What does it mean to 'live as not'? #amcl

Today in the Annual Moore College Lecture Series we thought about the nature of the world, in particular, the fact that it is passing away.

One of the texts we considered was this passage in 1 Corinthians:

And I say this, brothers: The time is limited,  so from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use the world as though they did not make full use of it. For this world in its current form is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

It's an odd thing to say.  What does it mean to 'live as not'?  In terms of the marriage example, Paul is clearly not advocating spousal neglect or adultery (see everything else he writes on the topic!).  He is also surely not saying that we should be emotional suppressed (consider how he encourages us to weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice - Rom 12:15).  His point is not that we should deny these things.  Rather, it is that we should, in some way, live as though we don't have these things.

I think Paul's teaching in 1 Timothy 6 helps to provide some further insight into what this means.

     For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root  of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. (v7-10)

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.  Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good reserve for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real. (v17-19)

This passage also reminds us that this present world is passing away.  We will leave it, and we will not be able to take anything with us.  Those things too will perish.  That is why we should not put our confidence in them.  Rather, we should be our confidence in God.  I think this is the sense of what he means by 'living as not'.  We not to deny marriage, possessions or emotions, just like we are not to deny wealth.  But we are to deny their attempts for power over us.  As we search for security and certainty, we are not to hold onto these fleeting things, but onto God.  And as we hold onto God, we are able to let go of those other things, being generous because we know that God is our provider in both this age and the next.  So we don't need to deny these things, but we do need to hold on very lightly to them.

However, there is also a sense in which we may choose to deny these things.  Jesus has changed everything.  Since him, we now live in the last days.  This changes our priorities.  As we see the future, we act differently.  For example, Jesus and Paul teach how marriage and singleness are shaped by the future.  Previously marriage was important as it was part of the way God made the world, and also to keep having kids so that the Saviour would be born one day.  But now the possibility of choosing singleness is more prominent.  The Kingdom of God has come, so now is the time to call people to repent.  Singleness is encouraged by both Jesus and Paul so that people can devote themselves more fully to this task (Mt 19, 1 Cor 7).  This is not denying the goodness of marriage (which is good because God made it, but is also good because it is a pointer the relationship between Jesus and the church), but is highlighting the possibility of making a new choice in light of the Kingdom.  Similarly, disciples of Jesus are able to throw themselves into Kingdom work without worries about their possessions here because God will provide for their current needs and will also give them treasure in heaven (Mt 6).

So we can see that God provides us with good things to enjoy, so we should enjoy them, but not put our confidence in them.  And secondly, we may choose to give up some of God's gifts for the sake of the Kingdom.  Taking either of these paths will not be lamented in the end, for things that are truly good, real and lasting will be given to us in the age to come.