God
Do You Struggle with God’s Goodness?
Yesterday Rob and I both confessed our own struggles with the idea that we will receive rewards in the next life for our good acts in this life.
For me it’s a bent towards being self-sufficient and suggesting that I do things NOT for a reward but for some so-called pristine obedience to God…
Even stretching to make my self appear to be the martyr type…you know…I do things simply because I want to give to God selflessly [at least think that I am] and I love him without any strings attached.
It’s because I’m the most humblest of persons, right?
You know this demonstrates that even our best virtues are nothing but splendid vices when compared to God’s goodness.
As it should be.
So what about you? Do you struggle with God’s goodness? Do you have a hard time accepting the notion of future rewards for believers–or that God can really, TRULY love someone like you? And how do you advise people to overcome such a hang up?
I look forward to your thoughts. Brutal and all.
4 Ways Final Judgment Can Influence Our Lives Now
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.”
Those aren’t Augustine’s words. Or Luther’s. Or Wesley’s. Spurgeon’s or Piper’s.
Those are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Words found in our sacred Scriptures.
That means that the doctrine of the Final Judgment is a doctrine we should teach and learn.
But not simply for head knowledge. Rather, we are looking for heart transformation. In this life.
The doctrine of the Final Judgment can do that. In fact, it can influence our lives in four specific ways. Here they are:
1. Satisfies Our Craving for Justice
We live in a world where justice is half-baked at best. Dictators murder millions. Babies are punched to death. And even if these criminals do go to court, it’s hard to fathom what actual justice looks like. We still feel a deep sense of loss over these tragedies.
However, the doctrine of the final judgment gives us a sense that because God is supreme and sovereign and keeps accurate records of all deeds and renders fair judgment, his universe is ultimately just and every crime–no matter it’s atrociousness–will be vindicated and our sense of justice pacified.
2. Enables Us to Forgive Others
I don’t care who you are–you will be wronged to some degree in this life. And it won’t just happen once. But repeatedly. And quite possibly by the same person. And you may be able to brush off those small insults, but at some point you will be wronged to such an intensity that you find it difficult to forgive. Bitterness will build. Hatred will creep in. And revenge crouches–ready to strike.
What the doctrine of the last judgment does is allow you to see that those who hurt you will ultimately be sentenced and punished–and that eternal punishment [hell] should break our hearts for that person so that in the end we follow Jesus’ example who said “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
3. Offers an Incentive to Live a Godly Life
On the one hand, a view of final judgment [where our eternal destinies are decided] motivates us to remain faithful, obedient and godly. It leads us to “store up treasures in heaven.” This is the comfort that an awareness of the final judgment brings to believers.
On the other hand, the doctrine provides some moral restraint for non-believers. When we live in a culture that acknowledges a sense of God as creator and Judge, a fear of God pervades–even for the unbeliever. But when that fear of God is absent, we give ourselves up to greater and greater evil. The doctrine of final judgment is thus a warning to unbelievers to flee sin and submit to God.
4. Provides a Great Motive to Evangelize
When we understand that our decisions in this life will determine our eternal destiny, we are eager to echo Ezekiel’s appeal to the house of Israel and tell the lost, “Turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?” [Read some of my best advice for sharing your faith.]
Listen: This is a tough doctrine to articulate [and even personally absorb] because the prevailing culture–inside and outside of the church–is pretty much humanistic: We only care about what occurs in this world.
Yet as Christians, this is where we put our trust in the historical figure Jesus Christ–who lived, died and rose again–and the words that he preached and look for how to apply his sermons so we can live better in this life–AND the next.
With that in mind, what other ways does the doctrine of the Final Judgment influence our lives in the here and now? Can you think of any? Did I miss anything? What would you add? I look forward to your thoughts.
How to Teach Your Children about Hell
Implied in my headline is this: we SHOULD teach our children about hell.
As I mentioned yesterday in my post on the justice of eternal punishment, the doctrine of hell is there in the Bible…
And we, as Christians, are liars if we neglect it and cold-hearted if we refuse to warn the unregenerate.
John 3:36 states the wrath of God abides over the unbeliever. Mind you, this is the same unbeliever God loves and does not want to see perish.
Yet his fate rests in his decision on who Jesus Christ is.
