Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 96

Delighting in Him

Have you been sitting at the feet of Jesus, as Mary of Bethany did (see Luke 10:38–42)? Have you been turning your back on a thousand distractions to enjoy the presence of your Bridegroom, the Carpenter from Nazareth, the One who said He was going to prepare a place for you and is coming back to get you so you can be with Him forever (see John 14:2–3)?

Time with God is the fountain from which holiness flows, along with joy and delight. It reminds us who we are and whose we are. Paul tells us, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). We are “aliens and strangers on earth,” who are “longing for a better country—a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:13, 16, niv).

If we delight ourselves in God, that will transform the desires of our hearts. We will want what He wants. We will want His closeness, and the desire of our hearts will be to hear Him say to us, “Well done.” And when that day comes, He will flood us with more joy that we can imagine. He will say, “Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21, 23).

Perspectives from God’s Word

“I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight” (Psalm 119:174).

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

Perspectives from God’s People

“God’s greatest interest is to glorify the wealth of his grace by making sinners happy in him.” —John Piper

“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” —C. S. Lewis

This blog is excerpted from Randy Alcorn’s Seeing the Unseen: A 90-Day Devotional to Set Your Mind on Eternity.

Right now, you can purchase Seeing the Unseen for $7 (53% off retail $14.99), plus S&H. Sale ends Thursday, October 3 at 12 pm PT (noon). 

"I have really been enjoying this. I love how it has perspectives from God's word, people and then further reading/teaching if wanted. I am always a little hesitant about devotionals, sermons, books, etc. that are not based in Scripture, but this has it for every day. Randy Alcorn really captures the essence of eternity and I love listening to what God has to speak to me while reading this. I plan on buying copies for friends and family!” —Reader review

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Giving Is an Adventure

Sometimes I meet Christians who seem utterly bored with their lives. There is a great cure for boredom, although it’s one people don’t typically consider: giving more time, money, and energy to God’s Kingdom work, and inviting God to open our eyes to the needs surrounding us.

One hot summer day I stopped at a store for a Diet Mountain Dew, but when I saw the price, I changed my mind. However, as I often do, I prayed that God would connect me with someone in the store. The few people inside didn’t look like they needed anything, so I thought, Next time, and walked out the door.

Outside, six feet from me, stood a young man who was probably in his early thirties. With long, stringy hair and worn sandals, he looked like he’d been living on the streets. He hadn’t been there three minutes earlier when I walked in. I knew he was my answer to prayer.

“Hey, it’s a hot day,” I said. “Can I get you a bottle of water? Something to eat?”

He looked at me.

Reaching out my hand, I said, “I’m Randy.”

He shook my hand. “I’m John.”

I was unprepared for what happened next. He looked at me intently and said, “Are you a servant of Yeshua Adonai?”

Recognizing the Hebrew words for Jesus and Lord, or Master, I responded with a stunned, “Yes, I am.”

He immediately put his hand on my shoulder and prayed for me—as if I were the needy one, which in fact I was that day. He asked God to use me to do great things for His Kingdom. His prayer was insightful, biblically resonant, and articulate—in fact, one of the most powerful prayers I’ve ever heard.

Then I prayed for John. When I finished, I asked him again if I could get him something in the store. He chose a small water bottle, but I pulled out a large instead (next to the Mountain Dew I was too cheap to buy). “Why don’t you pick out something to eat?” I said. He chose some chips, and the total came to $4.50.

When we walked out the door, I tried to engage John further. But it seemed he had some place to go, so we said good-bye. I went to my car and wept, overcome with the deep sense that I’d met an angel. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (NIV).

If John wasn’t an angel, I knew he had been sent by God to pray for me. Who knows—maybe he was Jesus Himself, given his age and general appearance—and anyway, Jesus said whatever we do to the needy we do for Him (Matthew 25:37-40).

After thanking God and regaining my composure, I headed home, deeply touched. At a stoplight, I looked to my right and saw John thirty feet away, leaning against a building, drinking from his large water bottle. With a big smile, he waved at me in a way that seemed to say, “See you later.”

No matter who John really was, I knew without a doubt that I would, in fact, see him later. I suspect we’ll sit together at a banquet on the New Earth, and I’ll find out who he really is and hear his story. The thought of it thrills me even now.

