Paul Scholes, Football and Kingdom Living

Have a most blessed Lunar New Year! I want to wish all my Chinese readers a happy time at family reunions and may the Lord prosper you much more all the year round. I also pray that you have a good rest in the midst of all the festivity.

In the last few days I found some time to read. I managed to get hold of a copy of Paul Scholes’ autobiography at the Borders. Finally, on the fourth attempt! I have been on the look-out for it since its release late last year. It certainly does not disappoint me. It is truly enlightening - not only on his life, but life in general.

Probably you would not have heard of his name without you being an ardent football (soccer) fan. Paul Scholes is my all-time favorite player playing for my all-time favorite football team Manchester United.  A low-profile guy and a man of few words, you seldom hear any news about him although he has played for United for some twenty years. He retired from football at the end of last season but came out of retirement recently when his team needed him.  Click Here if you want to find out what world-famous footballers have to say about him.

But what Scholes has to say about himself and about his life?

The following words are as defining as any you can get from his book:

The God-given ability to make a football do more or less what I want it to – though not always, obviously! – has given me a standard of living that I could never have dreamed of had I left school to take up any other job accessible to me. What might that have been?  I haven’t got the faintest idea because it never entered my head that I would be anything else but a footballer. That said, I didn’t even dwell on a future in the game. The truth is that I didn’t agonise over anything as a kid; I just got on with life and, incredibly fortunately for me, it led me to Manchester United.

This is how a footballer assessed his own life after living it out to the full. Not just any footballer, but the distinguished Paul Scholes, for not every well-paid footballer lives like he does. There are some important truths our young people – no, actually everyone young or old – could learn from these words about life, and about Kingdom living: 

We don’t have to worry about life (Matthew 6:25), just as Scholes “didn’t agonise over anything as a kid” - he “just got on with life”. Needs could be legitimate, but to worry about them is not God’s way of getting them met.   We also don’t have to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34), just as Scholes “didn’t even dwell on a future in the game”. Our business is to live today, and let God take care of tomorrow.

God has given each of us unique ability. He will lead us to the right place at the right time where and when our ability is needed. A rival manager, Jose Mourinho, said that Manchester United are lucky  to have Scholes; Scholes said that he was “incredibly fortunate” to be led to United. This is Grace - it’s all God’s doing.

Any time we look at our circumstances and try to make the best out of them ourselves, we unwittingly steered away from what God is doing for us. Give your entire attention to what God is doing and don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met (Matthew 6:33-34). Scholes said that “it never entered my head that I would be anything else but a footballer” and what he got as a result? “A standard of living that I could never have dreamed of had I left school to take up any other job accessible to me.”

You might think that it is too much to equate playing football with seeking God’s Kingdom. You might think that it’s because I idolize Scholes that I see the parallel in all these. No, certainly not. Mind you, this is Kingdom living at its best - whatever people would have you believe about Matt 6:33.

What Made You a Sinner?

Dead Old Man (2)

The fact that Jesus has wrought for us much more than the forgiveness of sins is clear from this verse: For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom 5:10, NKJV). Through His death we have forgiveness from our sins, so that we are reconciled to God – restored to fellowship. But the verse clearly states that that’s not all. After this His life also saves us. Saves us from what? It is like this:

His death saves us from our sins. His life saves us from ourselves – the sinner.

How one is constituted a sinner? Is it because of anything he does? Actually, we are not accorded the “honour” by the Bible.  The Bible says it’s because of Adam’s disobedience that we become sinners. So, we were made sinners quite apart from anything we did: For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners… (Rom 5:19, NKJV). Contrary to popular opinion, we don’t become sinners because we sin, not according to the definition in the New Testament. “It’s not my fault!” - Probably there’s more truth in this statement than we realise.

So, what about the condition we inherited from Adam our forefather? What have we become as a result? What kind of nature did we inherit from him?

