in this life or that following Him will change the eternity that follows. After all, if we are all going to get to heaven because ‘love wins’ in the end, then why would I surrender to a Savior who demands so much? Far better to have my cake and eat it too. There is hope though. Because, it is in just such a moment that those who will genuinely follow Jesus, shine brightest. The saltiness of the salt gets noticed more, the blander the food. If we are willing to suffer, willing to abstain from fleshly desires, willing to let comfort die through the cross of Christ, then not only can we glorify God in this life, we are far more likely to introduce some pagans to His Son and the salvation He offers. Here is the challenge: the pathway to this fruitful life for Jesus and His kingdom runs through pain and suffering. It is going to be costly. It is going to make cozy look more and more tempting. And the only way to keep on this path is by the work of God in you. If your flesh is in control of your actions, it will choose comfort every time. If the Spirit is in control of your actions, it will choose Jesus every time. Let us be willing to live out the forigener and exile status we have as the people of God who are seeking to glorify Him and welcome more and more into His Kingdom until He visits us.