Hey Drew,

It is interesting what you say. Am I right in thinking, then that those good people who are kind, pleasant, do lots of good deeds, respect the flag etc, etc won’t go to heaven unless they believe in Jesus? This sounds a bit harsh when they’ve spent their lives helping others and living good lives, only to find themselves rubbing shoulders with Pol Pot in hell? Do you think they know about this?

While we’re on the subject, what is heaven and hell? Someone once said we make our own heaven and hell on earth. Do you think that’s true?

Jack

Captain Jack,

Jesus is the means by which one enters heaven. We are not free to craft our own way into heaven mainly because heaven is God’s not ours. Similarly, the earth is his and everything in it (Psalm 24:1). Therefore, God sets the rules. Am I pleased with the concept of hell where sinners are punished for eternity? No, it’s a frightening thought; but I find great comfort in the fact that God has provided a way whereby sinners like myself can escape hell and enter into eternal communion with him. What a great God that rescues sinners!

What should be mine and your response to such a teaching as hell contained within the Bible and Jesus’ teachings? First, we should take God seriously and seek to live our lives according to how he has ordered. The earth is his. We are his creatures. Secondly, we should take sin seriously. Some have argued that it is unfair to punish sinners forever for the little bit of sin committed in a lifetime. It is argued that the punishment is disproportionate to the crime. Jonathan Edwards has rightly pointed out that the punishment for sin doesn’t depend on the amount of sin committed or the duration of the sin committed, but, rather, the punishment reflects the one to whom the sin is an offense. What I mean is this: because is God infinitely beautiful, to be treasured, and holy (that is, without sin), sin is that infinitely grievous. We do not view sin the same way as God because frankly, sin pleases us; but to God, sin is a gross offense. We find Hell displeasing because we don’t fully understand the way in which sin is an offense to God. We are biased and insensitive.

Here are some fragmented, concluding thoughts:

Getting what’s fair means that each and everyone of us go to hell. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. We should marvel that God choses to save anyone, because of our intense idolatry, rebellion, and suppression of his truth.

Furthermore, I believe that God is just which means that you and I can trust that he knows exactly what to do with every single person.

I would also like to add that no one goes to hell against their will. Remember, an earlier email, where we discussed that we are content in our sins.

Feel free to press this issue further if I’ve not engaged the issue to your satisfaction.

–drew

[Further reading: Eternal Punishment by Erwin Lutzer]

(HT: Baptist Blog)

1. There is no such thing as a tenant of Arminian theology.

2. There is no such thing as a tenet of Armenian theology.

3. When referencing the sixteenth century reformer, Martin Luther, it is not necessary to tell your professor that he “nailed the ninety-five theses to the church door at Wittenburg.” Your professor knows you are not referencing the 20th century Civil Rights leader. The same rule applies to all major figures in church history. Resist the temptation to explore obvious and overused facts in your writing. Write about something that few men know.

4. John MacArthur’s commentaries are great for stealing sermons. They are unacceptable for exegetical research.

5. Never, ever use an exclamation point for any reason whatsoever.

6. The unexpected death of a church member does not absolve you of weeks of procrastination.

7. Learn Turabian early, and review her often. There is no excuse for submitting research papers with homespun formatting. Trust me, you cannot intuit Kate’s ways.

8. Footnotes serve nobler purposes than mere source citations. Use them to demonstrate that you have interacted substantively with a source by elaborating an explanation.

9. The Holy Bible is inerrant, infallible, and inspired. It is not, however, an occasion for bibliographic buttressing.

10. Have someone other than your wife or roommate edit your major term papers. Ask your professor to recommend a student, and pay him for his labors. An excellent grade is worth a modest sum.

11. Learn to search for journal articles outside of JETS. If you don’t know what JETS is, do not try to find out.

12. When choosing between professors, find one that has published at least one significant monograph within the past five years. Too many seminary professors are woefully incapable of rigorous academic research, and if your professor lists a Winter Bible Study or journal article from his own seminary journal on his curriculum vitae, pass on him.

13. Do not presuppose that you will learn what you need to learn from a seminary education. Seminary, if it serves its purpose, will equip you with some of the tools you will need, not all of them.

