Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 90

Is All Sin the Same to God and Therefore Punished the Same in Hell?

The widely stated notion “all sin is alike to God” is not grounded in Scripture. Yes, all sin is bad, separates us from God, and is deserving of God’s wrath. All sin crucified Jesus, and He freely offers His grace because no sin is beyond the reach of God’s grace. But it’s a myth that every sin is exactly the same to God.

Think of what 1 Corinthians 6:18 says: “Flee sexual immorality! Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body” (CSB). Note the clear distinction between “every other sin” and “the person who is sexually immoral.” There is something qualitatively different about sexual sin. (Why? Because as I explore in my book The Purity Principle, sex is not just something you do; sex is someone you are.)

Think also of Proverbs where the seven deadly sins are singled out, and the New Testament elder qualifications which list out some sins that disqualify men from church leadership.

Scripture is clear on the fact that there is greater judgment on some sins than others. All unbelievers will stand before Christ for judgment. This judgment includes “the dead, great and small” (Revelation 20:12), and Paul says that “on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed...he will render to every man according to his works…for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury” (Romans 2:5-7).

There will be degrees of punishment for those who reject Christ. The dead were (actually, will be, but this is said in a prophetic past tense) judged “by what they had done” (Revelation 20:12, 13). This judgment requires an evaluation of the works people have done, and clearly people have done different kinds of works—not all are the same.

Jesus says, “And that servant who knew his master’s will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating” (Luke 12:47-48).

Jesus said to the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida, “But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.” (Matthew 11:22). In verses 23 and 24 He said, “And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Jesus said the scribes “will receive the greater condemnation” (Luke 20:47). He also said some people will be “beaten with many blows” and others “beaten with few blows” (Luke 12:47–48).

In my mind all these passages unmistakably indicate that there will be degrees of punishment. (How else would you interpret the meaning of these verses?)

Every wrong deed done will be remembered and taken account of: “On the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter” (Matthew 12:36). Every word spoken, every deed done will be brought to light and receive judgment: “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

On judgment day the secrets of people’s hearts will be revealed and made public. Paul speaks of the day when “God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus” (Romans 2:16; compare Luke 8:17). “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3).

The old question of whether Hitler will have exactly the same judgment in Hell as your average sinner seems to be addressed in these passages. Of course, that is not great comfort, since hell is hell, but it is a vindication of God’s justice, and He is perfectly just and good.

I share more thoughts in this video clip:

See also John Piper’s answer to the question “Are All Sins Equal Before God?”

Also see my answer to the question “Will All People Be Equal in Heaven?”

Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash

When It Comes to Parenting Your Teenage Children, No One Can Take Your Place

If we don’t think strategically about parenting, then we’ve made a statement: our children aren’t important, or parenting comes so naturally that it happens without our attention. My advice is to get more involved in your teenagers’ lives, and be more alert to youth culture. Understanding that culture allows you to recognize the temptations, challenges, and opportunities your children face.

Too often youth pastors get the blame for students whose parents expect the church to “fix” their kids. Unfortunately, speaking as both a parent and a former youth pastor, it isn’t that easy. The church can and should be a source of guidance and support for parents. But no youth group is a substitute for attentive, hands-on parenting. (Not to mention on-your-knees parenting.)

The choices your children make when it comes to friends are critically important.

As I look back on our daughters’ teenage years, their solid friendships with committed Christians—most of them in our church youth group—were absolutely crucial. As parents we took primary responsibility for input to their lives. Still, there is no way to overestimate the importance of their peer influences.

Your child’s closest friends will greatly influence their values, attitudes, and behaviors. I know young people who love Jesus and have chosen their friends wisely. Their friends have raised the bar for each other, challenging them to jump higher in the areas of following Christ and maintaining purity. I also know young people who have made poor choices and have experienced terrible consequences, some that will affect them the rest of their lives.

Parents also need to understand the balance of truth and grace.

Regarding truth, if we as parents don’t teach our kids to discern between good and evil, who will? The church needs to be there not only to train and guide children, but also to equip parents. But parents shouldn’t wait for the church to teach their children. As Deuteronomy 6 makes clear, a child’s primary education is inside their home.

Regarding grace, if parents aren’t loving and forgiving, then our children won’t see Jesus in us. And our well-intentioned rules will drive them away from God, not toward Him. Our kids need us to not only raise the bar high for them—and make no mistake, they do need that—but also to believe the best of them, being quick to affirm and offer grace when they stumble. This will help them not to give up because they think they can’t please us, and therefore can’t please God.

A home full of grace is also full of truth because grace doesn’t make people less holy; it makes them more holy. Grace doesn’t make people despise or neglect truth; it makes them love and follow truth. Far from a free pass to sin, grace is a supernatural empowerment not to sin (Titus 2:11–12).

May your children see in you the Jesus who came “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Leave your children a lasting spiritual legacy.

Parents, if I could give you one piece of advice, it would be this: When it comes to your children’s lives, no one can take your place. So, don’t wait for someone else to talk to your kids about Jesus. Do it yourself. Read Scripture with them. Memorize it together. Pray with them. Go help the needy together. Give together and serve together. Show them what it means to be a disciple.

It only takes money to leave an inheritance. It takes character and spiritual vitality, “a long obedience in the same direction,” to leave a true heritage.

What will your kids remember?

Dad was too busy to help me, too busy to talk with Mom, too busy to volunteer for even the most basic ministry at church, so busy reading the news or playing on his phone that there was no time for the Bible, so busy buying new cars there was no money to give to missions? If that’s true, my friend, no amount of money you leave can cover up the fact that you have left your family nothing of eternal value.

