Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 6

What N. T. Wright Gets Wrong on the Issue of Abortion

Doug Groothuis, a philosopher, author, and professor, shared on his Facebook these thoughts about recent comments made by N. T. Wright about abortion:

Wright as Wrong on Abortion

Thomas Sowell was right: Expertise is not transferable. Don’t ask physicists about theology. Don't ask psychologists about history. Don't ask (at least one) New Testament scholars about abortion; that is, don’t ask N. T. Wright, who is dead wrong on the ethics of abortion as his recent podcast revealed. He thinks potential fetal deformity, as well as rape and incest, are valid reasons for abortion.

He is wrong and guilty before God for this error.

1. All humans, born and unborn, are made in God's image

2. Because of (1), they have the objective negative right not to be murdered. This is human dignity.

3. Abortion murders an unborn child made in God's image who has the objective right to live (2).

4. Therefore, abortion is morally wrong.

How the child was conceived or what deformities the child may have are morally irrelevant, since the dignity of human life trumps these concerns.

In a sense, there are no exceptions, because no procedure should be one the purpose of which is to kill an unborn child. In exceedingly rare cases, the child may have to die in a procedure to save the life of the mother. However, a true doctor always tries to save the lives of all his patients, mother and baby.

I write more about this in my forthcoming book, Taking Back the Truth, in the chapter, “The Truth about the Value of Human Life.”

John Stonestreet and Shane Morris share more in this commentary on Breakpoint:

Recently, the eminent British theologian and former Bishop of Durham N.T. Wright, who is famous for his defense of the doctrine of Resurrection, showed a shocking lack of familiarity with the basic moral case against abortion. Answering a question on his “Ask N.T. Wright Anything” podcast, Wright asserted that abortion can sometimes be the best choice: 

[T]here are many, many cases where it is about the mother’s health versus the health of the child. … And particularly, as you cited, in cases of rape, in cases of incest, there may be a very, very strong argument for saying, ‘this ought never to have happened.’ And with sorrow—because we do not want to do this in principle—but with sorrow and a bit of shame, the best thing to do is as soon as possible to … terminate this pregnancy. 

Wright went on to emphasize that killing a later-term baby is “repulsive,” and rivals the evil of post-birth infanticide, which he called “pagan,” and said early Christians were correct to oppose.

But what is a “later-term baby”? Wright said he doesn’t consider himself qualified to make that judgment, partly because “it’s very hard for a man to talk about this.” Also, he considers men who are dogmatic about abortion to be “bullying” women. He then said that “I am not medically qualified to say what point I would draw a line … [when] this is a viable human being that should, then, be cherished.” 

So, according to Wright, abortion is sometimes the best course of action, especially in cases of rape, incest, and “severe deformity.” In these cases, it should be done with “sorrow” and “shame” but “as soon as possible” to avoid committing the morally “repulsive” act of late-term abortion, which is comparable to infanticide. When and where that moral line exists is not for men (as opposed to women) without medical degrees to say, even though he immediately added that viability is the moral line when a child should be “cherished.”  

But why should abortion be performed with “sorrow” and “shame” unless it’s wrong? And if it is wrong, how would killing an innocent human be compassionate for someone suffering deformity? How does another evil undo the evil of rape or incest? What about the “many, many” other cases he alluded to where it is “about the mother’s health” (he explicitly included “mental health”) “versus the health of the child”? Who makes that call? What kind of abortion couldn’t be justified by appealing to mental health?  

For that matter, why should a human with “severe deformity” only be killed before birth but not afterwards? And if Wright doesn’t have the credentials or chromosomes to say when a child should be cherished, how does he know it has anything to do with viability? 

Every one of Wright’s arguments are familiar and his inconsistency obvious. In fact, that’s the point of these re-hashed arguments for abortion. The scattershot approach confuses the issue rather than illuminates it, and they all start with the premise that the preborn aren’t valuable human beings. That Wright has absorbed them and is repeating them shows he is either unaware or intentionally ignoring the actual case for life. It also shows that even if pro-lifers are tired of making basic pro-life arguments, we must continue to make them, even to eminent theologians.  

