"But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

What do we do in the face of pervasive lawlessness?

Photo by Jean on Unsplash

(A six-minute read.)

There’s something Jesus said, as recorded by Matthew, that I’ve been thinking about a little differently lately. I’ve heard and read the quote my whole life, but I’ve been seeing it in a new light recently.

It’s from Matthew 24, in a “sermon” that has often been referred to as the “Olivet Discourse,” where Jesus is talking about the “signs of the times.” There’s been a lot of debate as to whether he’s talking about the “end-times,” or whether he’s simply talking about the fall of Jerusalem, which took place in AD 70. But I’m not sure that question really matters for the purposes of my reflections here.

As Jesus is explaining the upheavals and strife that would take place, he mentions this one: “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (vv. 12-13).

For most of my life, whenever I’d think about this passage, I used to always assume that the “many” whose love would “grow cold” were the ones who were participating in the “lawlessness.” That is, their lawlessness would ultimately lead them away from love.

Either that, or there would be a group of people who would be drawn into a life that contradicted love by the ones who were lawless.

In other words, the lawlessness would be so pervasive that people wouldn’t be able to resist it and thus give up on God’s ways. They would join with the lawless people and no longer be people of love.

But I’ve been wondering if this idea could instead be interpreted a different way. Instead of the lawless ones being the ones who give up on love, perhaps it is the ones who oppose the lawless ones who are drawn into giving up on love.

That is, in the face of hatred and evil and unkindness, these people respond with hatred and evil and unkindness as well. They respond to hate not with love but with hate. Instead of remaining committed to love in the face of evil, they adopt the very attitude, posture, and actions of those they are opposed to. And thus their “love . . . grow[s] cold.”

Let me give you an example.

To me, it is abundantly clear that zip-tying young black and brown children, while on an immigration raid in the middle of the night, is evil and it’s lawless. There’s no “law and order” about it. It violates the law of love that undergirds God’s universal reign.

But how do we respond to that lawlessness?

We can either respond with our own lawlessness, thus turning our backs on love, or we can remain committed to love. We can respond to hate with more hate. We can resort to the tactics and actions of the lawless ones—or we can, in the face of evil, remain firmly grounded in the principles of God’s self-giving love.

It’s tempting for me, when I look at this specific issue, to just assume that there are only two sides: there are either those who are in favor of zip-tying young children (or at least don’t think it’s that big a deal, especially as a way to achieve larger ends), or those who are opposed to zip-tying young children.

And I can just give a blanket endorsement to anyone and everyone who’s on the latter side.

But I don’t think the “right side” is simply determined by those who are opposed to zip-tying these children. It’s those who are opposed to it on the basis of love—and who respond to such actions with love rather than hate.

After all, I can very much be opposed to zip-tying young children for many different reasons which may or may not have much to do with love.

I can be opposed to it for the simple fact that my political “opponents” do it. I can be opposed to it as a form of “virtue signaling,” thus making me feel better about myself.

And I can also resort to tactics that dehumanize and vilify those who carry out and order the practice. I can allow hatred and animosity and loathing to consume me—and justify it because I’m on the “right” side. I can participate in violence that seeks to get even.

In a word, I can allow the “lawlessness” of others to cause love to grow cold in my heart.

To be clear: love isn’t spineless. Being committed to and grounded in love doesn’t mean we fail to stand up to abuse and corruption and evil.

It just means that when we do stand up, we refuse to use tactics that contradict love.

It’s no wonder, then, that Jesus says what he does in the second part of the quote. After explaining that the love of many will grow cold in the face of lawlessness, he then explains, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

In other words, it’s those that—even in the face of pervasive lawlessness—endure in love who will “be saved.” That’s the task, the invitation, the challenge. Are we going to remain committed to love, even when it seems like we have strong grounds to resort to hate and are justified in rewarding evil with evil?

Again, at this juncture in human history, with all the deplorable and lawless deeds I see, especially by those in power, it’s very, very tempting for me to feel justified in turning my back on love. It’s very tempting for me to despise, hate, and demonize those who are carrying out such lawless deeds.

After all, they are very clearly wrong and committing acts that contradict God’s love—all the while often doing it in the name of God.

If there was ever a moment when it seemed like I’d be justified in turning my back on the methods of God’s kingdom, it seems like now would be that time—especially when I’m seeking to defend the marginalized, powerless, and oppressed.

But I must endure in love to the end.

Martin Luther King’s famous reflections on love come to mind here, of course. It’s from his speech “Where Do We Go From Here?” which he delivered in 1967 (just a few months, incidentally, before he was assassinated). I quoted it nearly a year ago, but I need to be reminded of it again and again.

Here’s the thought in context (with audience responses and all):

And the other thing is, I’m concerned about a better world. I’m concerned about justice; I’m concerned about brotherhood; I’m concerned about truth. (That’s right) And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can’t murder murder. (Yes) Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can’t establish truth. (That’s right) Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate through violence. (All right, That’s right) Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that. [applause]

And I say to you, I have also decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems. (Yes) And I’m going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn’t popular to talk about it in some circles today. (No) And I’m not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love; I’m talking about a strong, demanding love. (Yes) For I have seen too much hate. (Yes) I’ve seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs in the South. (Yeah) I’ve seen hate on the faces of too many Klansmen and too many White Citizens Councilors in the South to want to hate, myself, because every time I see it, I know that it does something to their faces and their personalities, and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear. (Yes, That’s right) I have decided to love. [applause] If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we aren’t moving wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. (Yes) He who hates does not know God, but he who loves has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

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Shawn is a pastor and church planter in Portland, Maine, whose life, ministry, and writing focus on incarnational and embodied expressions of faith. The author of four books and a columnist for Adventist Review, he is also a DPhil (PhD) candidate at the University of Oxford, focusing on nineteenth-century American Christianity. You can follow him on Instagram, and listen to his podcast Mission Lab.