Tell me then, what did you do with your nationality?
I'm sorry, I'm not sure if you understand.
Do you not understand? Or perhaps you are afraid that you do understand and hope now that you don't? Tell me, what is your theology?
Well, I'm a Calvinist sir. I believe in a sovereign God.
Hmmm...yes, an easy thing to say, certainly, but not always easy to see in practice. Have you ever thought through what the sovereignty of God has to say about your nationality?
I'm not sure that I've ever thought of that aspect of it. Mostly I think about with reference to my salvation...you know, I am chosen, Christ died for the church, the Spirit enlivens the spiritually dead, I am kept firmly in his hand. And now I'm here. I guess I'm not sure how this whole scene works into everything--
Yes, I'm familiar with Calvinism. I'm not sure Calvin is very fond of you calling it that. In fact, the poor man has been rather taken aback that it is called that. Seems to present it as if it belonged to him or something. Augustine likes to tease him about it. But anyways, I am not concerned, right now at least, about your theology of salvation. You say you believe in a sovereign God. To paraphrase James, so to the demons, and shudder! What does your believe in this sovereign God say about your nationality?
I don't know.
Think man. For once, apply the Scriptures to your life. God is sovereign. You were, what, American, is that right?
Yes. That's right.
So?
Well, I guess that means that he sovereignly made me American?
You have never thought of this? You could have been born in any country, and any time in history. You've thought about the fact that you are a man, right? You have thought about the fact that you are 5'7" right? You've thought about the fact that you had the intelligence and giftings that you had, yes? What does the sovereignty of God say about all that?
That God made me that way, for his own purposes. That he is sovereign over who I am, where I was born, and all of that.
Good! You are correct. Now then, to my original question. What did you do with your nationality?
I don't understand. Because God sovereignly made me in a certain way meant that I was supposed to do something with it? You'll excuse me sir, if I point out that what you are saying sounds like some sort of works-based salvation. I don't need to DO anything with these things. They are gifts, graces! I'm no bragging Pharisee making much of what I have! I am beginning to wonder what is goi--
SILENCE! Do not question the justice or the mercy of this court!
[There is a long pause. The room is utterly still.]
Please. I will ask you these questions, and you will answer them. To make things easier, I will help you think through your answer by asking a preliminary question. What did you do with your nationality? Preliminary question: What benefits did your nationality bring you?
Freedom. I was very free to practice my faith, to speak of it, to share it with others. I could assemble wherever and whenever I wanted. I had access to lots of resources as well, books, teachers, seminars. There were churches everywhere! All of them could support at least one pastor, and the vast majority could support teams of ten people or more. I myself enjoyed a high relative income, access to plentiful and cheap food, many cheap leisure activities. In fact, there were many, many benefits dealing just with the vast material resources available to me. And it wasn't just me. In my church, everyone owned their own house, one or two cars, took a few vacations a year, and generally could afford to live in a great deal of comfort.
How did this compare to the lot of the vast majority of people living in your world?
I'm not sure, I guess, never having traveled much beyond Europe, but I could make a guess that they did not have the same resources as us.
A fair guess, a fair guess. Actually, almost one-third of the people living on earth with you lived on about two dollars a day. So yeah, I don't think they quite had access to the resources you did. How did this compare even to richest countries of the past?
I'm sorry sir, but I never was much of a historian. Perhaps you could answer for me?
Gladly! In your generation, the average American lived at a level of comfort and luxury that would have staggered the rich men of the past.
Ah. Well sir, I truly was blessed. And don't think I didn't know it. Why didn't we use to pray a prayer of thanksgiving at every meal?
Yes. You did. Now tell me. How did you use your nationality for the glory of God?
Just that. I thanked God for it. I always credited him for it.
You fool. Don't you know the words of our Lord? "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only him who does the will of my Father who is in heaven?" Or perhaps you are forgetting, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." Think of what you've been given. Now think of what you have used it for.
Is it a sin to use what I've been given on myself? There's no place in the Bible that the comfort I enjoyed is wrong!
Let me tell you a story. Our Lord told a similar story once. A certain man departed to go to a country and he left his three servants in charge of his estate. One servant he made Asian, and entrusted to him 10 talents. Another servant he made African, and entrusted to him 5 talents. A third servant he made American, and he entrusted to him one talent. When he returned, he asked the servants to give an account of what they had done with the money.
The first servant said, "Master, the talents you entrusted to me were zeal for you, persecution, a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit. Look, your ten talents have produced ten more!"
The second servant said, "Master, the talents you entrusted to me were zeal for you, poverty. Look, your five talents have produced ten more!"
The third servant said, "Master, the talents you entrusted to me were great material riches, a wealth of Christian resources. Look, I have used your talents to make myself very comfortable!"
To the first and second servant, the master gave commendations and increase. To the third servant, even what he had was taken away and given to the first servant.
So. One final time. How have you used those privileges of birth which the sovereign God has given you for one purpose, namely the advancement of his kingdom tending to the glory of his Son?
My answer must be that I have used my resources first on myself, for my own comfort and entertainment. My time has been spent in idleness and my money spent on my comforts. I have given an average of 2% to my church, of which nearly all has stayed in my own country. I have spent little time in prayer, of which most of that has been my own concerns and that of my small circle.
Very well. I will only quote one more Scripture. Every good tree bears good fruit and every bad tree bears bad fruit. Let wisdom be proved right by her actions.