In fact, the concise formulation of the pro-life argument by Scott Klusendorf, author of The Case for Life, exposes every one of Wright’s claims:  

Premise 1: It is always wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being.  

Premise 2: Abortion kills an innocent human being.  

Conclusion: Abortion is always wrong.  

Anyone who thinks abortion is “the best thing to do” in some circumstances must either disprove one or both of these premises or show the conclusion is somehow invalid. Wright waffles on this task. 

In another problematic answer, Wright seemed to question whether a belief in Jesus’ bodily resurrection is essential for Christians, including for fellow theologians who know better what is at stake. Such people can love Jesus, Wright said. They’re just “very, very muddled.” This very muddled statement, especially when applied to studied Biblical scholar Marcus Borg, contradicts Paul’s assertion about the physical resurrection and the faith. It’s especially disheartening coming from Tom Wright, whose book defending the Resurrection, is incredible.  

Wright’s long list of books and teachings on Scripture and Jesus have been of enormous benefit to the Church and make him one of the preeminent scholars of our lifetime. All truth is God’s truth, including the truth he articulates in his work. But so is the truth about the preborn and the evil of abortion. Even basic truths must be repeated and defended, and at times to fellow Christians who ought to know better than anyone else.

While teaching a course at Veritas Evangelical Seminary, I talked about abortion when rape or incest is involved. As I say in the video, this is an extremely important argument to address, because it takes otherwise prolife people and makes them prochoice. If we follow this reasoning to its logical conclusion, and those are seen as legitimate exceptions, then we can work backwards to make exceptions for all other kinds of cases, and in what sense are we still prolife?  

https://player.vimeo.com/video/233720940?h=614eb41ae8

EPM has also addressed the issue of abortion in the case of disability:

No Matter How Painful the Situation, Ending a Disabled Child’s Life Through Abortion Is Never Right

A Paralympic Swimmer’s Story and the Value of Every Child’s Life, No Matter the Challenges They Face

Disabled Children and Our Cultural Blindspot

And here is my response to the question, “What About a Woman Whose Life Is Threatened by Pregnancy or Childbirth?”

Recommended Reading Pro-Choice or Pro-Life? ¿Proelección o Provida? (Pro-Choice or Pro-Life? in Spanish)

Why My Diabetes Is One of the Best Things That’s Ever Happened to Me

In July 1985 I became an insulin-dependent diabetic, and my first book, Money Possessions, and Eternity, was published. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me—becoming a diabetic, I mean. Getting published was good too, but it didn’t do nearly as much for my spiritual life as getting sick did.

I had always been a strong and healthy person. Suddenly, four to five times a day, I needed to take blood tests and stick a needle in my side to inject insulin. (In the last few years, I’ve transitioned to a pump.) I’ve kept that up for forty years, every day without exception. There are times when I feel pretty lousy. I’m often tired, and my blood sugar sometimes swings up and down. When it’s up, I feel very tired; when it’s down, I get weak and become confused and disoriented. I begin to say things that don’t make sense. (A friend of mine teases me about this, but I point out to him that in those moments I’m acting like he acts all the time.)

So why do I say becoming an insulin-dependent diabetic was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me? There are a lot of reasons. One is that I understand weak, sick, and hurting people in a way I never did when I was strong and healthy. There’s a tendency for the healthy to have one basic response to the sick and weak, and that’s “suck it up.” Now, I’m all for sucking it up, and often that’s very good advice, but it’s also true that some things are outside of our control.

Gaining a sense of recognition of how my life has been outside of my control all along has had a profound effect on me. I had always been self-sufficient and independent, more like my father than I care to admit. He was an independent, self-sufficient unbeliever, and I was an independent, self-sufficient believer. But neither of us would be characterized as needy, at least not on the outside. We were in control, and we took pride in being in control. I was a decent pastor, and I could usually count on my mind working well. (I’m so grateful my dad admitted his spiritual need and came to faith at age 84.)