My mother left me no money, but she left me a heritage that I thank God for every day. She didn’t even come to Christ until after I did. In everything of value I do, in everything of value my daughters do, the quality of my mother’s life is and will always be present. That is heritage.

“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done” (Psalm 78:4).

For more on the balance of grace and truth, see Randy’s book  The Grace and Truth Paradox , and his devotionals  Grace  and  Truth .

Photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash

Job Satisfaction Is About More Than Finding the Perfect Job

Writing in the New York Times, Arthur Brooks summarizes modern happiness research: “It turns out that choosing to pursue four basic values of faith, family, community and work is the surest path to happiness.”

It’s possible to maximize our happiness in whatever work God gives us by doing it with excellence.

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).

If you’re truly dissatisfied in your work, consider changing jobs, if you can—even if it means living on a lower income. But seeming drudgery can become fulfilling when our perspectives change. If we believe in God’s sovereign plan, we’ll work at our jobs to please Him, grow in character and Christlikeness, and use our unique sphere of influence to share the gospel.

Though I haven’t seen them for twenty years, I’ve never forgotten the father and son who picked up our trash each week. I could hear them singing and laughing. If I was outside when they came by, they’d say, “Have a great day!”—and it was obvious that’s what they were having! Likewise, God the Father loves Jesus. It showed in His work, and His Son entered into His Father’s happiness.

English architect Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723) supervised the construction of a number of magnificent cathedrals in London. According to one story, a journalist interviewed some of the workers at a building site. He asked three of them, “What are you doing?”

The first replied, “I’m cutting stone for 10 shillings a day.”

The next answered, “I’m putting in 10 hours a day on this job.”

The third said, “I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals.”

It’s pretty obvious which of these people was the happiest! There’s nothing wrong with working to be paid. But if we see the greater significance of our work—no matter how menial—and we do it all to God’s glory, it changes everything.

Excerpted from Randy's book Happiness. 

Photo by Rob Lambert on Unsplash

Our Lives Are Part of the Greatest Redemptive Story Ever Told, Authored by God

Though I write mostly nonfiction, I’ve written nine works of fiction, seven of them full-length novels. Like many fiction writers, I’ve spent considerable time developing the craft of storytelling.

What makes a good story? Interesting characters, significant conflict, the thwarting of desires, and a satisfying (if not triumphant) resolution. It must avoid predictability and its characters have to continuously develop—and the higher the stakes, the better the story.

Now, consider God as the great Storyteller. With grand artistry, He writes into the story the characters, both angels and people, with different names, personas, and circumstances. He tells us of Michael and Lucifer, brother archangels. Lucifer rebels and becomes Satan. He takes a third of the angels down with him. When Satan first appears in the garden, we know none of this; God doesn’t tell us this backstory until much later.

As the culmination of His new universe, God creates Adam and Eve. He could have kept them from temptation and so prevented evil, suffering, and the Curse. But no rebellion, no drama, no story. Without the high stakes of humanity’s alienation from God, there can be no redemption.

Evil enters the world. And right then and there God promises a Redeemer, the woman’s offspring. His people, century after century, expect the Redeemer to come soon, overthrow His enemies, and set up His kingdom—end of story.

But that’s not how it happens.

A Fantastic Plot Twist

Instead, thousands of years pass as humanity continues its struggle with evil and suffering. Finally, in a fantastic plot twist, God becomes a humble carpenter, heals the sick, raises the dead, and allows others to kill Him. He does it all to redeem the people He loves. He rises from the dead, commands and empowers His followers to serve Him, then leaves but promises to return.

With compelling resurrection evidence to back it up, He reiterates the promise—one day He’ll make all things right and will live forever with His people.

The first three chapters of God’s story, as told in the Bible, set up the unfolding drama of redemption. The last three chapters show how God will judge evil, reward good, and come down to the New Earth to live with His children forever. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more suffering and evil.

The Greatest of Redemptive Stories

This is the greatest story ever told. Secular reviewers often say of a book, “This is a powerful redemptive story.” The very concept of a redemptive story flows from the Bible’s story of redemption. It’s the prototype of all great stories.

Suppose you could remove from the story Lucifer’s fall and Adam and Eve’s sin. Take away Cain and Abel’s conflict, the Flood, Babel, and the battles Joseph, Job, Moses, David, and Elijah had with evil and suffering. Remove all wars and heartbreaks and yearnings for something better. Take them all away and you would also take away Jesus, who would not become one of us in order to reveal God’s character and save us from our sins.

The second person of the triune God would still exist, of course, but no God-man, no incarnation, no need for incarnation. No first coming, no second coming. No New Heaven and New Earth, only the same one continuing forever. The result? Less appreciation for peace because war had never broken out; less appreciation for food because famine had never occurred; less appreciation for righteousness because sin never appeared. Less love for life because death never happened. Less glory to God and heartfelt worship because we’d never have seen his attributes of grace and mercy and patience.

As a member of the real-life story’s cast, you might wish for a world untouched by evil and suffering. That’s understandable, because life is hard as the story unfolds; and it will be hard until it culminates or you leave the stage, having played your part.

But if you sat in the audience, which story would you prefer to watch? And if you wrote the story, which version would you prefer to write? And even as a cast member, having endured such difficulty, ten thousand years from now at the ongoing cast party in honor of the Writer and Director, when grand tales make the rounds at dinner tables on the New Earth—which story do you think you would cast your vote for?

Great Good out of Great Suffering

Don’t most, if not all, of the greatest virtues surface in response to evil and suffering? Think of your favorite books and movies. Take Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, Amistad, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings. The virtues and camaraderie, the courage and sacrifice central to these stories simply would not exist without a context of evil and suffering.