And you may not like this, but before their conversion, our children are unregenerate. Like it or not, God’s wrath abides over unregenerate children.
Thus, it’s our pre-eminent duty as parents to guide them in the ways of salvation. This includes teaching them about the doctrine of hell.
Objections to Teaching Children about Hell
Some Christians may resist this on the grounds that teaching children about hell may give them nasty nightmares…
Keep them awake for days on end. As a parent the last thing I want to do is upset my children.
But let me ask you a question: Is it justified in the prospect of a fatal eternity for them that I withhold a biblical doctrine that has its greatest defender in Jesus Christ to save my children a little grief?
The answer would be “no” since the doctrine of hell is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What We Can Learn about Hell
We ourselves could lose a few nights of sleep over the doctrine of hell. Our culture doesn’t fear the Lord enough. Doesn’t respect his majesty, strength and wrath…
The neglect of hell by the church is partly to blame.
By neglecting hell we’ve drained the gospel of it’s potency, God’s mercy of it’s power and our sense of dependency on God has become a carnival devoted to amusing ourselves.
If there are no consequences clearly articulated [whether God's wrath in this life or the life to come], there is no good news.
There is only a hollow, somewhat baffling sense of why Jesus died on the cross. Without God’s wrath and Jesus is just another man executed on a cross.
Abandon God’s wrath over sin and we do not have a god of justice. Nor a god of holiness.
Instead, we have one of complacency and promiscuity. In other words, we have an unbiblical god. One Jesus did not affirm.
Our Teacher on the Subject of Hell
I don’t know about you, but I want to be on the side of Jesus. I want to affirm what he affirmed. I want to teach my children what he taught his children.
Did you see that? I’ve given you a clue on how to teach your children about hell.
Look to Jesus and what he said in the Bible. In other words, crack open the Bible with your children and systematically walk them through the New Testament.
Eventually you will cross paths with the doctrine of hell. That would be a perfect time to tell them what hell means. [Keep it age appropriate.]
But please, don’t wallow in the doctrine. Let curiosity guide them, answer their questions, but at some point you must direct them to Jesus Christ, the cross and God’s grace.
A Way to Teach Children about Hell
You must tell your children it’s not hell, demons or Satan they should fear. It is God they should fear: ”And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.’”
Tell them hell is real because sin is real. Tell them that the wrath of God will abide over them as long as they remain unrepentant sinners.
They must know “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” And then show them the reward of repentance:
And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.
Tell them the glorious end of repentance is fellowship with God. It is joy unimaginable. Peace unsurpassed. Love sublime.
Bathe the whole procedure in public and private prayer. And push the beautiful grace of God from there.
The Healthy Tension Hell Creates
Yes, in the back of their minds a fear of hell will persist. Therefore it’s our duty to smother that fear with the grace of God.
Sing with your children Psalm 34:8: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
Yes, a tension survives in the Christian’s walk [whether a child or an adult] when we allow space for the doctrine of hell. But that’s a healthy tension. One that reminds us that God’s grace does not come freely.
This tension is a small price to pay for the never-ending riches a comprehensive, genuine relationship with God brings.
And that, in my humble opinion, is how we teach our children about hell. What do you think?
What Happens to Our Faith When God Disappears?
Christian faith is often brittle.
It’s often punctuated with moments of doubt. Persecution. Isolation. Fear.
We can sometimes spend entire nights staring at the ceiling or pacing the floor praying, “God, I cannot do this unless I know you are with me. Where are you? Don’t hide. Please. I need you.”
It’s as if God’s gone AWOL.
Michael Patton confessed he felt God first went AWOL when his sister died.
It was a devastating buzz kill to a man who was a seminary superstar on a spiritual high, always optimistic when everyone else was in the dumps…
Always seeing the good in the evil.
However, this tragedy caused enormous confusion. And he couldn’t shake it.
Spiritual Loneliness and Our Circumstances
Since that time he’s had his ups and downs. Exhausted from ministry and struggling to provide for his family, you could easily say that when he wrote that post he’d spent an extended period in the downs.
But don’t count him out.