God has been very gracious to allow me not to experience the debilitating effects some insulin-dependent diabetics undergo. I’m still active—I do a lot of cycling and I played tennis for years. Hopefully my mind is still operative (though I may not be the best person to judge that!). But in any case, I look at life differently than I used to. I don’t take for granted what it means to feel good. I don’t assume I can just get out and handle any situation that comes along. Sometimes I need to rest or get help, or eat something to get my blood sugar up. I used to skip meals, and never felt weak as a result. Now I can’t do that.

In other words, I’ve become less independent and self-sufficient. I also think God has done for me what He did for Paul when He sent him his thorn in the flesh, which Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul acknowledged that his physical illness was a messenger from Satan. But he realized that Satan, in turn, was on God’s leash. God sovereignly governs the acts of Satan. Therefore, Paul could see the hand of God in his disease. That’s why he said that his physical problem was given to him to keep him from becoming conceited (2 Corinthians 12:7).

Paul might have been tempted to believe all the great things people said about him. His thorn of the flesh was a reminder he was completely dependent upon God. Paul says God’s word to him was “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

So this is what I’ve learned from being diabetic: all I have to offer is the weakness. God alone offers the strength. When I go on a speaking engagement, when I travel, when I sit down to write, I am acutely aware that I don’t have the skill or the power to pull this off. If it’s going to impact lives for eternity, that will have to be a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. I just don’t have what it takes.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “I venture to say that the greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health, with the possible exception of sickness.... If some men that I know of could only be favoured with a month of rheumatism, it would, by God’s grace, mellow them marvelously.”

Though he sought to avoid suffering, Spurgeon said, “I am afraid that all the grace that I have got of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours, might almost lie on a penny. But the good that I have received from my sorrows, and pains, and griefs, is altogether incalculable.... Affliction is the best bit of furniture in my house. It is the best book in a minister’s library.”

I can vouch for what Spurgeon said. Understanding my insufficiency and dependence is the best thing that ever happened to me. Without the disease God gave me, I wouldn’t have learned that truth. That’s why I stopped praying years ago that God would take away my diabetes. Of course, if He did, I wouldn’t complain, but the truth is that if I were given the power to snap my fingers to take the disease away, I wouldn’t do it. God knows far better than I that He has given me diabetes. This may sound strange when you hear the health and wealth gospel that promotes the belief that God wants us all healthy. As God demonstrated in giving Paul his thorn in the flesh, He sometimes has better things in mind than our health.

Recommended Reading 90 Days of God's Goodness If God Is Good (Paperback) Money, Possessions and Eternity

Perspectives for Those Experiencing Heartache Over a Family Member’s Choices

What follows is an edited version of an email I sent to a friend who faced a heartbreaking situation involving a family member. I’m sharing it because it can apply to any faithful, godly person dealing with tragic events caused by a child’s, spouse’s, or parent’s bad choices. If that’s you, may our Heavenly Father use these words to encourage, strengthen, and comfort you.

When hearing about painful family situations that many of God’s people face, words fail me, so let me share some things from His Word, which will never fail and which will not return to God empty without accomplishing His purpose (see Isaiah 55:11).

God knows what it’s like to pour His heart into beloved people and not see lasting change. He calls Israel His bride and then His vineyard and says in Isaiah 5, “What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?”

He doesn’t simply understand your broken heart because He knows everything; He understands because His heart has also been broken. Jesus is the God-man, tested in every way we are (Hebrews 4:15), including heartbreak. He wept over the people He loved, that same Jerusalem:

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” (Luke 19:41-44)

Your faithfulness and love and prayers for your family member have not been unnoticed by the eyes of Heaven. Jesus said, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward” (Matthew 10:42). Those who have faithfully loved and prayed for their family members have done far more than give them a cup of cold water. They have given their hearts.

Rest assured that God has seen all your lonely and despairing moments, and all your tears. He does not forget—in fact, He makes a permanent record which will be documentation for the abundant reward He will one day joyfully give you: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8).

God’s eyes are as wide open to you as His heart is. He is by nature a Rewarder (Hebrews 11:6), and while you may not be thinking of the reward as you faithfully love and pray for your family member, nevertheless it will be His delight to reward you, and that reward will be great. He wants that reality to comfort you. Even if it seems like your love and God’s love for your family member hasn’t yielded the fruit you have prayed for, remember that “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10).