Do you agree that some great goods such as courage and sacrifice and compassion materialize only in the presence of evil and suffering? If you do, then you recognize that if God allowed less evil in the world, there would also be less good.

If you could snap your fingers and remove all evil and suffering that has ever happened, would you? If you did, then Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, and William Wilberforce would just be names. Without his deafness, we don’t know whether Beethoven would have written his symphonies. Had John Bunyan not been unjustly imprisoned, he almost certainly would not have written Pilgrim's Progress.

On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 faced icy weather upon departing Washington, DC. The Boeing 737 skidded off the runway, slammed into the Fourteenth Street Bridge, and careened into the deathly cold Potomac River. Five passengers clung to the broken-off tailpiece, floating in icy water.

A rescue helicopter dropped a lifeline, pulling up one person. When the second lifeline fell to Arland Williams, forty-six, he quickly passed it on to save another. The third and fourth lifelines came, and again he passed them to others. By the time the fifth and last lifeline dropped, Williams had drowned in the frigid water. Rescuer Gene Windsor wept as he described what Williams had done: “He could have gone on the first trip, but he put everyone else ahead of himself. Everyone.”

My heart aches for the many families whose loved ones perished in that crash. Yet this act of heroism, as have countless others, enriches us and challenges us to strengthen our own characters so in a similar circumstance we might do the same.

We’re Characters in God’s Story

I don’t ask my characters for permission to let them suffer and face evil because, as the author, I know the best ending for the story.

Let’s, for a moment, grant life to fictional characters. If, in an interview with a character from one of my novels, you were to ask whether he’d like to be written out of the story, he would answer no. Nonexistence appeals to no one. Now, ask him if he would like to suffer less, and he’ll answer yes.

Ah, but I know I have something greater in store for my characters. So I do not let them walk out of my novels in protest.

I sympathize with my characters, since I too am a character in God’s story. At times I’d like to take a break from the drama. Three months off without stress would feel nice. But I honestly wouldn’t want a permanent break, because the story gives meaning to my life. I’m part of something great, far bigger than myself. And I trust God not only to bring the whole story together, but to do with my part of it what He knows to be best.

How many of us would have chosen to leave the warmth and security of our mother’s womb for a world of noise, bright lights, cold, hunger, and thirst? Yet, knowing what you know now, would you want to go back?

In my novels, the main characters face great conflict, turmoil, uncertainty, and suffering. Some die. So who am I to say God shouldn’t write such things into His story, including my part?

God created all the characters in His story. He loves a great story, and He has made us to love it. Before we fault Him for the plot twists we don’t like, we should remember that Jesus has written this story in His own blood.

On this subject of God’s redemptive story, let me recommend Nancy and Robert Wolgemuth’s book You Can Trust God to Write Your Story: Embracing the Mysteries of Providence. It’s a unique and charming book, integrating stories of God’s providence from His people and His Word. Nancy and Robert write personally and beautifully, infusing readers with a Christ-centered vision, hope, and trust for the future. (Read an excerpt.)

And for more on trusting God’s sovereignty in suffering, see my books If God Is Good (which this article is excerpted from) and The Goodness of God.

Photo by Da Kraplak on Unsplash

A Better Kind of Abundance

God took physician Renee Lockey completely by surprise one day while she was out running. At the height of her career, she sensed that he was planting an idea in her head: “Work like a doctor and live like a nurse.”

Renee now lives on a nurse’s salary and gives away the rest of her income. She says, “When we take this idea literally—that we are His—it results in a drastically different way of thinking and living."

While Renee’s colleagues might assume she has denied herself the good life by living below her means, in reality, she has discovered the secret to the abundant life.

Treasure No One Can Steal

John 10 shows us that the false shepherds of Israel, the Pharisees, sought to keep people from Jesus, the one true Shepherd. Jesus promises abundant life, and in contrast, He speaks of false religious teachers as thieves and murderers who rob people of life. He said of Himself:

Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:7-11)

When Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy,” He was alerting us to how much the devil hates life. But Satan isn’t only a liar and a killer; he is also a thief.

Satan seeks to destroy us by robbing us of the good life God originally gave Adam and Eve—the life Christ came to restore to humanity. A key way he tries to destroy us is by convincing us that money and possessions are the source of an abundant life. 

If you assume you’ll never be burglarized, you’ll leave your windows open and your cash lying on the dresser. Jesus knew our tendency to live in denial about the dangers of money-love, which is why He sounded this alarm: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed” (Luke 12:15, NIV). If we value the good life Jesus came to give us, we’ll clasp it closely when Satan and his minions try to lay their hands on it. As 1 Timothy 6:19 commands us, we’ll “take hold of that which is truly life.”

The devil might not be able to deceive us into believing outright that nothing’s more important than money and possessions. Instead, he might draw us to a catalog that shows us all those possessions we “really need.” We might say no to Internet sites offering sexual temptation, only to succumb to websites where we indulge an unfiltered lust for things. We might buy dozens of utterly unnecessary things during Black Friday sales, which ironically mark the beginning of a holiday season that culminates in the birth of the One who told us that we need to be on our watch against greed and that life isn’t about the things we possess (Luke 12:15).

Satan has numerous allies in his campaign to make us believe the lies of materialism. Advertising exists to sell us the “goods” that supposedly give us the good life. Fortunately for advertisers, no products exist that actually deliver on that promise, so we keep right on buying more things, hoping this time they'll deliver. But they never will.

