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Appendix D: Christian Fatalism Is Harmful

Additional Reading

There were many practices God viewed as evil in the divided kingdom era of ancient Israel’s history. Over time, both its leaders and the people strayed so far from God they did not even know what was in the Law of Moses. One day, King Josiah—eighteen years into his reign—received word that the high priest had found a mysterious book in the temple. This turned out to be the Book of the Law containing commandments God had given to Moses many generations earlier (2 Kgs 22:8). When Josiah understood how corrupt his country had become, he deeply mourned its depravity (2 Kgs 22:11, 19). Although the Lord would eventually send Israel into exile for its many sins, He was kind to Josiah and delayed those plans for another generation because Josiah earnestly desired to turn from his sins and help his country to do the same (2 Kgs 22:20).

Moral corruption on the scale of ancient Israel is where the United States is rapidly headed. Our people are forgetting what it means to live righteous lives. Our leaders frequently abandon their Christian faith when it matters most—we see this in their actions if not their words. Churches have become so entrenched in the common patterns of American Protestantism that many have become blind to what a church should be. False teaching and moral relativism is everywhere. Christians frequently do what seems right in their own eyes rather than what is actually right in the eyes of God. America is spiritually and morally ill. Yet despite all this, American Christians still have a part to play in the kingdom of God. Whatever task the Lord assigns each of us to accomplish, “do it with all your might; for there is no activity, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going” (Eccl 9:10 NASB). In other words, make a difference. Now is the time!

Jesus was adamant that He and His disciples needed to work hard while Jesus was still in the world so they could establish the kingdom of God. He said, “We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4 NASB). It is no different for Christians in modern America. This is not the time to sit back and wait for the end of the world, as if any of us knows when that will happen. Now is the time to recommit ourselves to the kingdom of God like never before because when “night” comes and Jesus returns, our work is done. Anyone who has rejected Christ at that point along with anyone who remains uncertain what to think about Him are in for a very difficult time. Our job is to prevent as much of that as we can because Christian fatalism is not what the Bible teaches. Rather, in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom 16:20 NASB; cf. Gen 3:15). Notice what Paul says here: your feet. While God works directly against the evil in this world, He also works through us. But He cannot work through us if we are unwilling to be active in our Christian faith.

A surprising number of American Christians look at the spiritual headwinds facing our country and conclude, “Why bother?” This is a harmful attitude. Has the Lord given up on us? Of course not. So what excuse do we have for doing nothing while He is still working? Are we the masters and God the servant? No. Yet some Christians, looking to apocalyptic prophecies in the Bible, are certain the end is just around the corner. Because our planet is slated for divine judgment, the thought goes, nothing else matters and pressing societal problems affecting everyone “do not effectively compete for concern with the coming cosmic drama. A recent study confirms that expectation of an imminent apocalypse among conservative American Christians is directly tied to decreased environmental concern,”1 for example. But life still matters. Life has not stopped and will not stop, even up to the very last hour on earth as we know it. People will still be eating, celebrating, attending parties, and getting married on the day when Jesus arrives, however far in the future it may be (Luke 17:27).

Ultimately, we must decide whether we will choose to emulate biblical leaders like King Josiah who “did what was right in the sight of the Lord… and did not turn aside to the right or to the left” (2 Kgs 22:2 NASB). Christians failing to be the salt and light of the world only hastens the ugly moral and spiritual decline currently playing out in the United States. When the light dies down to embers and the salt loses its flavor, everyone suffers. We must instead “contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to” God’s holy people (Jude 1:3 NASB). We must get rid of all the moral filth and evil in our lives and humbly accept the Word of God, which has the power to save our souls (Jas 1:21). We must show mercy to those who are unsteady in their faith; save others by snatching them out of the fires of judgment; and show mercy to those steeped in sinful behaviors—albeit with great caution—loving such people while hating the sins that contaminate their lives (Jude 1:22–23). When Christians fail to do these things, we have encouraged the destruction of our neighbors (Jas 2:15–17). Remember “that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (Jas 2:24 NASB), meaning that what we do shows us to be right with God. Good works are a natural expression of our Christian faith, and while good deeds are not a requirement for salvation, Christianity is inherently an active religion. We are actively seeking God, active in the lives of friends and family, and active in our communities.

No matter the spiritual condition of the world around us, Christians have a continuing responsibility to love one another, be hospitable without complaint, be good stewards of everything the Lord has given us, be mindful that every good thing we have comes from God, and through all these things glorify our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet 4:7–11). We must stay alert in our responsibilities so that we may continue to shine the light of Christ in a very dark world (Mark 13:36–37). If Christians fail to do this, who will?

  1. Bernard Daley Zaleha and Andrew Szasz, “Why Conservative Christians Don’t Believe in Climate Change,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 71.5 (2015): 25, https://doi.org/10.1177/0096340215599789.↩