As you move forward with your life, may you sense His love even in the heartache. “The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). Or as He says in Romans 8, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” and “Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As He said to Abraham in Genesis 15, “Do not be afraid. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

God is not done with Jerusalem yet, and He can still touch your family member too, perhaps all the more in the ashes of their derailed life. In Isaiah 65 He promises all of us a new heavens and New Earth, then says, “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more” (v. 18-19).

After God Himself (Immanuel, God with us) promises to come down to forever live with His people in the New Jerusalem on the New Earth, He says in Revelation 21:4, “God will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Yes, the day hasn’t yet come when God will “wipe away every tear.” But it will come.

In the meantime, God can give us hope for a future where He will heal all our hurts and where our laughter and joy will be as unending as His. May we sense His presence with us here and now, even in the midst of life’s greatest difficulties. This is not the end of the story, and His blood-bought promise is to make all things right forever.

Recommended Reading 90 Days of God's Goodness The Grace and Truth Paradox

A Spirit of Entitlement Is One of the Greatest Enemies of True Happiness

Though all of us, if asked, might say that we don’t have any more right to a perfect and pain-free life than the next person, in our own hearts and minds, we tend to believe that we do. So, when forced to suffer, even mature believers can feel driven to question God’s motives, or perhaps even His existence! We imagine that if we are faithful and obedient to God, He will reward us with an easy life. However, God doesn’t promise pain-free lives—He only promises His presence and the provision of all we need to endure our hardships.

Entitlement is one of the ugliest words in the English language. It is the ultimate recipe for unhappiness. Nothing is more poisonous or contagious than the spirit of entitlement. And nothing can correct it but Scripture itself. Consider these verses from 1 Peter:

 “…If when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (2:20-21).
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad, when his glory is revealed” (4:12-13).
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (4:19).  

We don’t suffer despite the fact that we are Christians, but sometimes because we are Christians. Contrary to the claims of prosperity theology, we have actually been “called” to suffer. While suffering we are not to despair, but look to the example of Christ who suffered for us for the sake of God’s greater glory and our ultimate, eternal happiness!

We must remember that our happiness is limited in this life, but unlimited in the life to come. A “normal day” as resurrected people on the New Earth will be far better than the best day we have experienced in a world under the Curse.

Recommended Reading God's Promise of Happiness Happiness (softcover) Happiness 101 Class (DVD)

The Ultimate Answer to Loneliness Is Theological

At times all of us are lonely, but to be chronically lonely is to live with almost unbearable stress. Loneliness may begin with a sense of disconnection from others. You may feel you don’t deserve attention, or feel that no one would want to spend time with someone like you. If you know Christ, you need to embrace a biblical view of yourself that goes beyond the fact that you are a sinner and unworthy of God’s grace. That’s true of all of us. But it’s also true that God loves you and has redeemed you, and that you are in Christ fully acceptable to God and precious in His sight. Jesus promised, “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20). Meditate on that and you will not only be less lonely, but your changed perspective will give you greater confidence to build relationships with others.

Another cause of loneliness is individualism. The more we become aware of ourselves as individuals, the more we develop a sense of separation from others. Studies demonstrate that loneliness is more widespread and intense in societies which elevate freedom and individuality than in those which elevate corporate solidarity.

The inner person is habitually set aside in our society because secularism—seeing us as different in degree but not in kind from animals—inevitably denies or de-emphasizes our spiritual natures. But there is in our hearts a deep longing for God, who is the source of happiness and purpose. Pascal said, “There was once in man a true happiness…,” the loss of which created a terrible emptiness. He added, “This infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”

When our inner person is unfilled and we are out of touch with our Creator, we are left with a sense of cosmic loneliness. We may surround ourselves with people and events and things and activities and noise, but at best these are anesthetics that only cover for the moment the burning pain of our alienation from God—the worst kind of loneliness.

The ultimate answer to loneliness therefore is theological. We must become connected to the One who alone gives not only deliverance from sin, but meaning and purpose and personal relationship. This is what the Bible calls reconciliation. We who were wrong with God are made right with Him, we who were distant from Him are brought near to Him.