14. Find a spot in the library away from high traffic areas and live there between classes. Stay away from the coffee shops. Do not waste your energies rutting with the spring bucks.

15. Purchase a copy of Hans Frei’s The Eclipse of Biblical Narrative and read the first 100 pages every semester.

16. Expand your knowledge base of art, literature, and music. Visit at least one museum a year, and spend the day. Attend a symphony. Read Shakespeare.

17. Serve one year as a professor’s grader. There’s nothing like reading stacks of horrible research papers to teach you how not to write.

18. Refuse to purchase every book your professor requires. Many professors think that their academic respectability among their peers is contingent on large reading lists.

19. Every semester, look over the doctoral reading lists. Spend the time you would have spent reading the frivolous assignments in your Master’s level courses to read the stuff of which Ph.D.’s are made.

20. Listen attentively to the names of theologians — Evangelical or otherwise — most often criticized and ridiculed by your professors with flippant, unsophisticated one-liners. Choose these men as the subject of your major research paper for their classes.

21. Find a well-worn copy of Helmut Thielicke’s sermons on the parables. Devour it.

22. Befriend an international student. Listen to him.

23. Skip chapel most of the time for early lunches off campus with friends. Hooky is liberating.

24. Search for nursing homes and retirement communities that will let you preach or teach Bible studies. The single greatest deficiency in most young pastors is the inability to interact with senior adults. Eat their cookies and pies. Take them flowers. Ask them to pray for you.

25. Write at least one unassigned paper during your time at seminary.

26. Tithe.

27. If you are not pastoring, do not attend the church most frequented by seminary students. Find a church 20 miles out of town and join it.

28. Do not huddle near your seminary president at the end of class or chapel. If you can manage to get through seminary without his knowing your name, you have truly accomplished something.

29. Attend associational pastor’s conferences as often as possible. Drink coffee with older pastors. Ask lots of questions.

30. Date your wife. If you’re not married, date as many girls as will go out with you.

31. Offer to babysit for a seminary couple so they can comply with #30 above.

32. Pay close attention in your church administration class. Keep copies of every handout. Compile a notebook of church policy and procedure manuals.

33. Have a little wine for thy stomach’s sake.

34. Smoke a cigar, preferably this one.

35. Peruse every issue of National Geographic, Time Magazine, and Psychology Today. Cull them for sermon illustrations.

36. Ask no more than three questions in class per semester.

37. Completely fill out all professor reviews at the semester’s end. Write substantive comments and honest appraisals of the professor’s performance.

38. Sneak into chapel alone at odd times and preach a sermon to no one.

39. Wear shorts, flipflops, tshirts, and ballcaps to class. There’s plenty of time in ministry to wear suits, ties, and dress shoes.

40. Cultivate the closest relationships with students headed for the mission field.

41. Avoid “accountability groups” of fellow seminarians at all cost.

42. Contact the chaplain’s office of a local hospital. Offer to visit people who have no minister.

43. Sit in a different spot every week.

44. Invert the seminary course plan. Save classes like evangelism, the scripture introductory courses, pastoral care and counseling for the end of your degree.

45. Join the seminary choir for one semester. Learn to read music.

46. Join a protest — at least once — in front of an abortion clinic.

47. Write anonymous notes of encouragement to fellow students. Slip a ten dollar bill in the envelope.

48. Burn at least one textbook in a ceremony of private dissent. Most books on leadership make for good kindling.

49. Dye your hair or shave your head or both. Do something counter-cultural.

50. Pay all your bills on time.

The problem with many theologies is not that they are egregiously heretical and non-biblical, but rather that they seem plausible, and thusly find wide acceptance and circulation. For many theologies appeal to a less than sufficient knowledge and application of Scripture. Because then the average Christian is ignorant of the teachings of the Bible, a theology may find wide acceptance due to its plausibility, not its level of biblical adherence.

Furthermore, because a theology seems plausible does not make it true. Where our ignorance of Scripture takes over, we are not free to improvise with plausible solutions. Rather we should search the Scriptures to see what they teach and let this teaching be our theology.