And I suspect that $4.50 will turn out to be one of the best investments I’ve ever made.

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

Wouldn’t it be great if we could do what pleases God, helps others, and is best for us―at the same time? Can we live the good life without being selfish?

In Giving Is the Good Life, bestselling author Randy Alcorn teaches life-changing biblical principles of generosity and tells stories of people who have put those radical principles into practice. Each story is a practical application that can help stimulate your imagination and expand your dreams of serving Jesus in fresh ways. These real-life models give you not just words to remember but footprints to follow.

Giving Is the Good Life reveals a grander view of God and generosity―one that stretches far beyond our imagination and teaches us what the good life is really all about.

And coming soon: Are You Living the Good Life? (booklet)

Photo by Fred Kearney on Unsplash

Joe Rigney on How to Be a Doer of the Word, Not Just a Hearer

I really appreciated this article by Joe Rigney, assistant professor of theology and literature at Bethlehem College & Seminary and author of The Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts. It’s a great and practical explanation of what it means to obey the command in James 1:22 to be a doer of God’s Word. —Randy Alcorn

What It Means to Be a ‘Doer of the Word’: Looking in the Mirror of God’s Royal Law and Living in It

Christians often struggle to distinguish Christian obedience from its legalistic counterparts. What makes godly obedience different from the moralistic efforts of non-Christians? The apostle James offers us an important window into the particular quality of Christian obedience. It comes in the first chapter of his letter:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22–25)

James contrasts doing the Word with being a mere hearer. Hearing without doing, he says, is like looking at your face in a mirror and then walking away and forgetting what you look like. In other words, “hearing” equals looking in the mirror, and “not doing” equals walking away and forgetting. Simply hearing the Word isn’t the same as obeying it. If all you do is hear, with no doing, you’re kidding yourself. You’re self-deceived. There must be something more.

Now the key question is: What’s the “something more”? Is it just our self-wrought efforts? Or is there something distinctive in Christian obedience? According to James, the “something more” is looking in the right mirror and doing what you see. The right mirror is the law of liberty, what James also calls the Word of truth by which we’re born again (1:18), the implanted Word that saves us (1:21), and the royal law of liberty (2:8–12). In other words, the mirror that we should look carefully into is the Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, understood in light of the good news of King Jesus. That’s the Word that we’re to do—which means, Christian obedience is a kind of “gospel-doing.”

Now what does that mean?

Gospel-Doing as Good Pretending

The gospel-doer looks into the mirror of the royal law of liberty. He sees himself reflected in the living and abiding Word of God. Doing the Word, or “gospel-doing,” means that you look to Jesus and to yourself in Jesus for the strength and supply for all of your deeds. You have been raised with Christ. You’re seated with him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:5–6). Your life is hidden with Christ in God. One day, when he appears, you also will appear with him in glory. Your true self, the fullness of who and what God made you to be, will be revealed and made manifest. But for now it’s hidden (Col. 3:1–3).

Gospel-doing means that you see yourself in the royal law and then you live into that vision. You look into that mirror, and you do what you see. This is more than just moral exemplarism. It’s not simply “What would Jesus do?” That’s often too abstract and distant to be of much use. It’s, “What would I do, if I were full of Jesus?”

C. S. Lewis called this “good pretending,” and it’s one of the ways we use our imagination to further our holiness. Bad pretending is simply hypocrisy. It’s when we pretend to be something we’re not. Good pretending is when we practice being who we already are in Christ legally and positionally, and who we one day will be in Christ morally and perfectly. Good pretending isn’t hypocrisy; it’s a Spirit-led attempt at consistency. Bad pretending is a substitute for reality. Good pretending is when the pretense leads up to the reality. It’s what children do when they pretend to be grown up so that they can grow up. And it’s what Christians do, in our pilgrim condition, when we’re told to do the Word.

Practically speaking, it works like this: Imagine what you’d be like if you really did experience deep, gospel renewal. If you really believed that the living God was for you and that he would meet all of your needs. That you didn’t need to use people to get what you want, because you know God accepts and approves and embraces you, and so you overflow with his kind of love. Imagine that version of yourself, the one who is free and happy and stable and full of love. Now take that imaginary you and put him in the situations of your life. What would that imaginary, gospel-you do? If you really did love God deeply from the heart, and if you really did love your neighbor sincerely, what would you do?