What made reconciliation possible? Jesus Christ becoming for us the loneliest being in the universe:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

In His substitutionary atonement, Christ became our sin, and for the first and only time He was utterly forsaken by His Father. Jesus hung on the cross in all His misery, cloaked in the darkness of absolute aloneness. He experienced the hell of alienation from God so that we would not have to—so we can now enjoy the relationship we most desperately need.

No encounter with a human being can ever replace this ultimate encounter with God. As F.B. Meyer said, “Loneliness is an opportunity for Jesus to make Himself known.”

On the other hand, we are social beings. We need encounters not only with God, but as one child in a story put it, “Someone with skin on.”

While the effect of Jesus’ incarnation was to put skin on God, the physical Jesus is not now with us to look at and listen to and touch and hug. Yet we are physical beings as well as spiritual, and we need human touch here and now. This is why each of us in our own way reaches out to others.

No person is an island. We all need to be connected, to belong. R. C. Sproul wrote, “The first negative judgment we find in Holy Writ is a judgment on loneliness. God said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone.’”

We all need a family, one or more people who provide us the support system that helps keep us afloat. Jesus affirmed that the greatest commandment was to love God, but that the second, inseparable from the first, was to love our neighbor. He never considered these commands incompatible. He saw the second flowing directly from the first. One of the highest ways we love God is by loving people.

We need each other more than ever. The Bible emphasizes the priority of caring for widows, orphans, and any others who are unattached to the warmth and security of the family (see Deuteronomy 10:18, I Timothy 5:3, James 1:27). We must become more alert to adopting and integrating into our families single people (never-married, divorced, or widowed) who do not have close-knit families or who live far away from their families.

Those of you experiencing the stress of loneliness may need to take the initiative to reach out to a family. Invite them over for dinner. Text a friend or acquaintance and ask to meet for lunch or coffee or a walk. Don’t be afraid to say, “I need you,” and “I need you to need me.” In your loneliness, consider others who may be lonely too. Joni Eareckson Tada writes,

You can ask your church leadership for the names of one or two people who can’t make it to church, or you can check with local nursing homes and assisted-living centers to learn their policies for visitors. And, of course, if you know someone who is shut-in, give them a call and ask if there’s a time this week you can drop in (and take a little gift to brighten their day).

The Bible makes a big deal about visiting the lonely. James 1:27 says that visiting orphans and widows in their affliction is what pure and undefiled religion looks like. And in Matthew 25, Jesus says that when we visit the sick, he considers it as though we are visiting him! What a high honor!

Recommended Reading 90 Days of God's Goodness Grieving with Hope Seeing the Unseen, Expanded Edition

In Your Relationships with Unbelievers, Are You Influencing Them or Being Influenced?

I have seen many people, including good friends, tell themselves they’re going to influence unbelievers toward the Lord by spending time with them in their world, who end up violating Ephesians 5:11, which says, “Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Before long, they’re hanging out in bars and nightclubs and watching raunchy movies and pretty much demonstrating that Christians are no different than anybody else—and sometimes they’re proud of their Christian liberty, that they’re not legalists. It’s very sad.

While I strongly believe our closest friends should be those who are walking with Jesus, it’s true we should reach out with love and friendship to those who don’t know Him at all. When Nanci and I were raising our girls, we always encouraged them to pray for unbelievers they knew, befriend them and show them the love of Christ, and invite them to church. However, their solid friendships with committed Christians—most of them in our church youth group—were absolutely crucial to their growing walk with Christ.

But as we befriend and spend time with unbelievers, we must carefully evaluate and ask ourselves: am I influencing them, or being influenced myself? Scripture tells us, “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5, NLT). Am I coming into their world where I will effectively represent Christ, or where they will politely nod at my being a Christian but will expect me to align myself with their values? Maybe 90% of the time our goals and general values will overlap, or at least not contradict. But what happens in the 10%? Will they come closer to following Jesus, or will I come closer to following their idols?

You have to ask yourself, are you really prepared to represent Christ in an uncompromising way, which will at times require boldness and courage? There will be situations where you have to make a choice whether you’re going to stay at the table and listen to a story about immorality, or whether you’re going to excuse yourself and walk away. And will the urge to please them by not appearing “self-righteous” constrain you to politely listen to the story and become a participant in the unrighteousness?

