Before we get to today’s article, I just want to mention that am writing from the perspective of a man that has experienced many of the challenges of which I write…. and those spiritual battles continue daily. The articles are implications of what it means to obey the commandment to raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. They require some reflection and are particularly for Christians who, as Peter would say, are diligently seeking to confirm their calling and are making every effort to supplement their faith. Said more succinctly, serious Christians. If you know other believers who desire to walk more faithfully with the Lord, please forward an article to them and tell them to sign up for future articles. Thanks so much!
A Love Letter To A Sufficient Person About A Deficient Christianity.
Dear loved one,
I have been thinking a great deal about our conversations over these past couple of years and the concerns I have for your heart but have been constrained from speaking with you by fear our relationship might be diminished. I think in fact, that you have sensed my strong desire to say more but could easily see that I cherished our bond even more. However, the stakes are too high to hold back what I believe to be the most important thing to you and your life now and forever.
I see much of myself in you. In my early life, I experienced success well in school and sports and was often chosen to be the leader of whatever group I was part of. I also enjoyed the honor of being the one who many consulted for advice when they had troubles. Upon entering the adult world, I also did well financially and for a time was the envy of my peers. I was a very wise and intelligent person and although I said believed in God, I was not a Christian. No, I was a person who was smart enough to understand the need for good morals in my life without the baggage of religion.
Well, maybe we haven’t shared in all of those experiences, but there is one thing that I think is the root of my concerns for you- you are intelligent and charismatic, and you love people. It is with these gifts that we trust we can decide there are parts of Christianity we want in our lives and parts of Christianity we do not. We can conclude that Christianity in essence, is deficient, and we can easily see those deficiencies in how Christians sometimes handle homosexuality, racism, and other hot button topics in the world we live in. And in light of the fact that Christianity is good but deficient, we can take the good and look to supplement it with other proclamations of truth. We can create our own wisdom for life.
But here is what I have to tell you, and I know it may be offensive but…. You have been fooled. You have been fooled in the same way that I was. I thought I knew Christianity and what I needed was to patch together a system of religion that would work for me. I thought I was smart enough to discern what non-Christian sources I needed to have a happy life. I was confident that I had it figured out. That is, until I didn’t. And I didn’t come to the realization that all of my intelligence, wit, and wonderful me, was really nothing until my world came crashing in around me. It was at the point when I heard words from the Bible, and only the Bible, I changed my view of myself and God and committed my life- my entire life- to Jesus Christ.
And I learned that it wasn’t Christianity that was deficient; it was the people, including me, who were deficient. People who say they are Christians don’t become perfect. In fact, the Bible clearly states that they will never become perfect no matter how long they walk this earth. Why? Because they are still broken sinners who will struggle to control their desires to be hateful, slanderous, idolatrous people. And by the way, the Bible is honest with us and tells us that some of the people who say they are Christians actually are not! As time has passed in my Christian life, I have learned to adjust my expectations not of God, but of people.
I have also learned that there is no room for any other so called wisdom or help for the problems that we face because all of our problems originate in our inability to consistently be kind, thoughtful, and loving towards others. History has shown us that even though men have gained vast amounts of knowledge over thousands of years, it has not produced even the slightest amount of change in the character and heart of a person. The greatest minds of science, philosophy, and psychiatry, have not be able to solve this problem because they too, are flawed and broken at the fundamental core of their beings.
There is only one place for a person to find what we are all seeking and it’s actually not a place, but a person, and He tells us no lies and never sugar coats the experiences we will have during our lifetimes. Jesus Christ is the source of all the wisdom and peace a person can have in this world. Jesus Christ is the source of all the power we need to change from the person we were when we met Him, to a person who is more loving, more patient, more self-controlled, and so much more. He is not deficient in any way.
But in order to know Him and experience life with Him, He demands all of you. That means that agreeing with some of what He says while you disagree with other things will not do. That means He will not allow you to mix His commands and precepts with the precepts of men. It means you cannot trust His power to save you and the world of psychiatry to save you at the same time. He is not deficient in ability to do all things. He is, in fact, sufficient for all things.
At the end of the day, we will agree that many professing Christians are deficient in their personal Christianity. But you must not conclude that Christianity itself, it’s teachings as found in the Bible and the Lord of Christianity as its Head, are deficient. In the final analysis, it does not matter what anyone else is doing in this world. What matters is what you do. Let every man be a liar but know that Jesus Christ is true. I hope we can continue to talk about these things.
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Last modified: August 30, 2024