When you have the answer, ask for God’s help and then go and do it (even if you suspect your motives are mixed). In other words, do the deeds of love even when (some of) the substance is lacking. Don’t wait for your motives to be fully pure. Repent of your impure motives, sinful preferences, and spiritual apathy. Look at yourself in the mirror of the gospel, the liberating law of King Jesus. See what you are in light of the good news. Now don’t walk away and forget. Remember. Persevere in that vision of yourself in Christ. Walk away and do what you saw, even if you don’t fully feel what you saw. And, James says, you will be blessed in your doing.

That’s what it means to “do the Word.” For the rest of your life, be a doer—a gospel-doer—of the Word.

Two Case Studies in Gospel-Doing

The concept may still be somewhat abstract, and as any mason will tell you, concrete makes a sure foundation. To really understand “doing the Word,” we must see it in the concrete situations we’ll face throughout our lives. I’ve chosen two to lay the foundation.

Success

How do we face success as a gospel-doer of the Word? When everything we touch turns to gold? The family flourishes, the ministry is fruitful, the job is fulfilling, and our hearth and home is happy. When that happens, we’re tempted to boast—to lord it over others, either by flaunting it outright, or finding subtle Christian ways to remind everyone of our success. Instead of looking into the mirror of the royal law, we collect mirrors. In fact, we turn other people into mirrors for our glory. We build kingdoms for ourselves built on the praise of others, or the envy of others, or the admiration of others. We derive a twisted sense of pleasure in provoking people to want the life we have (and a further sense of satisfaction that they can’t have it).

So when God forces us to face fruitfulness and success, what should we do? We should do the Word. We should look into the royal law of liberty and ask ourselves, “What do we have that we did not receive? And if we received it, why would we boast as though we did it ourselves?” (1 Cor. 4:7). We must remember that life doesn’t consist in the abundance of our possessions, or the wealth of our accomplishments (Luke 12:15). That it’s hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom (and that there are more kinds of wealth than money) (Matt. 19:23; 1 Tim. 6:6). We must remember that Paul treats facing plenty and abundance as a challenge (Phil. 4:12).

In our success, it’s far too easy to say, “I can do all things through wealth which strengthens me.” It’s hard to be fruitful and successful in such a way that shows that our strength comes from Christ alone, and not our wealth. We must always remember what defines us: “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). And in that understanding of ourselves, we do the Word.

Other People’s Success

On the other hand, sometimes we don’t succeed. Our dreams don’t come true. We watch other people move farther up and farther in to our hopes and dreams. The friend gets the job. The rival gets the promotion. Someone else has the golden opportunity. We watch our friends get married, and feel the ache of being left out. Or we get married and watch our friends have children, and feel the ache of being left out. Or we go into ministry, and watch a neighboring church flourish while ours languishes. Someone else’s platform is raised, and our neck hurts from looking up so often.

And when that happens, what should we do? We should do the Word. We must not allow their success to be our stumbling block. We can’t receive their blessings as a personal wound. We must resist the poison of envy and rivalry (Matt. 20:15). We must put to death malice and bitterness. As we look into the law of liberty, we remember that God’s kindness knows no bounds. It will take him an eternity to pour out all of his blessings on us. And so we can bless God for the blessings of others.

The imaginary gospel-you in the mirror of God’s Word—that person rejoices in the fruitfulness, success, and blessing of others. The gospel-you revels in God’s grace on other people, especially those who succeed in things that you care about. The gospel-you overflows with gratitude for others’ gifts. And so we see ourselves in light of God’s glad-hearted embrace of us in Christ, and we do the Word when others succeed.

So in our successes and in our (temporary) failures, may we all have the grace to look deeply into the royal law of liberty, to see ourselves in Christ, and with his help, do the Word.

This article originally appeared on The Gospel Coalition and is used with permission of the author.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Modern Research about Happiness Repeatedly Parallels Biblical Principles

In the late 1990s, Martin Seligman, the president of the American Psychological Association, noted psychology’s emphasis on the negative side of life, including depression and anxiety, while ignoring the positive, including happiness and well-being. His observation spurred new research and hundreds of articles on happiness.