What’s plausible isn’t always true, nor automatically true. “What you say seems possible, but let’s see what the Scriptures have to say on this issue, not conjecture amongst ourselves.” The mind can fabricate loads of varied solutions to a problem, but if one solution is already clearly written out in a book and we claim to adhere to that book, then varied solutions should not be our goal, but the solution presented in the book. I am not interested in what you may think the solution to such and such a problem is but I am wholly interested in God’s answer to said “problem.”

The problem with many theologies is that they seem plausible and since we are ignorant of the Scriptures, we readily accept them because they seem possible. Our God is the God of the impossible. I should fear if I am able to dream up a solution, for Christianity is wholly committed to looking to external revelation for answers not introspection. Introspection leads to plausible answers, but not necessarily true answers.

Arminianism is plausible but untrue, and it will seem more plausible with the less Scripture you know.

Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world.–John Owen, Overcoming Sin and Temptation (Wheaton: Crossway, 2006), 47.

In this wonderfully crafted, multi-faceted treatment of the killing of sin in believers, Owen accurately describes what the mortification of sin is and what it is not, striking a fatal blow to all false religion.

False Religion consists of:

1. Self-strength – the error of Pelagius
2. Self-invention – denying the work and need of the Holy Spirit to work His good pleasure. Confer the words of Augustine: “Grant what Thou commandest, and command what Thou dost desire.” Ironically enough, this is the very statement of Augustine’s that Pelagius took exception with because it does not affirm self-strength.
3. Self-righteousness – we are made wholly righteous because of Christ’s righteousness, not and never our own.

The mortification of sin in false religions focuses on self. Mortification of sin in the Christian religion focuses on God as the strength, the inventor (means) and the end.

A popular news item has lingered in my mind all day. I was initially going to post on this peculiar happening, but then realized it would probably be blogged to death by the end of the day and I could just link to someone else’s post. Sounds lazy doesn’t it? Yep. But thanks to Dr. Mohler, President of Southern Seminary, my sneaky suspicion of the newsworthy nature of this item proved veracious.

Basically the news is that an Episcopal priest, one Reverend Ann Holmes Redding, is claiming to be both a Muslim and a Christian simultaneously. She writes Jesus’ claims off as metaphorical and seeks to harmonize the two (historically and rightfully) opposed belief systems. What a kook.

When you try to be both, Ms. Redding, you end up being neither; neither Muslim nor Christian.

The latest episode of the Albert Mohler Radio Program treats of this news (stream and/or download MP3). I’m sure he was equally flabbergasted (I haven’t listened yet, but I trust and enjoy his word).

Read a full treatment of the news on VirtueOnline, “The Voice of Global Orthodox Anglicanism.”

Hey Drew,

You made me think. I thought about who I am and what I do. To my shame I couldn’t think of anything about me that isn’t selfish. Even the good things I do I’m thinking “aren’t I good?” or “people are going to like me for that”. I read the word “altruism” the other day and looked it up in the dictionary. Drew, I have to confess that nothing I do is altruistic. It is all centred around me. I automatically think “what’s in it for me?” whenever I do the slightest thing. You’re telling me it’s bad ie. God doesn’t like it. But Drew, I don’t think I’m a “bad” person. I’m not a serial killer. My name isn’t Adolf Hitler. I once didn’t tell the checkout girl when she gave me too much change. But that doesn’t make me a bad person, does it? I won’t be going to hell because of it, will I? What if I did a lot of good things to make up? Can’t I be saved if I did lots of good things even if I don’t really believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

By the way, I’m right with you on the “gay” word. I haven’t liked to say anything in case anyone thought I was gay. I assume you’re not because you mentioned your wife in an earlier letter. If I were gay, and I’m not saying I am, would that preclude me from being saved? I ask just out of curiosity. I drink beer and watch the football on the television so I can’t be gay, can I?

Your (platonic) friend,
Jack

Jackopolis,

You make me think, too, Jack. In fact, I was getting my think on big time the other night and I think I might have pulled my medulla oblongata. I hope I won’t have to get it amputated.