Let’s Not Buy Ourselves to Death

Attempting to experience the abundant life Jesus spoke of while burying ourselves in material abundance isn’t just difficult; it’s impossible. That’s not because material things are inherently bad. It’s because accumulated stuff suffocates us, crushes us, and blocks us from Jesus.

In moderate quantities, certain possessions might draw our attention to him as our provider. For instance, when I buy a good book or my wife gives me a thermal mug, I am truly grateful to God. Other possessions, such as clothes I will never wear or the third version of a gadget I already own and don’t use, do nothing for me or God’s Kingdom. If it’s something that will sap hours of my time, it may even draw my attention away from God and his Word.

Many things may be neutral or even fun, but it’s too easy to end up trusting our stuff instead of our Savior.

In some circles, the abundant life has been confused with material wealth. Prosperity theology says that God’s plan is always for us to be wealthy—and to spend our money primarily on ourselves. Jesus, who didn’t even have a place to lay His head and who owned nothing but a robe and sandals (Matthew 8:20), clearly didn’t live a money- and possessions-centered life. Surely that’s not what He wants for us either.

Jesus told the church in Laodicea, “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17, NIV). What had buried these Christians’ sense of spiritual poverty? Their material abundance. It tricked them into believing they were living the abundant life when in reality they were sabotaging it.

Jesus promises, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14, NIV). The abundant life isn’t measured in gold or material goods. It’s rooted in the precious fact that our Creator and Redeemer himself indwells us, imparting His delight-giving presence to us. He says the very reason he came is to give us “a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10, NLT) or “life to the full, till it overflows” (AMP).

Abundant Life Begins Today

Jesus doesn’t make us wait until we die to start living the abundant life. The abundant life begins now! So if you’re a Christian and you’re searching for the good life, you don’t have to go far to find it. Look no further than Jesus. Know Him, delight in Him, serve Him, learn from His people, and do what He says. (Of course, you must study His Word to do this.) There’s no life better than that.

Jesus Himself is the entrance to an Eden of the heart—the ultimate refuge for refugees, and the home for every homeless and heartsick person in this world, whether they live in poverty or wealth.

God didn’t send a spokesperson, a prophet, or an angel to give us life, protection, provision, safety, and guidance. He sent His Son—His very best. He’s the only Savior, and He freely offers all of Himself to us.

When I was a young Christian, some sincere believers tried to convince me that I should seek a life in which miraculous events were the norm. After a year spent searching for more, I recall reading the promise that God has “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). I also read, “[God’s] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

That’s when I asked myself, What more do I need than what God has already given me? I realized that Jesus, along with the power of God’s indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:11), was enough for me to enjoy abundant life.

The same is true for all of us who know Christ. We simply need to enter into and enjoy the abundant life Jesus promises.

Abundance Naturally Overflows

Jesus said, “The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him” (John 7:38, CSB). There’s an unmistakable sign of an overflowing, abundant life that comes from knowing Jesus, the author of life: generosity to others.

An old but helpful illustration applies to the abundant, generous life. In northern Israel lies the beautiful Sea of Galilee, where Jesus often sailed with his disciples. Water freely flows into the Sea of Galilee from the Jordan River, and its water is fresh and life giving.

Eighty-eight miles to the south is a larger and radically different body of water. One of the lowest places on the planet, the Dead Sea collects large volumes of water but disperses none. Its salt concentration is so high—ten times greater than ocean water—that no fish or vegetation can survive there.

While the Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee, it also flows out. The water simply passes through, allowing it to support fish life and plants. Trapped, with no outlet, the Dead Sea keeps taking water in, but no water leaves it except by evaporation. No outlet means no life.

This is a good parable of the Christian life in general—and an even better parable of the generous life in particular. In order to be faithful stewards and to love others, we must be not only recipients of God’s provision but also outlets of it. Only then will we experience the true and abundant life He intends for us.

Such a dramatic overflow can have an amazing effect even on those who are hostile to the Christian faith. My friend pastors a church that rents a public school auditorium on Sundays. When a new principal arrived, he showed hostility toward Christians and urged the pastor to find another place to meet.

But over the next few years, something happened. The principal discovered that church members cheerfully give time and money for the sake of the school—a practice that was in place before he came. They schedule cleanup days. They serve teachers meals during parent-teacher conferences. They give teachers gift cards each year. They do this not simply to win favor but because Christ’s love and kindness overflow from their lives.

The pastor of the church told me, “Three years later, this principal is no longer an antagonist; he’s our advocate. Our works of service have softened his heart toward the Lord.”

The cause for this astonishing turnaround? It was simply Christians living the good life, which always entails good deeds of generosity. Jesus put it this way: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, NIV).

Generosity Is Contagious

The more we give in Christ’s name, the more life he will put into us. And the more life we have flowing into us, the more that life will flow out of us to others. “Give, and it will be given to you,” Jesus said. “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap” (Luke 6:38, NIV).

By giving generously of our money and possessions, we’re able to open our hands to receive the abundant life God has for us. God is the greatest giver in the universe, and it’s impossible to outgive Him. This is not prosperity theology. It is simply the way our generous God delights to work in the lives of His children.

Out of a deep love for Jesus, Pete and Debbie Ochs decided to acquire a business constructing industrial products in prisons. They employ inmates, some of whom have committed violent crimes. They invest in these prisoners’ lives by offering life lessons on topics like parenting, finances, and relationships. Pete says, “In one of our life lessons, we presented this whole concept of generosity and challenged [the prisoners] that we would match dollar for dollar any dollar that they gave to one of a number of charities and we gave them a list. It was amazing the amount of money that these prisoners gave to charity. . . . Most of the charities . . . existed to help the victims of the crimes that they committed.”