One of the central topics addressed in these studies is this simple question: Can people become happier? The resounding answer is yes—to a degree. Researchers say there are limits on human happiness, some genetic and some relating to humanity’s general condition (which, from the Christian worldview, is caused by sin and the Curse).

Though in my books on happiness (including Does God Want Us to Be Happy?) I emphasize an understanding of happiness based on the Bible, theology, and church history, I’ve also read a dozen or so secular books on happiness. Many writers document remarkable discoveries about happiness that conform to biblical teachings—though few appear to realize the connection.

For instance, modern happiness studies demonstrate that wealth, success, power, and popularity are not indicators of happiness. People who choose gratitude and engage in respectful, others-centered relationships are happier than those who are self-focused and driven by feelings of entitlement. [1]

With their talk of being thankful, serving others, and giving generously of time and money—accompanied by the assurance that money, sex, and power won’t buy happiness— progressive secular psychologists sound remarkably like old-fashioned preachers!

Consider the results of a Duke University study that concluded happiness is fostered by eight factors:

Avoiding suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.
Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.
Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions that can’t be changed. People are happier when they cooperate with life instead of trying to run from it.
Staying involved with the living world. Happiness increases when people resist the temptation to become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.
Refusing to indulge in self-pity when handed a raw deal. It’s easier for people to achieve happiness when they accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.
Cultivating old-fashioned virtues—love, humor, compassion, and loyalty.
Not expecting too much of oneself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation and a person’s ability to meet the goals he or she has set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable.
Finding something bigger to believe in. Self-centered, egotistical people score lowest in any test for measuring happiness. [2]

While reading this study, I found myself often writing Bible verses in the margins, summarizing the findings: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), “[Forgive] each other . . . as the Lord has forgiven you” (Colossians 3:13).

Compare this list point by point to the study’s eight-part conclusion:

Jesus said this about not holding grudges: “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25).
The apostle Paul embraced not living in the past: “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Jesus instructed us not to worry about things we can’t change: “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. . . . Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:25, 27).
Solomon spoke of the importance of engaging in human relationships: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
Paul knew that contentment is the antidote to self-pity: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Philippians 4:11-12).
The list of virtues described by the secular psychologists looks very similar to this one: “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).
We’re reminded of our limitations and that we’re constantly in need of mercy and grace. God has willingly showered these gifts on us: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Jesus said we should focus on what’s bigger than ourselves: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Furthermore, we are better off with others-centered humility than self-centered arrogance: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3, NIV).

Secular studies, naturally, say nothing about our need to know and love the God of the Bible. Sonja Lyubomirsky may be the best-known happiness researcher in the world. She admits, “I don’t have a religious or spiritual bone in my body.” [3] But, she says, the studies clearly show that religious people are happier. Her advice? “If it seems natural for you to practice religion and spirituality, then by all means do it.” [4]

She’s speaking in the best interest of people’s happiness. But of course, the solution isn’t pretending to believe something if we don’t. Without a personal relationship with God, we won’t enjoy true peace and happiness.

A naturalistic worldview that embraces randomness, ultimate meaninglessness, and survival of the fittest doesn’t lend itself to happiness. People can borrow certain values from a Christian worldview, but without faith in Christ and the indwelling Spirit as an agent of change, they’re left without a solid foundation for happiness.

Psychologists and self-help books offer proven methods for increasing our subjective sense of happiness. However, this marginal contentment can numb people into complacency. A self-achieved, tolerable happiness can anesthetize us into becoming mere sin managers, distancing us from our desperate need for God. Even when this strategy appears sufficient for now, it can’t survive the Day of Judgment.

The question of how to reconcile evil people with a God who hates evil is the greatest problem of history. It calls for no less than the greatest solution ever devised—one so radical it appears foolish to the sophisticated—and that is the cross of Christ. “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Psychologist David Powlison said, “Don’t ever degenerate into giving good advice unconnected with the good news of Jesus crucified, alive, present, at work, and returning.” [5] Good advice is always better than bad advice. Yet those trapped in a burning building need more than advice—they need good news coupled with practical action. People who are Hell bound need someone who will brave the searing flames, rescue them from sin’s destruction, and bring everlasting happiness.