Trevin Wax writes, “Our identity in Christ should be such an integral part of our lives that it is impossible for someone to know us well without understanding how our Christian faith informs our lives.” If we’re too preoccupied with the world and what people are thinking of us, then we’re liable to compromise the gospel. If we’re trying to please people through our sharing of the Gospel, then we’re going to end up revising God’s message and taking out the parts about sin and hell. What we’ll be left with is not the Gospel. Instead, may we say with Paul: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

I know of a talented musician who performed at events around the world. He decided to cross over to make an impact in the secular world. He told himself it wasn’t just to further his profession as a musician, but to reach people who need the Lord. Last I heard, he was singing in nightclubs, rarely about the Lord, and his friends said he had lost his spiritual edge. He was in danger of becoming indistinguishable from the very people he stepped away from Christian ministry in order to reach (ironically, he had been reaching a fair number of unbelievers through that Christian ministry).

I also know Christian writers who have determined they’re going to cross over to the secular market to reach more people. They are now reaching more people—but what are they reaching them with? In some cases, the answer is, not much. Certainly not the gospel. Just a cleaner than average, generally redemptive story that doesn’t curse God or make fun of Christians. That’s not a very strategic impact.

Jesus said, “‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12, NIV). Don’t dim that light by hiding it or trying to camouflage it. Instead do what Jesus did and “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, ESV).

For more insight on this subject, see:

Wisdom in Friendships with Non-Christians

Are You Too Christian for Non-Christians?

Making Friends, But Not Disciples

Recommended Reading Deadline Heaven Tract (25-Pack) The Grace and Truth Paradox

Can We Store up Treasures in Heaven in More Ways Than Giving Money?

The primary passage of Scripture that talks about storing up treasures in Heaven is Matthew 6:19-21, where Jesus tells us to transfer our wealth from one place to another:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

When we die, earthly treasure will no longer be ours, but wealth we’ve transferred to Heaven will remain ours forever.

The treasures on earth of Matthew 6 are material things. The treasures in Heaven are eternal rewards in a near context of financial giving. How does one store up treasures in Heaven? The most obvious answer is through giving, which as a spiritual discipline, along with fasting and praying, has been Christ’s subject matter.

Unfortunately, some commentaries and several sermons I’ve heard and read on Matthew 6:19–21 are remarkably vague as to its meaning. They spiritualize the passage, divorcing it from its context and failing to connect it to its parallel passages. They interpret Christ’s words as a general call to be kingdom-minded and say He makes no reference to giving away material goods.

Certainly, the passage would be far easier to fulfill if it merely required good intentions on our part. Instead, it calls us to radical acts of generosity. We dare not let our convenience and culture—including church culture—dictate our interpretation.

Craig Blomberg states in the New American Commentary on Matthew, “In this context…storing up treasures focuses particularly on the compassionate use of material resources to meet others’ physical and spiritual needs, in keeping with the priorities of God’s kingdom.”

The interpretation of Matthew 6 I advocate is emphatically supported by Paul’s statements in 1 Timothy 6, where he borrows the words of Jesus “lay up treasures for themselves”:

 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth…Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age…”

“In this way” points back to doing good deeds and specifically being generous and willing to share, which are clearly about financial giving and material generosity. Financial giving is said to be a means of laying up treasure in Heaven. For Paul to speak of laying up treasure—and not only treasure but for themselves in the age to come (in Heaven)—seems an unmistakable allusion to Christ’s words in Matthew 6. I think it also demonstrates Paul’s understanding of what Jesus said.  

The Matthew 6 passage and its parallels in Matthew 19, Mark 12, Luke 12, and 1 Timothy 6 show a direct connection between actually giving away money, which God in turn regards as or rewards as treasure in Heaven. Of course, Christ’s words can be broadly applied to how we use our time and abilities. But we must not deny or neglect His primary meaning concerning giving away our money and possessions.