Pete and Debbie’s overflowing good life has not only brought these men the gospel but has also introduced them to the overflow of joyful giving so they, too, can experience abundant life.

The good life in Christ is not only wonderful for those who live it; it is also a joy for those who behold it. Generosity is just as contagious as materialism. However, it brings life instead of death.

Excerpted from Giving Is the Good Life: The Unexpected Path to Purpose and Joy.

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

Dads, Your Children Need Both Quality and Quantity Time with You

When our children were small, I was reading them a Bible story and an “important” phone call came from someone in the church. In fact, the call could have waited until the next day. So which was more important, taking that call, or finishing the story and praying with my children? I realized my error. From that day I determined I would never be pulled away from Bible story and prayer time with my children by anything less than a true emergency.

Sometimes the idea of “quality time” is a way of justifying not spending quantity time with children. Dads (and much of this applies to moms too), if you’re already spending lots of time with your kids, by all means focus on quality. But if you’re not spending enough time with your kids, or constantly being pulled away by distractions, don’t try to compensate by making your meager time “quality.” It will be unnatural to land at home just long enough to drop your “pearls of wisdom” before taking off again.

We don’t just need more face-to-face time with our wife and children; we need shoulder-to-shoulder time when we are focused on things like work, play, or ministry. Going to visit the sick and needy makes a great impression on children and cultivates a ministry mindset. Seeing poverty and sickness widens their world and enlarges their hearts. It also fosters a spirit of personal gratitude for what they have, rather than the more prevalent spirit of entitlement that poisons our culture.

One of the most spiritually impactful things we did with our children, when they were nine and seven, was take them on a two-month trip to six countries, where we visited missionaries. Twenty-three years later, we still talk about that trip.

What were the long-term results of that mission trip? The quantity and quality time we spent together prompted us to discuss world needs and where to send the money God entrusted to us, some to of the very places we visited. Even today that quality time bears fruit, as I periodically ask our daughters and their families to help decide where to distribute the royalties from my books. As our grandchildren get older, we plan to involve them in distributing the royalties. I’m not sure any of that would have come about if we hadn’t made the bold decision to uproot ourselves and go overseas with our children for that life-changing two months.

One clarification: Some dads might feel guilty because they work hard to support their families and can’t be at home with their kids as much as they might like. Working hard and making money to care for your family is a great and biblical thing. I did it, and I’m glad to hear about dads who do it too. I also spent a lot of time with my kids.

But when I’m talking about the need for dads to spend more quantity time with their kids, I’m addressing dads who do not spend plenty of time with their kids (and many don’t) because they are always gone working—or golfing or watching TV or looking at their phones or whatever (and of course the point isn’t that work, golf, TV, and phones in and of themselves are wrong).

Dads, while fulfilling the biblical mandate to provide for their children, should also make sure they’re not away from home so much (or so passively detached from them while at home) that they neglect a calling even higher than the workplace—being there to invest their lives in their children. (Of course, there is no guaranteed formula or outcome, and godly fathers can have rebellious children.)

Fathering and vocation require a difficult balance, in which we must call upon the Lord for wisdom and strength, but we are commanded to do it nonetheless: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). We must be with them a substantial amount of time in order to “bring them up.” This helps them not to resent us, as they will if we’re with them only to correct them.

So dads, there’s a biblical mandate to raise your kids and invest time in them to do so. And there’s a biblical mandate to work hard to provide for your family. Just make sure that your work commitments don’t overshadow your need to be there for your kids. And remember that making enough money to provide for your children’s needs is not the same as providing for all their wants. There is no substitute for time spent with your children, and no substitute for your undivided attention.

More than anything, what they need is the Lord, and to be drawn to their heavenly Father. But it will help them immensely to have a loving, holy, and heavenly-minded earthly father, who is full of grace and truth.

For more on being a dad, see Randy's novel Courageous and the book The Resolution for Men.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Praying for Abortionists and Those in the Abortion Industry Makes an Eternal Difference

Many years ago, when we spoke at the same prolife event, I met and conversed with former abortionist Bernard Nathanson (1926-2011). At the time he still had no faith in God, though he later became a Catholic. Dr. Nathanson was a cofounder of what is now the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). He owned and operated what was at the time the largest abortion clinic in the western hemisphere and was directly involved in over sixty thousand abortions.

Dr. Nathanson’s study of developments in the science of fetology and his use of ultrasound to observe the unborn child in the womb led him to the conclusion that he had made a horrible mistake. He wrote Aborting America to inform the public of the realities behind the abortion rights movement of which he had been a primary leader. I refer to Dr. Nathanson often in my prolife books—for instance, in Why ProLife? under the section “Is Abortion Really a Women’s Rights Issue?”

There are countless physicians and “abortion providers” whose eyes are now open to the truth. Dr. Haywood Robinson, who performed hundreds of abortions, has become a Christian and is now the director of medical affairs and education for prolife group 40 Days for Life. He recently shared his story in a podcast, which is well worth listening to.

Prolife advocate Abby Johnson is a former Planned Parenthood clinic director who had a spiritual conversion and left the abortion industry. (Her story was told in the 2019 movie Unplanned.) She heads up the ministry And Then There Were None, which to date has helped almost 500 workers leave the abortion industry and find hope and healing.