[1] Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want (New York: Penguin, 2008).

[2] “Peace of Mind,” Duke University sociological study, cited in Rudy A. Magnan, Reinventing American Education (Bloomington, IN: Xlibris Corporation, 2010), 23.

[3] Sonja Lyubomirsky, “Happiness and Religion, Happiness as Religion,” How of Happiness (blog), Psychology Today, June 25, 2008.

[4] Lyubomirsky, How of Happiness, 234.

[5] David Powlison, Seeing with New Eyes (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing, 2003), 43.

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Where Should We Look When Christian Leaders Fall?

I recently wrote about how “Famous Christians Are Losing Their Faith...and So Should You If Your Faith Is in Them.” The following article, by Nathan Tarr, is another reminder of the importance of not putting our ultimate trust in human leaders and of remembering that the gospel is all about Jesus. He’s the One we’re invited to come and see (John 1:46). He’s the only One who can save and transform us.

Thanks, Nathan, for this helpful article. —Randy Alcorn

The Scandal of His Confession: Where to Look When Christian Leaders Fall

by Nathan Tarr

In 1518, Huldrych Zwingli, on his way to becoming the Reformer of Switzerland, was invited to become the pastor of the Great Minster in Zurich. Zwingli’s appointment was delayed, however, after a rumor circulated that he had impregnated a young woman in his previous parish.

More than personal integrity was at stake in this accusation. If proven, Zwingli’s lack of chastity would be a propaganda coup for the Roman Church, who argued that the Protestant Reformation was less about doctrinal purity and more about priests throwing off the restraints of celibacy. Having been confirmed after an investigation, Zwingli began to preach the sermons that would awaken hearts to embrace the Reformation in Zurich.

True Confession

Some 300 years later, Johannes Schulthess (1758–1802), a renowned Zwingli scholar, was working in the archives of the Great Minster. Opening a volume, he discovered a letter written in Zwingli’s script. In the letter, Zwingli admitted to committing fornication, repented with godly sorrow, and committed himself to a chaste and holy life.

From his perspective as a researcher, this letter was the missing link explaining how Zwingli could be called as pastor in the face of such a serious allegation. Personally for Schulthess, however, it also was a black mark tarnishing the reputation of his hero, not to mention that it lent credence to a Roman criticism of the Reformation. Crucially, it was as yet unknown to anyone outside of that dusty archive.

As the significance of the letter sank in, Schulthess walked over and placed the letter in the candle burning on the worktable. He would erase this moral failure from the pages of history.

Cord Between Character and Creed

Many of us can sympathize with this decision. We intuit the link between Christian belief and the behavior of those who proclaim it. And there is scriptural warrant for this connection. Paul tells Titus that “knowledge of the truth” is meant to “accord with godliness” (Titus 1:1). There is meant to be a cord — a connection — between saving faith in Christ and our increasingly living like Christ. Genuine Christian faith doesn’t just change what we know; it changes who we are.

This link is designed to serve the good advance of the gospel. Scripture shows Christian character being used by God to commend Christian truth. For example, Peter gives believing wives the hope of winning their husbands to their Lord by their own exemplary conduct (1 Peter 3:1–2). Paul makes character central to the selection of church leaders because “those who serve well . . . gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” from those who watch their lives and ministry (1 Timothy 3:13).

In exhorting Titus, Paul reminds him that part of a pastor’s role is to be “a model of good works” (Titus 2:7) so that he might not only “teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1), but also “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:10). In this way, a Christian’s character clothes Christian truth to appear as rich and real as it truly is.

In fact, one of the strategies Paul commends to Timothy when the young man’s faith is buffeted is to recall the character of those who taught him:

As for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14–15)

Because God has designed living faith to produce a changed life, a winsome life witnesses to the truth and beauty of the faith.

Disorienting Damage of a Disconnect

This living connection between creed (what we believe) and character (the way we behave) is designed to bring life — to adorn the doctrine and commend the truth. But when it becomes disordered, like blood flowing backwards through the umbilical cord, it can damage those connected to our lives. A lack of holiness in the lives of parents, or pastors, or friends who taught us the gospel can introduce offense toward the Jesus they have preached.