“If you wanna play the game, you have to play by the rules.” Ever heard a saying like this? Yeh, me neither. I might have just made it up, but here’s what I mean to introduce to the conversation by it: good things that we do aren’t the standard by which we’ll be judged. We’ll all be judged one day. And since this world isn’t ours, but God’s, we have to play by his rules. He has given Jesus so that we might be saved through him. Jesus is the means through which God has set up that we be saved, not good things. Without repenting of sin and following Jesus, good things don’t really count as good. That which is done to the glory of God is good and anything that we do for selfish ambition is not essentially and ultimately good. Why? Because we are God’s creatures and created for him. But to say this shouldn’t make you think our happiness and God’s glory are at odds, but that our happiness is actualized (fully reached) in pursuing God.

Furthermore, when would we know if we had done enough in order to merit heaven? How many good things would we have to do in order to be sure that heaven was ours? Salvation is God’s gift and that gift comes with much cost to God but freely to us. Would that we would be God’s and stop striving on our own, especially when our own strivings aren’t the standard by which we’ll be gaged. We’ll be gaged on whether we belong to Jesus or not. We try to make salvation harder than it really is. We want to try to forge our own paths and do, do, do when the truth is all that matters is what is done, namely that Jesus died to make the offer of salvation to everyone if they will repent.

Being gay won’t keep you from being saved, but treasuring the sin of homosexuality will. Somethings about everyone have to change when they being following Christ because our sinful life-styles before Christ are contrary to the way God calls us to live. The Apostle Pauls hints at this in his letter to the Christians in the town of Corinth when he says…”such were some of you. But you were washed…” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Regardless of your sin prior to your life with Jesus, what solely matters is, Are you washed? Because “such” were we. We were contrary to the way in which God created to live and move and have our being. Here’s the context (1 Corinthians 6:9-11):

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

We can conclude from this that the homosexual lifestyle–along with the long list of other sins–are incompatible with following Christ and how we were created to live.

This reply was kind of pieced together over several days, so I do accept any rockiness in the argument and development of this, but I hope that you can see past what’s lacking.

One last point concerning doing things to earn salvation: while good things do not gain salvation for anyone, they do evince the change that has taken place in the heart of someone that’s been born-again, from above. The book of James is replete with this.

Enjoying,
drew

The following is a letter (email) recently sent from President Danny Akin of Southeastern Seminary addressed to the student body concerning the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2007 convocation in San Antonio, Texas, and goings-ons related to Southeastern.

Having returned home from the annual meeting of the SBC in San Antonio, I again was reminded why I love and appreciate the people called Southern Baptists. We are not perfect to be sure. Sometimes we can be somewhat funny and even a bit strange in how we do business. Still, our love for the Lord Jesus, devotion to the Bible, and passion for the lost makes me glad to be a part of this family. It honors me to serve you and our Convention at Southeastern Seminary.

As I have done in previous years, let me share some reflections on this year’s meeting, where I think we are, and where, by God’s grace, we can go in the days ahead. Know that what follows will chart the future for Southeastern Seminary.

First, I rejoice in the re-election of Frank Page as our Convention president, and the election of Jim Richards and Eric Redmond as 1^st and 2^nd vice presidents. All three are friends of mine, and they are men for whom I have great respect. I will support each of them this coming year, especially with my prayers.

Second, we saw a renewed commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the sufficiency of Scripture, our doctrinal commitments, and the priority of the Great Commission both at home and abroad. All Southern Baptist should be able to unite around these great affirmations. Along with my fellow seminary presidents, I believe the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is a solid theological confession to guide us. It is not an exhaustive statement, but it is a sufficient statement. It, along with the Abstract of Principles, will continue to give theological direction to Southeastern. This is what our convention reaffirmed on Tuesday evening. Barry McCarty, our chief parliamentarian said to me at the airport following the Convention, there was no understanding that this motion was asking our agencies to do anything different than what we had been doing. It was a reaffirmation, not a re-direction. In that context let me say this. Your seminaries are not interested in theological witch hunts. At the same time, we will not be ostriches with our heads in the sand. If we spot a teaching that possesses a danger to our churches or will compromise our ability to fulfill the Great Commission, you can rest assured that we will withstand it with all our might.