Besides Nathanson, I got to know another physician who used to perform abortions and joined us in peaceful nonviolent civil disobedience at abortion clinics nearly twenty years ago. I also got to know Dr. Beverley McMillan and her husband Roy, a delightful couple.  Beverly said, 

I wanted to be the world’s best abortionist, for the good of my patients. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. So, after I met each patient, reviewed the medical information gathered by my nurse, examined the patient and performed the abortion, I would then carefully sift through the remains to be sure all the parts were accounted for. I had to find four extremities (two arms and two legs) a spine, a skull, and the placenta, or my patient would suffer later from an incomplete abortion...My attention was so focused on my perceived patient that I managed to deny that there were, in fact, two patients involved—the expectant mother and a very small child...I had to wonder, how can having a child be so wrong for some people that they will pay me to end its life?

When asked why she stopped performing abortions, Dr. McMillan’s simple answer was, “I got to where I couldn’t stand to look at the little bodies anymore.” 

Our friend Carol Everett was director of four Dallas abortion clinics, and owner of two. She was responsible for the clinics’ daily operation and knows the abortion industry inside out. She had an abortion soon after it became legal in 1973, and now speaks out about the ugliness she saw and was part of in the abortion industry. I also know a former prochoice nurse who was converted to a prolife position after seeing premature babies being frantically saved by a medical team in one room, while down the hall, babies the same age were being aborted.

Abortion clinic workers may cover twinges of conscience with flippancy, apparent indifference, or morbid joking about their profession. Beneath this veneer, however, they often suffer guilt, which manifests itself in destructive behavior. Bernard Nathanson said doctors in his own clinic suffered from nightmares, alcoholism, drug abuse, and family problems leading to divorce. Carol Everett told me the same was true in her clinics. These people desperately need to hear the good news about Jesus and the hope and forgiveness He offers. No sin is beyond the reach of God’s grace.

In their article “A New Calling,” WORLD News shares the story of former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino, who performed nearly 1,200 first- and second-trimester abortions, but stopped after a personal tragedy made him realize he was killing other people’s sons and daughters. He and his wife joined a prolife evangelical church and found Jesus, and he has become an outspoken prolife advocate. I was struck by this part of his story:

A pastor reminded him God had used many people in Levatino’s life to bring him to salvation. Levatino sought out a woman who for seven years delivered a “Jesus loves you” message to him while he was still doing abortions. He thanked her for those messages, told her about his change, and found out she used to picket his office, praying for him.

This woman’s faithful prayers and her acts of love made a profound difference in Dr. Levatino’s life, and ultimately, the lives of countless other unborn children. That’s why I believe that if the darkness of child-killing is to be overcome with the light of truth and compassion, it will require spiritual warfare, fought with humble and consistent prayer (Ephesians 6:10–20). Prayer isn’t passive, it’s active. It’s really doing something! (Life Matters Worldwide has put together some helpful ideas on how to pray to end abortion, including praying for abortion workers.)

My former assistant and EPM board member Kathy Norquist has been involved with standing on the sidewalk in front of the largest abortion clinic in Oregon. This group goes in love and compassion, not anger and judgment, to pray, hold signs and offer help and resources to women and men entering the clinic.

She writes, “I wonder what would happen if people showed up in droves to simply stand and pray outside all the abortion clinics in America. Just the sheer numbers alone would save lives because light shines brightly in the darkness.” (See this information from the ProLife Action League, encouraging people to consider spending one hour each month in prayer at an abortion facility.)

One clarification: I have heard people say that instead of making all kinds of other efforts to stop abortion, we should just pray for abortionists. My belief is that we should pray for them...and meanwhile do what we can to advocate for the unborn and end abortion. We dare not simply pray and wait for all abortionists to repent. There is no contradiction between prayer for those committing unjust acts and decisively working to prevent further injustice. Both are spiritual acts.

So, while not stopping our efforts to change people’s minds and hearts and advocate for unborn children, let’s not forget to earnestly pray in faith, believing our prayers are making an eternal difference for those in the abortion industry and for mothers who are considering or have had abortions. Sometimes God will give us glimpses of how He has used those prayers in powerful ways. But we also anticipate Heaven, where we’ll learn God’s breath-taking answers to our prayers, including many that at the time seemed unheard and ignored.

From Eternal Perspective Ministries: Randy Alcorn's Why ProLife? book is on sale for $1 (86% off $6.95 retail), plus S&H. Offer ends Thursday, January 9 at 12 p.m. PT (noon). 

“I am already Pro-Life and have been wondering how to talk with Pro-Choice or on-the-fence family members and friends about this sensitive and important issue. I am so appreciative of the measured, thorough, and clear defense of the Pro-Life position by Randy Alcorn in this book. It's concise, but detailed, brief, but complete. SUCH an asset to anyone looking to defend the rights of unborn babies and their mothers in today's increasingly anti-life culture.” —Reader Review

Image by reenablack from Pixabay

Ten Questions to Help You Set a God-Honoring Direction for 2020

Everyone has priorities. In moments of perspective, some of us realize we haven’t been living by the right ones, and need to change our priorities. Others of us have long known the right priorities and need to rediscover them: we’ve tasted right priorities, but we’ve allowed ourselves to drift away from them. We’ve replaced fellowship with entertainment, giving with buying, and family time with the television, the smart phone, endless work, the lawn, the remodeling job, the causes, and the committees. By abandoning our God-given priorities, we set ourselves up to learn a hard lesson.

What better time to stop and evaluate our choices and the direction we’re headed than at the start of a new year? In the following article, Don Whitney, author of the great book Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life (read it in the new year!) and a professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, shares ten thoughtful questions we can ask ourselves to help evaluate our ways and set a God-honoring direction for 2020. —Randy Alcorn

Ten Questions for a New Year

Article by Don Whitney

Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It’s so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we’re going and where we should be going.

Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai: “Consider your ways!” (Haggai 1:5). He urged them to reflect on some of the things happening to them, and to evaluate their slipshod spirituality in light of what God had told them.