This sense of disorientation increases exponentially when they serve in a position of spiritual authority. This is one of the reasons Paul commands Timothy to guard not only his doctrine but also his manner of life. In fact, it is by so doing — guarding his creed and his character — that he will “save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16).

Johannes Schulthess grasped this connection holding Zwingli’s letter in his hand — the euphoria of discovery plunging into the bitterness of disappointment as he read the contents of his hero’s confession. His move to burn the letter was motivated, perhaps, by a desire to spare others the same disillusionment and disappointment. Perhaps it arose from the awareness of the high historical stakes. As a pastor, as a Reformer, surely it would be better if the many who had learned from Zwingli and embraced his teaching remained unaware of his failure. This is a common response. But it is an unbiblical one. And Schulthess himself came to see it.

‘Truth in All Circumstances’

After about a quarter of the letter was burned, Schulthess took it out of the candle and extinguished the fire. He turned to his assistant, who was with him in the archive, and said, “No. Protestantism is the truth in all circumstances.” And he went and filed the letter with the archive.

This is a powerfully theological response, and one we can learn from in our day of disappointments. The center and hope of Protestantism — the faith that rests on Christ alone, known in Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone — is no mere man, or institution, or tradition. The center and hope of Protestantism, therefore, will hold because of who God is and what God has done in Jesus Christ. And therefore we who are saved by grace alone through faith alone in the perfect man, Jesus Christ, do not need to be afraid when men and institutions and traditions fail.

Protestant Christianity is the truth in all circumstances because the truth — even the truth that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God — always and only serves to exalt the God of our very great salvation. Even as that truth, the glory of his gospel, is held “in jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Has God designed Christian character to commend Christian truth? Yes. This is true even though this coin has a second side — a failure of character can cause many to question the faith.

And yet, the foundation of Christ’s church does not rest on the strength of man’s witness. Instead, it rests on the unchanging, unfailing person and work of Christ. This is why surrounding the call in Hebrews to remember those who spoke to us the word of God — especially to “consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” — comes the call to “consider Jesus” who is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 12:3; 13:7–8). Protestantism is the truth in all circumstances because Jesus Christ is the same in all circumstances. He is ever and always true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of our praise (Philippians 4:8).

So, by God’s grace, let our knowledge of the truth accord with godliness. When we fail — and when our heroes of the faith fail — instead of giving in to fear and offense, let us look to Christ, who is greater than all our sin.

This article originally appeared on Desiring God and is used with permission of the author.

Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash

How Do We Balance What Scripture Says About Saving with the Biblical Commands to Give Generously?

There are two sides to the issue of savings. On the one hand, Scripture tells us that the wise man anticipates future needs, while the foolish man spends and consumes all his resources with no thought for the future: “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” (Proverbs 21:20). Even ants store up provisions for the coming winter (Proverbs 6:6-8).

It’s a shortsighted person who fails to store up provisions (money, food, or materials) for upcoming times of predictable need. If you are planning to retire and have no other means of income, then it would be wise to make some plans for how and where you will live after retirement.

On the other hand, Jesus commended the poor widow of Mark 12:41-44 because she did something most of us would consider foolish. She gave her last two pennies to God, having no idea where tomorrow’s provision would come from, except that it would come from her Lord. In 2 Corinthians 8:3-15, the Macedonian Christians gave “beyond their means” to the point of leaving themselves impoverished, and Paul commends them for it.

Jesus commanded us not to seek first material wealth, but God’s Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:24, 33). Speaking through Paul, God says, “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, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19, NIV). (I explore this passage, and the commands in it, in depth in my book Giving Is the Good Life.)

Saving Is No Substitute for Giving

For many people, their primary form of savings involves preparing for retirement. But when it comes to the “retirement dream,” we must ask ourselves, Whose dream is it? Is it God’s dream or the American dream? Consider one man’s plans for retirement: “I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink and be merry’” (Luke 12:18-19).

We aren’t told that this man was dishonest or irreligious. His plans make sense by our standards. But in the verses that follow God calls this man a fool. He tells him his life is over and asks, “Who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” Jesus promises, “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21) .

