Counterfeit Courage

I used to know a man who had been a colonel in the special forces. By the time I met him, he had left the army and led an international men’s ministry. He was a big, burly, manly kind of man. He didn’t tell many stories of his time as an elite soldier, but I could easily imagine him sneaking behind enemy lines, risking life and limb, and eating snakes.

The thing I remember most, though, is that when he visited the dentist, he never used novocaine. Not once. Not even for a filling. I thought he was a little crazy to forgo dental pain relief, but I was impressed, and so were my friends.

Once, while on a trip to London, I met up with him for a glass of wine. I hadn’t seen him for several years, and he seemed a changed man. His fingers fidgeted, his eyes darted around erratically, and our conversation flitted about like a butterfly.

Finally, he trembled a bit, hesitated, and began to choke up. He said,

I’ve never told this to anyone before, but I am scared to death of needles. I’ve never let a dentist stick a needle into my gums.

Tomorrow I’m getting a root canal, and my dentist absolutely refuses to operate without novocaine.

Sam, I am so, so very scared.

Counterfeit Virtues

Years ago, I heard a sermon series on the Fruit of the Spirit. The pastor created a chart that listed each fruit followed by its opposites, like the opposite of peace is anxiety. But then the pastor added a third column, counterfeits. His chart looked like this:

His point was that we often deceive ourselves into thinking we have spiritual fruit when in fact some counterfeit trait camouflages its absence. We may think we are patient when we really are apathetic; others may think we are gentle when we really are just timid.

Everybody thought my special forces friend was courageous. Everybody. But the reality is, his fear of discovery made him cover his cowardice with false bravado.

Why Isn’t the World a WORSE Place?

Scripture says that God rains “on the just and the unjust” and He grants wisdom, goodness, and beauty to all of humanity. The theological term is Common Grace. All good artistry, gardening, and government is a gracious gift from God’s unmerited grace.

Common grace also means we don’t steal, lie, or slander people, at least not as much as we naturally would. We’re too afraid of getting caught.

In common grace, God sovereignly takes our timidity and makes us more gentle than we would have been without it.

The Counterfeit Virtue of Greedy Goodness

I know another man with an international ministry. And while he wasn’t a special forces operative, he had once been a cub scout. He teaches people to obey God “for the rewards.” He obsessively (and greedily) quotes the parable of the Ten Minas, where one servant’s obedience means he “shall have authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17).

This leader preaches, “Serve God with all your willpower so that your crown in heaven will be magnificent!” This guy’s teaching literally sidelines real Fruit of the Spirit by telling us to bribe God with our counterfeit virtues.

Honestly, I find the man’s self-absorbed teaching to be utterly appalling.

If a cub scout is paid twenty dollars to help a little old lady across the road, he doesn’t deserve the merit badge. It may be common grace—she really was helped across the street—but it certainly isn’t an example of a spirit-changed heart.

And I would bet my cub scout neckerchief that grandma would have sensed his avarice. Jesus says many will serve Him with miracles, generosity, and preaching, and Jesus will say, “I never knew you.”

Yes, there will be rewards in heaven, maybe even crowns and kingdoms, but the single greatest reward to be prized above all else is: God Himself. We will be His beloved flock, His closest friends, His spouse! Not crowns, cities, or accolades. God Himself!

When we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us the delight of our hearts. And the greatest delight in heaven and earth is God Himself.

All other rewards are just participation ribbons.

Sam