Why Bother to Make Music and Light Lamps?
In the novel All the Light We Cannot See, novelist Anthony Doerr describes how things began to unravel for the Germans at the end of World War Two. One of the main characters, Werner Pfennig, a teenage soldier in the German army, rolls into Vienna, Austria in an old truck with three other soldiers. They’re looking for enemy radio transmissions but only find a city that “smells to him of carnage.”
As they drive through the mostly abandoned old city admiring the once grand buildings, Doerr describes Werner’s inner struggle in this moment. He says, “It strikes Werner just then as wondrously futile to build splendid buildings, to make music, to sing songs, to print huge books full of colorful birds in the face of the seismic, engulfing indifference of the world – what pretensions humans have! Why bother to make music when the silence and wind are so much larger? Why light lamps when the darkness will inevitably snuff them?”
Do you see what Werner is saying? He’s struggling with the point of goodness in the face of so much badness. He’s asking, “Why should we do good when the world is full of so much bad? What’s the point of goodness in a world full of unimaginable evil?”
“A Quick-Fading Spark in Fathomless Darkness”
The evils of this world encroach upon us even now, even when the world is not at war. Pervasive human suffering and affliction can be seen by anyone with their eyes open. Tragedy and trauma fill our world, our families, and our lives.
The darkness of the world can be overwhelming. It can lead to despair and despondency, ambivalence and anger. Later in the novel, Doerr captures this mood when he says, “The very life of any creature is a quick-fading spark in fathomless darkness. That’s God’s truth.”
But is it? Is our life a light that is snuffed out upon our death? Is the ultimate end of all things “fathomless darkness”? Are we a “quick-fading spark”? Is this “God’s truth”?
The Only Worldview that Makes Sense of Light and Darkness
The Christian worldview, unlike any other worldview, provides adequate explanation for why we find both good and evil in the world.
The Bible teaches that God made the world and all that’s in it and called it “good.” Then he made man and woman to bear his image, to reflect and represent him in the world. He called them “very good.” But the Bible also teaches that the first man and woman disobeyed God and doubted his word and his goodness, thus bringing sin into the world. Everything was corrupted by sin. Every good thing in the world has been stained by sin. The entire earth groans under a shadow of darkness.
But the story of the Bible doesn’t end there. The Bible says that God sent Jesus into a groaning and lost and dark world in order to call out a people for his possession and to remake the world. Jesus began this work through his life, death, and resurrection and will complete it upon his second coming. His followers thus have hope that “fathomless darkness” is not where everything is headed. Jesus’s followers understand that, though weeping may last for the night, joy will come in the morning (Ps. 30:5).
The Christian, unlike anyone else, therefore understands why we find good and evil, light and darkness, beauty and ugliness in the world. In a way similar to spilling coffee on your favorite book, every good thing God created maintains its inherent goodness, all while being stained by sin.
The worldview of the Bible doesn’t remove darkness from the world, but it does help us understand it. It doesn’t fix all that’s wrong, but it does provide solid reasons for believing that, even though sin has touched everything, God and his world are inherently good and that Jesus will one day return to remake the world and fix everything.
Inaction Is Not an Option
In light of the reality that we live in a good world gone bad, what’s our responsibility as inhabitants of this world, and more specifically, as the church of Jesus Christ? What must the followers of Jesus do in response to what we see?
First, we must do something. God himself has acted to address the evil of the world. As those who belong to him, we must reflect and represent him by doing likewise. If the Bible is clear about anything, it’s clear that those who know God are called to care about what God cares about. Sitting in coffee shops discussing the evil of the world isn’t enough. Preaching sermons isn’t enough. Reading books isn’t enough. Praying, as irreplaceable as it is, isn’t enough.
In the face of worldwide evils, the church of Jesus Christ must do something. Inaction is not an option.
“As We Have Opportunity”
What, then, are we supposed to do? Glad you asked! The apostle Paul gives us simple and clear instructions in Galatians 6:10, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
There’s so much practical help for us here in this short verse! The first thing to notice is that we aren’t supposed to try to do everything. “So then, as we have opportunity.” We can’t do all the good that needs to be done, so we shouldn’t try. We’ll burn ourselves out if we try. We’ll do more harm than good if we overextend ourselves. “No” is one of the most spiritual things we can say. We should seek to do a few things really well rather than a bunch of things moderately well. The church has multiple and diverse gifts for a reason: none of us are meant to do everything.