The Bible shows that anything we put in God’s hands is an investment in eternity. That certainly includes money but is not limited to it. Giving our all to God includes our time, talents, efforts, and relationships. Every aspect of our lives must be at Christ’s disposal; that’s what it means to be His disciple (Luke 14:33).

God will reward us for more than financial giving. He will also give us eternal rewards for doing good works (Ephesians 6:8; Romans 2:6, 10), persevering under persecution (Luke 6:22–23), showing compassion to the needy (Luke 14:13–14), and treating our enemies kindly (Luke 6:35).

The way to lay up treasures in Heaven includes giving away our money and possessions but of course is not limited to it. Scripture teaches that those things which we keep can also serve kingdom purposes. They can be generously shared and invested and used in ways that serve eternal purposes, that further God’s kingdom for His glory rather than just building our own little kingdoms for our own glory.

See also:

What Are Treasures in Heaven?

Does Giving Time or Goods Instead of Money Earn the Same Eternal Reward?

Why Do You Believe the Word ‘Treasure’ in Matthew 6 Refers Specifically to Money and Possessions?

Recommended Reading The Treasure Principle Bible Study The Treasure Principle Study DVD The Treasure Principle: Revised and Updated

God’s Contraconditional Love

I met and talked with author and psychologist David Powlison only once, but I will never forget the sweetness of his spirit, and how I saw Jesus in him. His insights were penetrating and gospel-centered. My thanks to Justin Taylor for posting this excerpt from David’s booklet God’s Love: Better than Unconditional:

When you look closely, God’s love is very different from “unconditional positive regard,” the seedbed of contemporary notions of unconditional love.

God does not accept me just as I am;

He loves me despite how I am;

He loves me just as Jesus is;

He loves me enough to devote my life to renewing me in the image of Jesus.

This love is much, much, much better than unconditional! Perhaps we could call it “contraconditional” love.

Contrary to the conditions for knowing God’s blessing, He has blessed me because His Son fulfilled the conditions.

Contrary to my due, He loves me.

And now I can begin to change, not to earn love but because of love.

. . . You need something better than unconditional love.

You need the crown of thorns.

You need the touch of life to the dead son of the widow of Nain.

You need the promise to the repentant thief.

You need to know, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

You need forgiveness.

You need a Vinedresser, a Shepherd, a Father, a Savior.

You need to become like the one who loves you.

You need the better love of Jesus.

Recommended Reading 90 Days of God's Goodness Face to Face with Jesus The Grace and Truth Paradox

50 Years Ago, Nanci and I Said “I Do”

Tomorrow, May 31, is Nanci’s and my 50th wedding anniversary. I thank God for His faithfulness and the time we had together.

I’m so grateful for how Nanci put up with me for all those years, and for being not only my wife, but also my best friend and my closest sister in Christ. I keep thanking God for her partnership and companionship in the gospel. I first heard the gospel from Nanci, and we discussed messages I was hearing at church and youth group for eight months before I came to Christ as a sophomore in high school. Later, we went through Bible college together and were in most of each other’s classes. We discussed lectures and did our homework together.

We wanted to grow old together. If you’d told us when we got married at 21 that we would live to be 68, we would have said, we did grow old together! But when you’re 68, it’s like the new 48. Nanci and I were married in 1975, but we were best friends from the day we met as freshmen in high school, December 7, 1968. She was my closest friend for 53 and a half years. That is a privilege and a treasure. I will not regret the years we might have had but be profoundly grateful for the years we did have—and not just the quantity, but the quality. 

In the years before Nanci died, we experienced what it was to love and trust each other more than we ever had. A couple of weeks before her homegoing, Nanci was sitting up in bed, and I was holding her hand and she said, smiling but in tears, “Randy, thank you for my life." I said in tears, "Nanci, thank you for my life." I thought it was so beautiful that we saw our lives as so intertwined, we really had become one. We certainly didn’t do everything right, but by God’s grace, He used us in each other’s lives to grow us spiritually, and to make us better followers of Jesus. 

Nanci and I knew God to be good and kind and absolutely faithful before her four plus years of dealing with cancer, but we saw Him in so many ways during that time that it brings tears of profound gratitude to my eyes.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

    for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness. 