The sinner is one prone to sins. He cannot help it. To sin is his nature. Before one comes to Christ, he carries this nature. There is one verse that never fails to amaze me, it is astounding:

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. (Rom 6:20, NKJV)

Let me give you some orientation. Paul was speaking in term of conversion. He calls those who have not come to Christ “slaves of sin”. We were all once slaves of sin because of Adam’s disobedience. Because of Jesus’ work we are no more. But we really need to take in the full impact of the above verse to begin to understand the condition we were in.

According to Paul, we were “free in regard to righteousness”. I don’t know about you, I find his language rather peculiar. Normally we use the word “free” to denote exemption from bad things. Free from debt, free from sickness etc. But “free in regard to righteousness”? Paul really wanted our attention! He was essentially saying that we were excluded from the state or position of righteousness and thereby exempted from the acts of righteousness. In a sense, we were imprisoned in sin. When we were in such a state, we were not expected to be good or to do good. In fact, we were expected to sin! Slaves of sin can only sin! The following verse (Rom 6:21) states that only bad fruit can come forth from such a state: a sinner can only sin.

There you have it: the problem of the sinner. Now you know what made you a sinner, and a sinner cannot help but sin, do you know how God solve the sinner problem for you?

Stay tuned …


Scripture Link: BibleGateway.com

Sins and the Sinner

Dead Old Man (1)

Overheard somebody evangelizing his friend:

“You will agree with me that everyone has sinned,” said the evangelist.

“No. I don’t steal or kill; I don’t drink or womanize. I have done nothing that will put me in jail. I am a good man, not a sinner,” replied the non-believer.

“But you do lose your temper on your wife; and you couldn’t quit smoking though you wanted too,” the evangelist pressed.

“Well… I admit to that, but who could be perfect?”

“Jesus said you must be perfect like God. His standard is very high. Elsewhere – in Rom 3:23 – the Bible says all have sinned and fall short of God’s standard. That’s why you need Jesus; He can wash away all your sins."

…                             …                             …                             …                             …                         ...

Can you see through the simple technique? Most people like to think of themselves as being good, no matter if they believe in God or not.  You agree with them that they are no big sinner but press them to admit to their “little” sins. Play with their conscience, it is always more than happy to back you up. When they say no one can be perfect, you go along with them but stress that God has a different standard that He requires of us. There you have them cold. If they are still with you, bring out Rom 3:23 – memorize it if you need to. What about Matthew 5 where Jesus claimed that so much as you gaze at a sexy girl you committed adultery? Nudge them in that direction and before long you’ll have them confessing.    Since the non-believer admitted he has sinned, and that makes him a sinner, it follows that he needs a savior - here comes Jesus. Job done; give yourself a pat at the back.

Before, I would be elated if I manage to pull this off. I reckoned even Jesus would have been proud of me. I don’t mind telling you I’ve tried this many times over. But now I know better.

The problem with the above presentation is that it speaks only half the truth. And if we are not careful, we could find ourselves propagating a lie. What is true is this: Jesus could wash away all your sins – all the wrongs you’ve committed. What is not true is this: because you sin – commit wrongs - that constitutes you as a sinner. The truth is that because you are a sinner you sin; it’s not because you sin that you become a sinner.

Hold your fire if you feel like shooting me, I can prove to you what I say rather easily. But just think for a moment the implication of my proposition. If it’s true that because one is a sinner thereby he sins, then it’s not enough that Jesus only takes away his sins. The sinner will still sin. There are essentially two problems: the problem of sins (related to our actions and behavior) and the problem of the sinner (related to our nature and identity).

The question to ask is this: Does Jesus’ finished work provides for the forgiveness of sins only, or does it also deal with the problem of the sinner?

Make no mistake about it; I think the forgiveness of sins is most important. If we only have this it is still fantastic. It is still very good news. But if Jesus has also dealt with the problem of the sinner, then many have only heard half the truth. There is much more.

Photo Credit: chanpipat at FreeDigitalPhotos.net