Ten Questions

The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. A great time for us to “Consider our ways.” To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.

1. What’s one thing you can do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

Our enjoyment of God comes primarily through the means of grace he has given us. He has promised to bless us most directly and consistently through means such as his word, prayer, and the church. One specific suggestion I’d offer would be to include some meditation on Scripture along with your daily reading. It’s better to read less — if necessary — and yet as the result of meditation remember something, than to read more and remember nothing.

2. What’s an impossible prayer you can pray?

There are more than a dozen “but God” statements in Scripture, such as in Romans 5:8, which reads, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Situations that were humanly impossible were transformed by “but God” (Ephesians 2:1–7). What’s a “but God” prayer you can pray for the coming year?

3. What’s the most important thing you could do to improve your family life?

If your family doesn’t practice family worship, beginning there is the single best recommendation I could make. Just ten minutes a day, simply reading the Bible, praying, and singing together — an event that requires no preparation — is all it takes. My little book titled Family Worship can tell you more.

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year?

Would it be a personal spiritual discipline (that is, one you practice alone), or an interpersonal spiritual discipline (one you practice with other believers)? Once you decide, determine the next step to take and when you will take it.

5. What’s the single biggest time-waster in your life, and how can you redeem the time?

Social media? TV? Video games? Sports? Hobbies? It’s easy for any of these (or something else) to take too much of our hearts and time. Is repentance required? Trying to stop, by itself, is probably not the answer. Actively replacing it with something better helps us in “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).

6. What’s the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

While we often stress the fact that individual believers are the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15), the New Testament actually says seven times to one that the church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 5:23). We mustn’t let our frequent emphasis on our personal relationship with Christ minimize the importance of our service to Jesus through his body. How can your church be stronger this year because of you? Serving? Giving? Praying?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

Praying frequently and fervently for someone’s salvation makes us more sensitive to opportunities to share the gospel with him or her. Will you commit to praying for at least one person’s salvation every day this new year?

8. What’s the most important way, by God’s grace, you will try to make this year different from last?

Obviously, God’s sovereignty rules over all things, and there is nothing we can do about much that he brings into our lives. On the other hand, under his sovereignty he gives us a measure of responsibility over many areas of life. In which of these would you most like to see a change from last year? You may find that your answer to this question is found in one of your answers above. To which of them do you sense the Holy Spirit calling your attention most urgently?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

For many, it might be as simple as designating a time exclusively for prayer instead of praying only “on the go” types of prayers. For others, it might be learning the simple, biblical practice of praying the Bible.

10. What single thing can you plan to do this year that will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

Short-term deadlines tend to dominate our attention. Busyness and fatigue often limit our vision to just getting through today. But don’t let the tyranny of the urgent distract you from something you’re neglecting that would have enormous long-term impact on your soul, your family, or your church.

Consider Your New Year

The value of many of these questions is not in their profundity, but in the simple fact that they bring an issue or commitment into focus. For example, just by making a goal to encourage one person in particular this year is more likely to help you remember to encourage that person than if you hadn’t set that goal.

If you’ve found these questions helpful, you might want to put them someplace — on your phone, computer, calendar, or wherever you put reminders — where you can review them frequently.

I hope this article will help you to “consider your ways,” to make plans and goals, and to live this new year with biblical diligence, remembering the principle that “the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance” (Proverbs 21:5). But in all things, let’s also remember our dependence on our King, who said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

This article was originally posted on DesiringGod.org and is used by permission of the author.

Photo by Isaac Smith on Unsplash

Albert Mohler on Complementarianism, Blind Spots, and the Importance of Positive Affirmations of Women in the Church

As I’ve shared in past blogs related to women and church leadership, the widespread perception among both unbelievers and believers in our culture is that conservative Bible-believing churches—especially those that are also politically conservative—are the last bastion of cultural chauvinism, dedicated to stereotyping, subjecting and minimizing the equality, worth, intelligence and gifting of women. We are thought to foster disrespect and, indirectly, abuse.

Unless we intentionally show this isn’t true—and demonstrate an authentic (not merely superficial) respect for women as intelligent and gifted students and teachers of God’s Word—many of our girls and young women will drift away from the church, or turn to churches that may not be faithful to God’s Word. Others may stay but never discover and use their gifts. Furthermore, there’s a large segment of culture we won’t reach. We shouldn’t ever violate what Scripture commands in an attempt to be relevant, but we should exercise the freedom to do what Scripture allows to grant women the widest and deepest and most meaningful roles in Christ’s body.

God has given spiritual gifts to Christian women, just as He has to men (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). They’re to use these gifts to serve the body of Christ (1 Peter 4:10). God sovereignly distributes them and it is clear in Scripture there are women granted the gifts of prophecy, teaching, exhortation, etc. Their ministries are essential to the life and growth of the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-26).  (I share some further thoughts on women and church leadership here. And see this article for a helpful description of complementarianism.)

Albert Mohler had some good things to say related to all this in an interview with The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Below are a couple of his answers I appreciated. You can read the full interview here.

CBMW: What are the blind spots within complementarianism that we must do better to address?

Mohler: I think one of the most dangerous blind spots or challenges for complementarians is being very clear that complementarianism does not mean male superiority. It just doesn’t. It instead affirms different and distinct roles for men and women in church and in the home. But it is not grounded in male superiority; it is grounded in various arguments in Scripture, some based in creation, but the fundamental issue is that there is a stewardship of authority and a stewardship of responsibility that is assigned to men — and not just to men, but to husbands and fathers in the home and the church, specifically to those who are called to spiritual leadership in the teaching office. So it’s wrongly understood to imply that every man in the church has authority over every woman in the church. That’s simply not true. 

