Title: On the Chuncheon Expressway in Seoul
On the Chuncheon Expressway in Seoul
Philippians 3:12-15
2009.8.16
People who have driven the Chuncheon Expressway in Seoul tell about two stories. For one, it's really fast. And the other is that it is not as cute and beautiful as Gyeongchun Gukdo. Instead of being quick, the fun was lost on the way from Chuncheon to Seoul. So my guess is that in a few years the national road to Seoul will be as popular as it used to be.
People like highways because they can get to their destinations quickly. Highways are destination-oriented, not process-oriented. Don't try to get a feel for your surroundings or feel on the highway. Then an accident happens. So, you have to tell them to die and just look ahead and run. So when you get to your destination, you'll only be proud of whether you've run 120 or 160. No one can tell where or what they saw. You can't rest anywhere. You should only rest in designated places. I can't even eat my own food. You have to choose from a set list. And the food is pretty much the same. Life today is no different from this highway and its surroundings.
But that's it. The church also played a part in making people live like people running on highways. It was because he immediately considered it a sin to take a break or squint while on the go. The church claims Don't look away, just look straight ahead and run. He preached that only a life of perseverance and disciplined running toward a goal is an exemplary life. And the following words of Paul used to be used as evidence to support this suggestion.
Read Philippians 3:12-15.
At first glance, these verses seem to present a picture of a man running for a set goal. Isn't that like teaching you to live like a car on the highway? But Paul is talking about a different story here. The point is who the ‘mature person’ at the end is. It is important to know whether Paul meant this “mature man” in a general sense or in a sarcastic sense. In the context of the Bible, the meaning of the word 'mature person' we read today is to sarcastic about people who run like that on a highway.
In the Philippian church, there were people who argued against Paul's teachings, saying, 'Even if you believe in Jesus, there is no salvation unless you are circumcised,' there were others who believed it. They claimed that they were [mature people] and that they were saved. A ‘mature person’ can mean ‘a perfect person’ or ‘those who have reached their goals’. They were proud that they had attained perfection in keeping laws such as circumcision. Like the zealots of the Corinthian church, he received the Holy Spirit here and now and became a spiritual man, so he lived with the conviction that he had already reached the goal of salvation. Paul is wary of such people.
See 3:5.
“Watch out for the dogs. Beware of the evil workers. Beware of those who insist on circumcision.”
Verses 12-15 we read should be viewed in this context. This is for people who are only pursuing their goals or who are proud that they have already reached their goals. So Paul said, “I have not already obtained this.” “It is not that I have already reached my goal.” "I don't think I've caught them yet." He emphasizes that he has failed to reach his goal three times.
Actually think about it. In the eyes of a person who values goals, Paul accomplished little during his lifetime. The foundation of the church was laid, but it did not see completion. He did not rise to a high position and live comfortably. But did you have a happy family? Are you good at raising children? I suffered a lot while working by hand. He suffered all kinds of suffering and persecution. And he was martyred. As you can see, Paul did not want to go fast and easy. He didn't just have a goal. Paul loved every single day of his life as he went towards it because he was convinced that his goal was good. I accepted it without avoiding it. Whether it was prison or being beaten, it was a gift from God to Paul. It was thanksgiving, prayer, and joy that were accompanied by the condition of 'always'. This was Paul's life.
Victor Frankl recounts his dramatic surviving experience in Auschwitz in a moving book, In the Death Concentration Camp. He saw people who survived when most people collapsed in the harsh conditions inside prison. What made them live in such a situation? In Frankl's eyes, those who survived were those who did not lose the meaning of life in the face of hardship. When Frankl entered Auschwitz, his precious manuscripts were confiscated. But Frankl decided to rewrite it and started taking notes on a piece of paper. As I thought about it later, I said that it filled my day-to-day life with meaning and made it possible for me to survive in the harsh environment of the camp. Frankl says: “There has to be a tension between what has already been achieved and what will be achieved. And you have to accept it and not reject it.”
Being captivated by good goals is important and beautiful. But more importantly, you must not hesitate to wait, work hard, and suffer until you achieve that goal. A person with a clear goal of goodness simply silently accepts everything that happens and moves on. The joy that arises in the day-to-day life of living like that is ‘always joy’. If life is a journey, you should learn to enjoy interesting and meaningful events and objects that occur at every turn along the way, rather than running like a car on the highway to die towards your destination. It is the same with the church as well as the life of faith.