Rejoicing as ‘faithfuls’ – watching for traitors

As we start 2024 the nation is gripped by the BBC series The Traitors, which has returned after proving a massive hit last year.

In this sophisticated version of Wink Murder, 22 contestants battle to survive to win a cash prize. They are divided into ‘traitors’ and ‘faithfuls’, with the traitors aiming to murder the faithfuls one by one, and the faithfuls seeking to identify and banish the traitors.

Viewers are given a ‘God’s-eye’ view of the unfolding events, since they know which contestants are in which camp. The interest is in watching the machinations of the traitors and the struggles of those with limited knowledge to make sense of what is happening. Emotional bonds are formed with the contestants, so we end up rooting for some and hoping others will fail.

The series has clearly struck a deep chord with viewers, and I think this is because it resonates with many aspects of our human condition. It reveals whether our natural sympathies lie with the good guys or the bad guys, and how we respond to the lies and deceit that are essential if the traitors are to succeed.

The format reflects many aspects of life in our fallen world and can help us grasp aspects of the Christian life that we easily miss, but which are central to the Biblical worldview. This reality TV game show can prompt us to reflect on the nature of reality.

Firstly, it reminds us that there is a fundamental binary division of humanity between those who are faithful and those who are traitors. There is no middle ground, as the contestants have either one status or the other. The Bible speaks of sin in many ways, but at its very heart is the rejection of God’s good rule and the determination to live autonomously from Him. This leads to falling short of His standards and breaking His laws. We were created by God to be faithful to Him, to live under His rule, and rule as His representatives, but instead we have by nature turned against Him. We have been led astray by the original traitor, Satan, who deceived our first parents into joining his attempted coup against God.

In the series, the traitors are able to recruit faithfuls to join them. In contrast the great good news of the gospel is that God chooses to have mercy on those who are traitors and make them His faithfuls instead, through the atoning death of His Son, the Lord Jesus, who was the only man who was ever fully faithful and yet died the death of a traitor on behalf of His people. Those who repent of their sins, and believe and trust in Him, are given His status of ‘faithful’, clothed in His perfect righteousness.

Second, the essence of the programme is the ongoing conflict between the traitors and the faithful. This is the experience of Christians in this age. The traitors ultimately seek their death, and their primary tactic is to lie and deceive. This is exactly the way that unbelievers seek to harm believers, following in the footsteps of Satan, who is a liar and a murderer. The faithful need to be on guard, and they do not know who the traitors are. Outwardly they may appear to be friends, whereas they are secretly plotting against them. Over time they may reveal their true nature by their words and actions. Christians likewise find themselves surrounded by traitors, and they do not always know who their enemies are. Some traitors are even found in the church. Masquerading as faithfuls, yet their false teaching is both deceitful and deadly. We need to identify them and banish then.

Third, the viewers do not know who is going to win the conflict, and whether the traitors or the faithful are going to triumph. In the same way Christians can easily fall into questioning whether they will triumph or be defeated. We need to be reassured that history is not a dualistic conflict between traitors and faithful, good and evil, with an uncertain outcome. God is sovereign, and He not only knows exactly what is happening, who is a traitor and who is a faithful, but He has determined that the faithfuls will triumph. In the reckoning at the end, the deceit of the traitors will be exposed and punished, and they will be banished to eternal death, whereas the faithfuls will be delivered from death and raised to glorious new life to enjoy the prize.

The Traitors is great entertainment, and millions will be gripped by it. How much more should we be gripped by the glorious story of the gospel, as we experience God’s plan of salvation being unfolded in human history? We should rejoice that God has chosen us to be His faithfuls, be on our guard against the traitors who seek to harm us and hold confidently to the hope of our ultimate triumph.