Also; This is pointed at R2K.
“The Greek term used for ‘all nations’ in the Great Commission (I mention this because there is so much hostility against optimism.) The term used (in Matt. 28) is ‘ethne.’ The word that you use in the English word ‘ethnic.’ It is, by no means, to be understood, in the sense of a few individuals from every nation. but in the sense of cultures. This term is used in the Greek language regularly to denote masses or aggregates of people bound together by a cultural identity. So instead of all nations, it would probably be good to read ‘all cultures.’ All of them. Christ’s claim here is extremely counter-cultural. It is not individualistic. It is not geared towards some individuals here or there. No, he is speaking about aggregates, about cultures, about masses of people bound together by a common culture. He is also not only speaking about governments or states. No, He is throwing, He is spreading His net far broader … cultures. Not some of them but all of them. With ‘all nations,’ He means the conversion and the discipling of the whole human race and all of its cultural and social endeavors and not just to getting a few individual decisions for Jesus, here and there and the third place. Christ hereby directly contradicts the common pessimism and defeatism that we see among so many Christians today.
I am telling you, it is the worst disease that we are facing right now in our churches — pessimism — constant pessimism as if optimism would be somewhat unholy … somewhat un-pious. It reminds me of the old ladies in my homeland who are Roman Catholics. They think that they always have to look sad because it is somehow more pious if you are sad. And if you are pessimistic you are humbler.
‘Oh, come soon Lord Jesus.’
Of course, that is a comfortable way out isn’t it? Because the moment that my eschatology looks disastrous like this I stop fighting. I stop witnessing. I stop the mission’s endeavor. I stop everything. I have a wonderful cop out all the while feeling extra holy too.
Whose old man wouldn’t like that? And that is why it is so popular in our circles. Always to talk hell into the world. Always to look very sad and very very tortured.
And as soon as somebody sticks his head out and says, ‘NO, we have got to fight for Jesus Christ,’ they say, ‘O you’re a triumphalist.’ Call it what you want. It is biblical because if Jesus Christ sits on the throne then I am a justified triumphalist, because — and I ask you again — who rules in heaven and on earth? Not Satan. Not politicians but Jesus Christ.
You have to explain to me how it can be that with the coming of Jesus Christ things start going suddenly downhill. Everything goes bad? Why wouldn’t it have been better if he never was enthroned if everything was better before His coming?
And we say, ‘No, Lord, we don’t want to sound presumptuous because we are so humble — we are so pessimistic. We think it is really holy Lord. You don’t understand.’
And God says, ‘NO! Fight! Be a man. Act like men, not like babies. The church in our day and age acts like babies. Like such flimmer flammers. Like a bunch of whiners.
And it is not only that they’re (the church) so pessimistic, it’s also that when someone is optimistic he must be shot down. You can deny the trinity and get away with it rather than being optimistic because then you are a triumphalist, you’re presumptuous, and we have become so comfortable in our defeatism.
Christ contradicts here the very truncated missions endeavor of much of contemporary evangelicalism that only focuses, at best, at the conversion of scattered individuals and ignores cultures completely. We are so pessimistic we do not expect the Gospel to have any cultural implications. That is the sin of pietism. Of escapism. Of ‘running-away-ism.”
Rev. Sacha Walicord
Pastor — Walker URC
Note: I quibble only with his definition of nations = cultures preferring to see instead that nations are common cultures because they are common blood. See definition of ethne in Thayers.