Third, Southern Baptists are overwhelmingly a body of cessationist and continualist when it comes to spiritual gifts and their activity today. We are not “charismatics” in any historic sense of that word. This is what the recent LifeWay survey clearly revealed, and I am surprised at a number of shrill responses I have heard. I am personally grateful for the research done in this area by LifeWay under the superb leadership of its president Thom Rainer, and I am disappointed that some have questioned Dr. Rainer’s motives and intentions. I have known Thom for more then ten years, and I know him to be a man of the highest degree of integrity. Now, let me put my theological cards on the table as I did at this convention. I am a continualist, “open but cautious,” when it comes to the activity of spiritual gifts in our day. This has been my position since I began teaching at Criswell College almost twenty years ago. It is also the case that I do not have a private prayer language nor do I believe that one can make a good case for a private prayer language from the biblical text. Still, I must be honest and note that good non-charismatic scholars like D.A. Carson and Darrell Bock believe1 Corinthians 14 allows for the possibility of such a gift. Therefore, for me and for Southeastern Seminary, the issue will be one of priority and agenda. If someone makes private prayer languages an agenda item, then I will oppose them in the strongest measure. In fact, as I said above, I will withstand any agenda or movement that gets in the way of fulfilling the Great Commission of Christ. Perhaps you wonder how many of our faculty at Southeastern has a private prayer language. The answer is I do not know. I have never asked. It is not an issue with this faculty, and it will not become one.

Fourth, I believe it is clear that Southern Baptists have got to grow in the discipline of thinking theologically and living biblically. Hopefully the new Broadman and Holman work, A Theology for the Church, will help us in this area. I had the honor to edit this book, and it includes contributions from some of the brightest and best in Southern Baptist life. Our own David Nelson, Pete Schemm, John Hammett and Ken Keathley participate in this project. You will also discover that Mark Dever, David Dockery, Timothy George, Al Mohler, Russ Moore, Paige Patterson, Malcom Yarnell, and Greg Thornberry penned significant chapters as well. Southern Baptists cannot afford sit on the sidelines when it comes to good and careful theological reflection. At Southeastern we are committed to loving God with our heart and head. We believe in pursuing the model left to us by the apostle Paul, the great theologian and the great missionary. We believe the best context for doing theology is the Great Commission. The best missionaries are capable theologians, and the best theologians are also passionate missionaries. The two must never be separated. This is absolutely essential for the future health of our denomination.

Theological discussion and debate, carried out in the atmosphere of mutual love and respect, is a good and healthy thing. Indeed, it is vitally necessary for the health and well-being of the church. Southeastern is delighted to partner with LifeWay and the Founder’s Ministry in sponsoring a conference on Calvinism at Ridgecrest on November 26-28. No subject needs more light and less heat than this one. Extreme positions and dispositions need to be exposed, confronted and rejected. Areas of agreement that will show how we can work together for the gospel need to be embraced and affirmed. We are thrilled to host on our campus, October 26-27, what is certainly to be the premier C.S. Lewis conference in America in several decades. We also are glad to sponsor a conference on the Emerging/Emergent Church with participants like Mark Driscoll and Ed Stetzer on September 21-22. I applaud neither Pastor Driscoll’s view on alcohol nor his less than wholesome language. The former is unwise and runs the risk of compromising his witness. The latter is blatantly sinful. However, we need to hear and learn from persons like Mark Driscoll in how to effectively engage an increasingly secular culture with the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ. We can learn from those with whom we do not see eye-to-eye theologically, or practically, (e.g. in everyday decisions of Christian living). I want a well informed and educated student body. I believe it is appropriate to invite to a college or seminary campus those you would not invite to speak or lead in worship when your local church gathers for worship. It seems to me that a clear difference exists between the two.

Fifth, I was delighted we approved a resolution on integrity in ministry but disappointed we did do the same for one on regenerate church membership. Some feared the latter was telling the local church what to do, but a resolution can never do that. Some may think there was some political agenda in the works. However, this is a clear biblical and theological issue all Baptist should be able to affirm. Perhaps the resolution presented needs to be reworded or adjusted, but an emphasis on regenerate church membership needs to be recaptured by our churches. I have personally been saying this for several years now. I will continue to speak to this in the days ahead.

