Theological Tuesday--Is Success A Christian Value?

We live in a culture which (like any good culture does) takes certain things so for granted that it never even bothers to say them. In America, one of the keystone premises is that success is a good thing, for which we should all be striving. Winning is good. Losing is bad. Wealth is good. Poverty is awful. The top is good. The bottom is not. But (like Christians in every culture must do), we must ask whether such a deeply ingrained cultural value is a Biblical one. To what degree does success represent (or not) God’s will in our lives? To what degree does success advance (or impede) our spiritual formation, personal character, and relational connections?


Bible principles
o The way down is up
o He who is least shall be greatest.
o Servant is master of all.
o Take the place of importance and get demoted
o King rides in on a donkey.

What are the world’s definitions of success
o Wealth
o Power
o Popularity
o Comfort
o Who you consort with. The right people.
o What you wear, drive, live in. The right possessions.
o Commodities that are essentially scarce in the sense that more people want them than can have as much of them as they want.

What does the Bible say about these
o Giving them away is what makes you Divine
o The Beatitudes
3"(DN)Blessed are the poor in spirit, for (DO)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4"Blessed are (DP)those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5"Blessed are (DQ)the [k]gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6"Blessed are (DR)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7"Blessed are (DS)the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8"Blessed are (DT)the pure in heart, for (DU)they shall see God.
9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for (DV)they shall be called sons of God.
10"Blessed are those who have been (DW)persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for (DX)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people (DY)insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for (DZ)in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Christian virtues
o Humility
o Patience
o Joy
o Peace
o Love
o Longsuffering
o Gentleness
o Meekness
o Courage
o Faith
o Service

Christian sins
o Pride
o Greed
o Envy
o Sloth
o Contempt
o Self-aggrandizement
o Self-esteem
o Wrath—why do we get angry? When the things we think we ultimately need are deprived from us.

Impact upon
o Prayer
o Conceit
o Security,
§ need and desire for
§ Based on self not Faith
o Coveting
o Trust
o Faith

How does success fit God’s plan for our formation?
o Spiritual
§ How does success disconnect us from God?
§ Self-reliance
o Relational
§ How does success disconnect us from others?
§ Trust
§ Demands
o Character
§ How does success disconnect us from ourselves?
§ Forget who you were
§ Judge those who are “beneath” you.
o In what ways does failure form and reveal us?
o In what ways does success form and reveal us?

Questions
o What would you say to someone who said he didn’t care very much about success?
o Pastor leaving a hugely successful megachurch
o Football player quitting 49ers because Jesus wanted him to.
o Baseball player giving up his contract.

Other value systems
o Faith
o Family
o Relationships
o Pleasure
o Contentment

What is success for a Christian?
o Obedience
o The companionship of God?
o Is Mother Theresa successful?

Does being good bring you success?
o The Bible is full of people who have vast moral failings
o In fact, the Bible sort of makes a big deal about always showcasing whatever is most wrong with someone.
o But there are a couple of people in the Bible who never seem to make a misstep
o And yet, how does everything go for them?
§ Daniel
Taken from homeland
Thrown in lion’s den
§ Joseph
Jailed
Sold into slavery
Falsely accused
On death row.
§ Depending on at what point in these stories you stop, things look pretty awful.
o So the next time someone assumes that suffering means sin, consider these examples.