This also encourages us to be faithful in the opportunities that are right in front of us while we wait for other opportunities we may prefer. Jesus says in Luke 16:10, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.” This is a basic life principle: How can we expect to be faithful in larger things if we aren’t faithful in smaller things? For example, why should the church send us on a mission trip if we aren’t sharing the gospel with our friends and coworkers here? Why should your boss entrust you with more if you haven’t been faithful with less? Why should the Lord entrust us with more resources if we aren’t faithful with what we already have? “As we have opportunity” means we should focus on faithfulness in the things that are right in front of us first. How can we hope to end world hunger if we aren’t helping our friend who’s struggling financially?
“Do Good to Everyone”
Notice next that Paul says that we should “do good to everyone.” This call is repeated throughout the New Testament. Paul says that the rich are “to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Tim. 6:19). Elsewhere, Paul says, “Always seek to do good to one another and to everyone” (1 Thess. 5:15). He tells Titus that one of the reasons Jesus died for us was to “purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (2:14). He says that this is one of the results of believing in God, “This saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works” (3:8). And “let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful” (3:14).
Paul even says that God saved us in Christ “for good works.” Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” For followers of Jesus, God prepared good things for us to do before we started following Jesus. This is amazing! God “prepared beforehand” thousands of ways we will do good in the world.
Justice for Widows, Orphans, Immigrants, and the Poor
Trying to figure out exactly what kind of good stuff we’re supposed to be doing in the world can be overwhelming and confusing. Thankfully, the Scriptures give us many examples of “good works” that we can “learn to devote ourselves to.” Let’s consider one such example from the Old Testament.
In Old Testament Israel, God continually called his people to care for four groups of people: widows, orphans, immigrants, and the poor. Zechariah 7:9-10, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor.”
In an agrarian society, these four groups of people had no social power. They lived hand to mouth and would be in danger of starvation if famine or war came. The widow and fatherless had no husband or father to provide for and protect them. The immigrant and poor had no land to work as their own. These groups had no economic power and thus were constantly in danger.
Under immigrant, today we might add a subgroup for refugee, or those displaced from their homes and living in a foreign land, people who’re forced to settle in a place they do not know, among people they cannot understand, with next to nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Under the group of the poor, we might add the homeless, many single parents, and many of the elderly in assisted living. Under orphans, we might add those in the foster care system. These groups represent, both in ancient times and now, the most vulnerable ones of any society.
The Bible makes it clear that helping the vulnerable isn’t just charity. When the Old Testament talks about these groups, it uses the word “justice.” So neglecting to care for those in these groups is not merely a lack of mercy or charity. It’s considered injustice. Justice is not just about punishing those who do wrong. It’s about doing what’s right for those in need. It’s about giving people what they’re due, whether that’s punishment or protection and provision. Ignoring or forsaking the needs of the most vulnerable among us isn’t only unloving, it’s unjust. It’s not right.
Why Should We Care?
Why should we care about the vulnerable among us? Because God cares for them. Psalm 146:7-9 says that God is one “who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” Deuteronomy 10:17-18, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.” David declares that God is “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows” (Ps. 68:5).
If we belong to God, we’ll begin to care about what he cares about. If God is zealous to care for the most vulnerable among us, if he has a tender love and care for the socially weak, then we should too. How can we claim to know God if his interests aren’t our interests? This is no small matter. The Lord takes this seriously. Deuteronomy 27:19, “Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.” In Matthew 25:41-46, Jesus says that those who fail to serve those with needs within his body will be cast into hell.
Specific Ways We Can “Do Good” to the Vulnerable
Here are some specific ways that you could “do good,” or “do justice,” to the vulnerable in our society. Once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, you could visit nursing homes to encourage and pray with those living there. You could volunteer at a hospital or be more intentional in caring for your parents or grandparents, especially if they’re widows or widowers. You could become a foster parent, adopt children, give money to adoption agencies, give money to or volunteer at a local food bank, build friendships with immigrants and refugees, ensure that they’re paid a fare wage, consider living in a part of town that looks different than you, consider supporting businesses run by immigrants, give money to or volunteer at a local homeless shelter, buy groceries or a computer or a car or a house for a single mom you know, offer single parents free babysitting so that they can go run errands or just get a minute of rest, offer your services free of charge to someone you know who struggles financially. Consider giving your stimulus money to someone in need, or to a non-profit that’s helping those in need.
The number of ways we can bless the weak are unending. This will take work and practice. Remember, Paul told Titus that the church would need to “learn to devote themselves to good works.” Doing good works isn’t our default setting. It doesn’t come naturally. It takes practice. It’s something that must be cultivated and learned. The best way to learn is of course to do. Taking a class or reading a book or listening to a sermon may help. But doing good works is the best way to learn how to do good works. The things we get good at are the things we do often.