In the midst of his painful post he writes:
Those of you atheists and former Christians who suspect that they are about to have another Christian cross over to the dark side, put up your party hats, blowouts, and (ahem) cake. I am not close. One thing that I have learned, believe, and teach with great conviction is that my circumstances do not have a vote in truth. Nothing that I go through can alter or affect the cardinal issues of my faith. Jesus Christ either died and rose from the grave or he did not. It is upon this that the entirety of my faith rests.
Here’s the deal: Our faith will be assaulted…and then weakened. But true saving faith will always prevail because it’s not dependent upon our circumstances.
It’s dependent on something more concrete.
What Does Spiritual Growth REALLY Look Like?
The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints doesn’t mean our Christian life is one of steady upward growth without failure.
Yes, it’s upward. But it looks more like a saw-tooth than a gentle slope toward the sky.
Any Christian can relate: We can go from an acute sense of holiness and the presence of God to very bad sin and feelings of isolation all the way back to a so-called intimacy–within weeks…or even days.
Being born again doesn’t mean we won’t sin or experience despair. Nor does it mean we won’t sin or despair GRIEVOUSLY. Truly regenerate Christians can commit murder, adultery and even publicly reject Christ.
They even can live in depression. But NEVER persistently. The Bible is clear: A Christian can fall. And fall hard. But not fully or finally.
Spiritual Growth Involves War
Our faith is weak. And we will naturally be bruised as we fight the good fight of faith. The Bible promises us a war.
Thing is, we’ll never be abandoned during that war. Even when it feels like God has gone AWOL.
Martin Luther stood alone at the Diet of Worms against the most powerful men of his time. He spent the prior night praying in agony. He knew he could not do what he was going to do unless God was behind him.
In his second letter to Timothy Paul writes:
My persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
In the same letter Paul uncovers his own despondency when he declares: “No one came to stand by me. All deserted me…. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me. …The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.”
We are in good company when we experience despair and pain. Furthermore, we also know that we will be victorious. God will rescue us because Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith.
And what is our faith? Hebrews says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for.” Our hope in Christ is the anchor of our soul.
What Faith Is and Isn’t
This is not faith AGAINST the evidence. But a faith of substance. Nor is it a faith in skimpy evidence…and we’re told to believe anyway.
It is not ephemeral and wishful, but rooted in the historical life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s based upon the manifold evidence that Christ is God’s son.
And that he came to redeem the world.
Faith is a gift from God. He is the author of that faith. He’s also responsible through the Holy Spirit to nourish that faith. And we have God’s promise that he will not abandon that work–but finish it.
And that’s why in the midst of doubt or trials Michael Patton, Martin Luther, the Apostle Paul and even Demian Farnworth can say, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.”
Theology Will Keep You from Committing Suicide
A systematic study of what the Bible says about a particular topic is theology proper.
It’s a pursuit every Christian must vigorously and regularly engage…
Because it’s the means by which we answer the hard questions of life.
Questions like who am I? Why are we here? What is God? What happens when I die? Do I have a soul?
Questions no one is immune from. And questions science ultimately can’t answer.
NIH Director Francis Collins put it this way:
Belief in God was for me anyway, a much more defensible, plausible position. Not something I could prove but something that made great sense and also provided a powerful answer to some of the biggest questions we all ask of our selves and that science can’t really help us with. Like why am I here? And what does life mean anyway?
Without thoughtful, coherent answers to our big questions, life makes no sense at all.
It would be nice if we could simply stop asking those questions. But that’s impossible. We are forever curious. We constantly ask these questions.
We are natural born theologians.
To look for the answers outside of Christ, however, leads to confusion. All other disciplines lead to dead ends. Isolation. Incoherence.
As Gene Fant said at the Evangel blog, “A secularist worldview is hopelessly fractured…. There can be no meaningful interpretive key for knowledge because there is only disintegration and brokenness among the various stakeholders.”
Theology, on the other hand, offers us a relentlessly unified, comprehensive answer to the hard questions: Christ is lord over all.
Listen: If our questions go unanswered, everything remains in the air. Everything becomes unanchored.
Without theology, despair looms. Without theology, suicide knocks at our door.
Heavy prices to pay for not believing in God.
Thus theology leads to relevance. In fact, while regarded as a rather stuffy, arid discipline, it’s the cornerstone on which a Christian must build AND maintain his life.
There is no choice. We must use our minds in this pursuit. Let me know what you think.
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