Sixth, it was a joy to welcome Geoff Hammond as the new president of North American Mission Board and to receive their fine report. Southeastern hopes to work side by side with the North American Mission Board in the years to come as we seek to reach North America with the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Finally, this year’s attendance is a cause for grave concern. In spite of “pre-convention activity,” this was one of the smallest conventions in years. Our annual meeting is also aging, and I include myself having turned 50. A younger generation committed to the goals and convictions of the Conservative Resurgence must be sought out. We must get them involved with what we are doing. They need our wisdom and we need their passion and energy. I pledge to do my part to see this happen. I believe what is happening on our seminary campuses is a very hopeful sign.

God has blessed our Convention beyond what we deserved. He has indeed been gracious and faithful. Now is the time for us to come together as a mighty army equipped and ready to take the gospel to the nations. Time is short. The hour is urgent. Heaven and hell are real and Jesus is the only difference. If you come to Southeastern, if you send your children to Southeastern, know that our challenge will not be, “Should you go to the nations?” Rather, it will be, “why would you not go? You have already received the command to go to the nations by the Lord Jesus Himself.” Southeastern is committed to being a Great Commission Seminary, and a Great Commission seminary is what we will be. I love you and consider it a joy words cannot capture to serve you.

Danny Akin

President

Hey Drew,

When I was reading your last letter one word seemed to jump off the page at me. That word was “repent”. It reminded me of an old man with an even older beard who used to walk up and down our High Street with a board that had written on it “Repent, and prepare to meet thy doom”. He was a figure of fun and I don’t think anyone took him seriously. He looked like one of those Old Testament prophets full of doom and gloom. Are you saying that he was right? What does it mean to repent? Isn’t it one of those old-fashioned words that has no meaning today?

Jack,

It’s funny (interesting) that “repent” conjures this picture in your mind, that of an old man with an even older beard, because I think there are several words in the English language that could use redeeming. That is, the words could use returning to their original meaning and sense, and lay aside their contemporary connotations. For example, the word “gay.” This word meant “happy” for the longest time and then the 20th century rolls around and its meaning changes. I, personally, like the word “gay” and wouldn’t mind it returning to its original usage. Anyways, I think “repent” is one such word that could use a little explaining, thus the below:

Immediately when I saw that your email was about repentance, I began to think about the books I have and the quotes I know that treat of repentance, and then I realized: Why don’t I just be real and honest, and share with you my thoughts and perception of repentance as its presented in the Bible?

Surprisingly enough, your Olde Man Repentance with the beard might not be that far wrong, because when I think about repentance I think of the prophets in the Bible whose job it was to be God’s spokesmen. Many times, this entailed calling the people of Israel to repentance. God rescued them from harsh slavery, but yet they made gods out of gold and rock to worship instead of the God that had delivered them. Consequently, God send them wake up calls in the form of prophets.

At the onset here, it’s important to recognize that the hearts of people are idol factories (thanks to John Calvin for that phrase). This means that since we humans were made to worship (God), if we don’t worship God, we will make an idol to worship. Straightforward enough, right? My idol can be me. My idol can be nature. My idol can be soccer. If we don’t worship God, we will worship an idol, because we were made to worship (God).

Repentance entails two parts. First, turning from idols; forsaking them; leaving them in the desert to die. And second, turning towards God. It follows that if you turn from something, you have to turn towards something. A perfect example of this comes from being in high school. I remember walking to class, not paying attention to where I was going, and I would walk right past the room where my class was. What I had to do was turn around and go back to my class. I had to turn away from walking further down the hallway, and turn towards my classroom. Similarly, while we are seemingly “content” in worshiping our idols that we have fashioned for ourselves, God is calling everyone everywhere to turn away from their idols and turn towards him (i.e., repent), because only with him are we truly content. Why? Because we were made to worship him.