Lamentations 3:22–23

The memories are so good and so precious that they make me smile and fill my heart. At first after her death, it was nine parts sorrow for every one part joy. A year later, it was five parts of each, and now it is nine parts happiness and one part sorrow. I have wept often, but I experience more joy in reflecting upon her than I do sorrow. There is no despair, only gratitude.

I can't live without Jesus, and while I don't want to live without Nanci, that is the way it is, and for now I must. I am sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:10. I love that we are to be always rejoicing, instead of always sorrowful—the joy eclipses the sorrow.

It is my wholehearted belief that Nanci’s death was not the end of our relationship, only a temporary interruption. The great reunion awaits us, and I anticipate it and delight in imagining it with everything in me.

According to what Jesus said in Matthew 22:38 we will not be married to our earthly spouses in Heaven, but if they and we are believers, we should not think for a moment that we will not have a great relationship with them. I’m well aware that many marriages have not worked out on earth. But we will all be married to Jesus, and He will never let us down. So it's not that there is no marriage in Heaven, but that there is one marriage in Heaven, and all of us will experience that as the corporate bride of Christ. (See this article for more.)

I fully anticipate no one besides God will understand me better on the New Earth than Nanci, and there’s nobody whose company I’ll seek and enjoy more than Nanci’s. The joys of marriage in eternity will be far greater because of the character and love of our Bridegroom. I rejoice for Nanci and for me that we’ll both be married to the most wonderful person in the universe.

Also, while thinking about what I would say in this blog, I entered my name and Nanci's into a normal search engine (not AI) and the first thing that popped up was something generated by artificial intelligence that said I was remarried in August 2024. If you didn't know that, welcome to the club, because I didn't know it either. My first thought was “whoever she is, I better get her something for our first anniversary.”

Seriously, I have not remarried, though it would be perfectly fine if I did. But I have no plans for remarriage. Artificial intelligence can be great, but there is a reason it is called “artificial.” 😂

Recommended Reading Grieving with Hope Help for Women Under Stress The Promise of the New Earth

William Wilberforce Encourages Us to Look to Jesus, and Be Happy

One of my great heroes is William Wilberforce. He is credited as the primary human agent to bring about the end of slavery in England. Wilberforce wrote,

The gospel freely admitted makes a man happy. It gives him peace with God, and makes him happy in God. It gives to industry a noble, contented look which selfish drudgery never wore; and from the moment that a man begins to do his work for his Saviour’s sake, he feels that the most ordinary employments are full of sweetness and dignity, and that the most difficult are not impossible.

And if any of you, my friends, is weary with his work, if dissatisfaction with yourself or sorrow of any kind disheartens you, if at any time you feel the dull paralysis of conscious sin, or the depressing influence of vexing thoughts, look to Jesus, and be happy. Be happy, and your joyful work will prosper well.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”

This is a biblically grounded statement, in keeping with the words of Paul: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). When we work out of duty alone, we likely won’t experience happiness. When we’re trying to please people, we become unhappy if they’re displeased with us. If we labor to earn God’s favor, we’ll either imagine we’ve earned it and become proud and unhappy, or we’ll realize we can’t and become depressed and unhappy. Working for minimum wage, or for no pay at all, when done honestly and for God’s glory, can bring more joy than any million-dollar salary (see Proverbs 10:9; Proverbs 11:1; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Hebrews 13:18).

Scripture calls us to actively cultivate the habit of happiness by rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks (see 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Do you continually open your eyes to look past yourself and see God and His hand at work? Do you regularly look for reasons to thank Him?

God Himself models His inspired command to rejoice always. He sympathizes with all His suffering children, but He rejoices in purchasing our redemption and making us more like Jesus. He joyfully prepares a place for us, and He has eternally happy plans. He has the power to accomplish everything, as well as the sure knowledge that it will happen.

As God’s children, we have a history of His faithfulness in the past and an assurance of a secure future, which should define how we view our present. This perspective can infuse us with happiness even in what would otherwise be the unhappiest times of our lives. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV).

Recommended Reading Does God Want Us to Be Happy? God's Promise of Happiness Happiness (softcover)