“Especially to Those Who Are of the Household of Faith”
Back in Galatians 6:10, Paul gives us one final piece of instruction. The good that we do should be focused on a particular group of people: “Let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
As Christians, when we think about how we’ll serve others, what we’ll give our money to, and where we’ll volunteer, we must start with the local church. Believers in Christ need to look inside their house before they look outside their house when considering what to do with their time and resources. This is why our Member Care fund is for the purpose of helping members of our church or those recommended to us by a member of our church.
This doesn’t nullify helping those outside the church. Paul plainly says, “Do good to everyone.” But he wants the church not to forget her children. If I sent my paycheck to Samaritan’s Purse every month, that could really bless their ministry. But who’d be to blame when my children don’t have food or clothes or a place to live? Our help must start at home and move out from there. Our call is to be faithful to what’s in front of us first, and then move out from there as the Lord allows.
The Best Good Work We Can Do in Our Society
Let me zoom us back out to our wider culture and ask, “What is the best good work we can do?” In one sense, the answer is obvious. The best thing we can do is spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is people’s most important need because God is people’s most important need. How tragic it would be if we gave our lives to merely making the world a better place for people to go to hell from.
That being said, the Bible says that the church is saved for “good works.” So, outside of spreading the gospel, what’s the best good work we can do in our cultural moment? There’s undoubtedly debate among Christians on this. And there’s freedom for Christians to disagree. It stands to reason, however, that the best good work we can do is save babies from being sacrificed on the altar of personal comfort.
Let me be clear, abortion is not merely a political issue. It’s a human rights issue. It’s a justice issue. The fact that babies are being murdered on a massive scale in our country, and in the world, is a human rights issue. It’s not an issue of women’s rights. No person, man or woman, has the right to kill a baby. The rights of these precious babies must no longer be erased from the moral equation.
One writer says, “Our nation is wrong-headed about other things, but this one is most terrible in our generation. You can’t say that about every cause you consider life-affirming; only one thing can be number one.” [2] Criminal justice reform, immigration reform, corporate greed, human trafficking, homelessness, and racial inequality are all important issues that need to be addressed. But isn’t the snuffing out of the life of a little baby while it’s inside its mother’s womb more egregious and more urgent than all these things?
Adoption in the Fight Against Abortion
Al Mohler encourages us to do several things in light of the modern holocaust of abortion. He says we must pray and we must understand what the Bible says about human dignity and proclaim it to the world. But then he encourages the church to respond in a way that’s often overlooked or ignored. He says, “If all life is sacred, then Christians must champion adoption and foster care, and willingly step in to take on children who would have otherwise been aborted. Believers in Jesus Christ ought to be the leaders in the care of children.” [3]
As we saw in the Old Testament, taking care of the orphan, or those without a parent, is high on God’s priority list. James, the half-brother of Jesus, understood this. He wrote, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (Js. 1:27).
What if the world knew that our religion was real because we’re the ones who take in orphans? What if our churches became known as those who take care of children, as those who adopt babies, toddlers, children, and teenagers?
Not all of us are called to foster or adopt. But we’re all called to consider it, to pray about it, to seek counsel about it, and to do whatever we can to help those who do.
Adoption Reveals the Gospel because Adoption Is the Gospel
Adoption as an alternative to abortion is a beautiful picture of the gospel. When churches preach against abortion and adopt kids who need mommies and daddies, we reveal the justice and kindness of God. We reveal the good news of Jesus Christ. As we pursue kids who haven’t earned our love and won’t always love us back, we display for the world the love of God for us. God has adopted us in Christ, making us his sons and heirs. So when we adopt, we’re showing forth the gospel.
If you’re a Christian, you weren’t born into God’s family. You were adopted into it. In Christ, God chose you to be his. If you ever wonder whether God loves you, remember the doctrine of adoption. Through faith in Christ, God the Father has made you his son or daughter. This is proof of God’s particular and personal and passionate love for you.
This truth empowers us to be zealous for good works, to work with all our might to reveal the goodness of God to a world living under the shadow of evil.
So why should we do good when the world is full of so much bad? Because God is good and because God tells us to do good and because we were created in Christ to do good and because hurting people need the good that we can do and because we’ve attained the highest good in the universe through being united to Jesus by faith. Because we have Jesus forever, we’re compelled to do good works now.