Furthermore, repentance is both a doctrine, or belief, and an action. We believe that our sin is harmful (not hard to see) and we turn towards God. Turning towards God is not simply a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but a continual, day-by-day action, whereby we deny our sinful desires and seek to live a life pleasing to God through love towards him and mankind. There’s a classic book by Thomas Watson entitled The Doctrine of Repentance in which he shows what genuine repentance consists of: disgust of sin and finding pleasure in God. This book along with the Bible have helped me tremendously in trying to live out God’s call to repentance, the daily giving up of sinful pursuits and the daily action to love God and my neighbors.

Just to be sure I answer your question clearly: Repentance is turning around. A change of direction. Turning from requires turning towards.

Hi Drew,

That man must have been really desperate with his son in that condition. I was just thinking, maybe it was easier for him to believe as he wanted help for his son? I don’t feel as though I’m in that position so may be it’s harder for me to believe? Should I wait until I am at death’s door before I need to believe. The Christian life might not be as fun as if I did my own thing–drinking, smoking, going out with girls, doing drugs–you know what I mean. I suppose what I’m saying is, can’t I enjoy life and believe in God later?

Jack

Welcome Back Jack,

I appreciate your honesty. And to return the favor I would like to be candidly honest with you. Is it geeky to numerically address several ideas from this most recent letter? I’ll accept your tacit approval on this one…

Here are three things from your paragraph that I want to speak to:

1. Easier to believe vs. harder to believe; or desperation
2. Waiting until “death’s door” to believe; or postponement
3. Fun now, belief later; or treasuring the world above God

ONE. Ease of belief sort of sounds like an excuse, because ultimately what does ease have to do with believing, if believing in God is really what you want to do? More on this in number three.

TWO. Very simply, What if death’s door is a trap door that sneaks up on you and you don’t have time to all-of-a-sudden believe? Furthermore, is that a sincere belief/faith, if it postpones belief right until the last minute as if it were an unpleasant exercise?

THREE. Jesus speaks of surrendering one’s life to him as “treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). In other words, trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins isn’t something that should be avoided like the plague and put off until the last moment of life. Contrariwise, salvation and new life in Jesus is more akin to treasure and joy, which one gladly forfeits in order to receive. Passages in the Bible that speak of the joy and happiness found in God flood my mind right now. Paul speaks of what God has prepared for us being immeasurably superior to that which we have now. A more contemporary Christian, C. S. Lewis, paints a vivid picture in his sermon The Weight of Glory when he says:

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Indeed we are far too easily pleased because we were created to find our maximum joy and fulfillment in God, and we have turned from him. When we realize that we are playing with mud pies apart from God, we too become somewhat desperate like the man with the sick child that we talked about in your last letter.

The bottom line is we are to treasure God above all the things found in this world because he is truly the most valuable of all. It is exciting to know that God has so orchestrated everything that our maximum joy is found in him, and this can be discovered by heeding his call to repent and trust Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

Talk to you soon. =)

Some excellent posts I’ve recently stumbled upon address what I’ve been feeling toward contemporary Christian music. The distaste I have for the “genre” has slowly been developing, but in recent months has made leaps and bounds towards halitosis.

I greatly enjoy the humble critique of contemporary Christian music in the following post entitled: “How to Think Biblically About Christian Music” posted at Said At Southern, a blog for Southern Seminary bloggers. I can’t be bothered to point out all the memorable quotes from the post, so just read the post, and be prepared to think about this “genre” we call Contemporary Christian music. One thing I will mention from the article is the point that is made that Christian music has become all about the content, or message, and less about the music. Consequently, this “genre” called Contemporary Christian music is the only genre that isn’t actually a musical genre. Well put.

I said “excellent posts” in the first sentence above, so I should now mention a second post, or blog rather. Bad Lyrics Make Bad Theology is a blog dedicated to really taking a look at the many praise and worship/contemporary Christian songs making their rounds on the radio and in churches. I concur with the assessment of the praise and worship song Above All. It’s got a great tune and starts out powerfully, but completely drops the proverbial ball with the phrase, “you took the fall and thought of me above all.” The song starts out exalting Christ–”Above all powers, above all kings”–and then turns decidedly anthropocentric in its ending line, putting me above all. Such a shame.