Another blind spot I think we have to watch is failing to correct abuses that come in the name of complementarianism. Any time you talk about a structure in creation in which there are different assignments of authority and responsibility, then evil men can use such arguments to their own sexual, physical, and narcissistic inclinations. Consequently, complementarians who are not careful can allow not only men to believe that they are in a position of some male superiority, but girls and women to believe that what is being taught is female inferiority. So I think we’ve learned over the course of the last several years that this is not a hypothetical danger, and it needs to be articulated very clearly. 

CBMW: When complementarianism arises as a topic, it is often caricatured with a defensiveness on what women cannot do, rather than what they can do. What must complementarians do to better project a robust, joyful complementarianism that is not defined (rightly or wrongly) by negation?

Mohler: I think we have to recognize the historical context that produced negation. This is the perpetual predicament of those who defend biblical orthodoxy: we’re often in the position of having to say, “The Bible doesn’t teach that.” The reality is that any coherent position includes both affirmation and negation, and we should just be honest about that. 

An affirmation of biblical truth, which would include the affirmation of complementarianism, has to be rooted in a joyful biblical theology that is grounded in God’s purpose in creating human beings in His image, His purpose in making us male and female, instituting marriage, and the gift of sexuality. We must also remember that men and women are to be partners, according to Genesis, in the great work of bringing order and human flourishing; the Bible could not begin more clearly with a positive affirmation. 

The Bible also deals with negation, but all of this has to be set within a joyful biblical theology. Neither complementarianism nor trinitarianism or any other theological truth can be presented without the necessity of being clear about what the Bible teaches and what’s incompatible with biblical revelation. And if complementarians have failed to demonstrate a joyful biblical theology that begins with the celebration of the goodness of what God has created and the rightness of that order and the beauty of humanity as made in God’s image and the glory of the assignments given to men and women, then shame on us. But this is also a reminder that our theology has to show up not only in arguments, but in a comprehensive affirmation of biblical truth joyfully presented to the people of God.

Finally, here is something Denny Burk wrote that I think is helpful and fits with what Mohler is also saying:

A friend recently said to me that complementarians often run the risk of minding the fences while ignoring the field. What she meant was that we can be so focused on boundaries that we forget the wide places in between. And it is in those spaces that there is great freedom and opportunity for both men and women to have meaningful ministries within the church. Yes, there are clear boundaries in scripture for men and women in ministry, but this does not negate the opportunities for ministry that God gives to men and women. No Christian—male or female—should ever feel they are without a ministry. There is plenty of room to roam in the field, and the boundaries help us to see that.

Photo by Ben White on Christianpics.co

To Serve God in Heaven Will Be a Great Reward

We’re told that those coming out of the Great Tribulation will be specially rewarded by being given a place “before the throne of God,” where they will “serve him day and night” (Revelation 7:14-15). Notice that the Master rewards His faithful servants not by taking away responsibilities but by giving them greater ones.

Service is a reward, not a punishment. This idea is foreign to people who dislike their work and only put up with it until retirement. We think that faithful work should be rewarded by a vacation for the rest of our lives. But God offers us something very different: more work, more responsibilities, increased opportunities, along with greater abilities, resources, wisdom, and empowerment. We will have sharp minds, strong bodies, clear purpose, and unabated joy. The more we serve Christ now, the greater our capacity will be to serve Him in Heaven.

Reigning over cities will certainly not be “having nothing to do.” I believe that those who rule cities on the New Earth will have leisure (rest) and will fully enjoy it, but they will have plenty to do.

Dallas Willard suggests in The Divine Conspiracy, “Perhaps it would be a good exercise for each of us to ask ourselves: Really, how many cities could I now govern under God? If, for example, Baltimore or Liverpool were turned over to me, with power to do what I want with it, how would things turn out? An honest answer to this question might do much to prepare us for our eternal future in this universe.”

Will everyone be given the opportunity to rule in the new universe? The apostle Paul said that eternal rewards are available “not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). The word all is encouraging. “The Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free” (Ephesians 6:8). The word everyone is again encouraging. It won’t be just a select few rewarded with positions of leadership.

Should we be excited that God will reward us by making us rulers in His Kingdom? Absolutely. Jesus said, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:12).

God will choose who reigns as kings, and I think some great surprises are in store for us. Christ gives us clues in Scripture as to the type of person He will choose: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven....Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth....Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3, 5, 10); “‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6).

Look around you to see the meek and the humble. They may include street sweepers, locksmith’s assistants, bus drivers, or stay-at-home moms who spend their days changing diapers, doing laundry, packing lunches, drying tears, and driving carpools for God.

I once gave one of my books to a delightful hotel bellman. I discovered he was a committed Christian. He said he’d been praying for our group, which was holding a conference at the hotel. Later, I gave him a little gift, a rough wooden cross. He seemed stunned, overwhelmed. With tears in his eyes he said, “You didn’t need to do that. I’m only a bellman.”

The moment he said it, I realized that this brother had spent his life serving. It will likely be someone like him that I’ll have the privilege of serving under in God’s Kingdom. He was “only a bellman” who spoke with warmth and love, who served, who quietly prayed in the background for the success of a conference in his hotel.

I saw Jesus in that bellman, and there was no “only” about him.

Who will be the kings of the New Earth? I think that bellman will be one of them. And I’ll be honored to carry his bags.

Browse more resources on the topic of Heaven, and see Randy’s related books, including Heaven, Picturing Heaven, and We Shall See God.

Photo by Fleur on Unsplash