Why do so many Christians go to church, listen to sermons, and yet still fail to grasp the tragedy of life? Certainly, because of wrong teaching. Praise God if He then changes our lives and gives us new understanding, so that through our life’s journey we increasingly realize just how tragic life really is.
In the Old Testament, we do not find an explicit statement about the tragedy of life. Why? First, because the orientation of the Old Testament people—especially the nation of Israel—was still worldly. Their target was a land flowing with milk and honey, earthly glory, and material prosperity. Second, because at that time there was no solution yet: no redemption, no grace, no cross.
That is why if we now hear sermons taken from Old Testament verses without considering their context—as though the life of Israel could be used as the standard for believers today—there lies distortion, even to the point of deception. The orientation of the Old Testament people was indeed worldly. As a result, congregations today often become worldly in orientation as well, unable to turn their hearts toward eternity, incapable of thinking about the new heaven and new earth, and failing to grasp the tragedy of life because they remain preoccupied with earthly pleasures.
When we enter the New Testament, the direction of believers’ lives is clear: it is aimed toward the life to come. This world is tragic; it can no longer be relied upon. That is why Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” (Matt. 6:19-20). He also said in John 14:2b–3: “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” The Lord Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven. Many people agree with this logically, but they fail in their experience of it, because their life’s rhythm is already wrong—and permanently so.
1 Peter 1:3-4 writes: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Notice: this promise is not for here on earth, but for later. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are born out of death. In Jesus Christ, we have a life full of hope. As human beings, we will undoubtedly die. But death is no longer tragic if we have the resurrection.
That is why, when we read the Acts of the Apostles, we see that Paul’s preaching of the Gospel always emphasized the resurrection. Ironically, today, we hardly hear teaching about the resurrection anymore. The new heaven and new earth are rarely spoken of. Yet we must not be part of this world, and the world must not be part of our lives. But because people have become so familiar with the world, many Christians actually blend into it. As a result, they cannot grasp the tragedy of life, nor can they set their hearts on the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that we are justified not by works, but by faith. But faith is not merely an idea or a thought that believes something. Ironically, many Christians feel they already have faith simply because they confess Jesus as Savior. Faith is not mere confession—faith is action.
The Bible always points to the life of Abraham. That is why believers are called the children of Abraham by faith, which means that Abraham’s life must be the model, the prototype of our life of faith. If we do not have the same model of faith as Abraham, then we have not truly believed.