About 25 years ago, I wrote a piece called Complementary or Supplementary? and it was dealing with the dynamics between a husband and wife in a healthy marriage. The thrust of the message is that the wife, in her role as “helper” was to help her husband overcome his short-comings rather than step in and make up the difference. I illustrated my point with a hypothetical marriage where the husband was not earning enough to support his growing family. A “complementary” approach to the problem would be that the wife would help her husband to become worth more so he could earn more. A “supplementary” approach would be that the wife would simply get a job to make up for the shortfall.
My position was that “complementary” was a more Biblical approach. I got some push-back. Maybe I was on to something. I haven’t pursued it.
But it gave me pause – as I was considering the over-arching purpose of the book of Revelation as well as our relationship to Christ as His bride. It appears to me that Revelation completes our picture of Jesus Christ as both redeemer and judge. In the gospels, we see Jesus as Savior – a portrait of a man on a mission of redemption who takes the worst that fallen men can dish out. We see how He responds when abused, lied about, insulted and betrayed. We see His grief over the hard-heartedness of people and the effects of sin on mankind. We see His joy at the successes of His disciples and the nascent faith of some people, seen in the most unlikely places. We also see His wrath restrained.
The portrait of Jesus is completed for us in the book of Revelation. Having extended mercy to all men, an offer of forgiveness and reconciliation, and having that offer spurned, we now see His wrath against sin and against those who embrace it. We see Divine Justice poured out as rebellious men continue to blaspheme God and refuse to repent.
With this complete picture of Jesus, I think it’s obvious that He does not need to be “supplemented.” He has no lack, no deficiency, no shortfall. We are called to be conformed to Christ, to be like Him. This does not mean we become clones or identical copies. Rather, we are in some way to “complement” Him. I guess the best (or least inadequate) picture I get is of a man dancing with his wife. They move together as one. He leads and she follows. She “completes” him in the dance. She is neither inferior nor subservient.
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1 John 3:2 NKJV (emphasis added)
Our own revelation – what WE will be – has not yet been revealed. We know we will fall down before Him and cast our crowns. We know we will sing a song of redemption. But I’m sure you’d agree that an eternity consisting of just those activities would get pretty old. And while we are inferior to Christ, He apparently does not want us to be subservient. He did not save us to serve Him; clearly He has numberless angels who provide complete and perfect service whenever He desires. Rather, He desires mature companionship.
Being an eternal “complementary” companion of Jesus Christ will be complete fulfillment and joy for us. I am also confident that we will bring a level of joy to Him:
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NKJV (emphasis added)
This, I suspect, is why the enemy of Christ wants to distract us from Christian maturity. This is why the deceiver and his underlings emphasize soul-winning and “church growth” often at the expense of the difficult and painful parts of growing up in all things in Christ. This may also be why the deceivers among us trivialize the eschatological warnings. “There’s still plenty of time. Jesus might not come back for another hundred years.” Let’s be honest: it’s relatively easy to invite someone to church, or give someone a humorous gospel tract. But it’s hard to go to someone you work with and admit, “I lied to you yesterday to make myself look good. I should have said, ‘ … (painful truth here) …’ Will you forgive me?“
In American culture today, people don’t trust Christians any more than they trust unbelievers. Christians don’t trust Christians either. We’re immature.
Little time remains. Soon, each of us will stand before our Creator. Take the time left to grow: make good on your promises, seek reconciliation with those you’ve offended, make restitution to those you’ve defrauded, apologize and ask forgiveness from those you’ve hurt. The Bema Seat is not a test on Bible knowledge; it’s an examination of your character. The more you grow, the more joy you will bring to your Savior.
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