The distinction between financial responsibility and financial foolishness is this: Saving becomes hoarding when it is exercising our own sovereignty and financial independence so that God doesn’t have to come through for us.

James condemned the spirit of selfish stockpiling and indifference to a suffering world that had spread into the early church (James 5:1-5). And in Exodus 16 there is a graphic lesson against hoarding. We must beware of any savings or retirement or insurance plan that becomes a God-substitute.

Saving can be wise, but it is never a substitute for giving. If ever we don’t feel we can save and give, by all means we should give. Some people in Scripture are rebuked for saving too much, but no one is ever rebuked for giving too much. Giving is at the heart of a walk with God.

Generous Giving Is Responsible

In the truest sense, generous giving is not just compassionate; it is also responsible. By giving we prepare for our eternal future, because we lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-24). Laying up treasures on earth is ultimately irresponsible. Why? Because it’s investing in something worthless, that will be annihilated in the coming holocaust of things (2 Peter 3:10-11).

Now, something can be said for being more thrifty, and reducing lifestyle expenses in order to provide savings for retirement. This is probably wise. I believe that having less because you give is different than having less because you spend.

We know a missionary family who took their retirement savings and poured everything back into the mission. I suggest that God looks very differently at these people than at the Christian who spends his money on short-term indulgences with no thought of saving for upcoming needs or providing for his family’s future. To those who seek first His kingdom, and to those who sacrificially give of their assets to His kingdom, His promise is one of material provision (Matthew 6:32-33; Philippians 4:19).

I suggest looking for ways to save without reducing giving. To that end, there are some practical questions to ask ourselves: Can we presently reduce some expenses that would allow us to continue to give generously and save money? Can we liquidate certain assets? Can we sell our home and buy or rent a smaller one? Or buy a comparable home in another area where it is cheaper to live? Is it necessary for us to maintain our present standard of living?

The old saying goes, “You can’t take it with you.” But when Jesus spoke of laying up treasures in Heaven He added a corollary: “You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.”

Instead of spending our lives backing into eternity and clinging to our earthly treasures, we can turn around, walk forward and lay up our treasures in our eternal home. Then, instead of moving away from our treasures we’ll spend our lives moving toward them.

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

Wouldn’t it be great if we could do what pleases God, helps others, and is best for us―at the same time? Can we live the good life without being selfish?

In Giving Is the Good Life, bestselling author Randy Alcorn teaches life-changing biblical principles of generosity and tells stories of people who have put those radical principles into practice. Each story is a practical application that can help stimulate your imagination and expand your dreams of serving Jesus in fresh ways. These real-life models give you not just words to remember but footprints to follow.

Giving Is the Good Life reveals a grander view of God and generosity―one that stretches far beyond our imagination and teaches us what the good life is really all about.

And coming soon: Are You Living the Good Life? (booklet)

Photo by Sabine Peters on Unsplash

Suffering’s Limits

For men are not cast off
by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to the children of men.

To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
to deny a man his rights
before the Most High,
to deprive a man of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?

Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
Why should any living man complain
when punished for his sins?

Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the Lord.
—Lamentations 3:31–40

In this single passage, only verses apart, we’re told God doesn’t willingly bring affliction or grief, and we’re told that both calamities and good things come from God. What can this mean?

Even though the statements seem contradictory, they are not. While God finds no pleasure in sending affliction or grief to us and He empathizes with our suffering, He can and does accomplish good purposes in our lives through them.

One reason the problem of evil and suffering can seem so acute to us is the cumulative weight we feel from media oversaturation. At most, people used to bear the sufferings of their own families, communities, or nations. Now, through instant access to global events, we witness the sufferings of an entire world. While a tiny percentage of the world’s inhabitants face a given crisis, the images each day of one disaster after another make it feel far more universal. This oversaturation desensitizes some to suffering while overwhelming others.

Despite the horror of disasters, we must understand that suffering does not have a cumulative nature. The terrible suffering of six million people may seem six million times worse than the suffering of one. But no one, except God, can experience the suffering of six million people. All of us remain limited to our own suffering. While our suffering may include an emotional burden for others who suffer, it cannot grow larger than we are. The limits of our finite beings dictate the limits of our suffering.

C. S. Lewis concluded, “There is no such thing as a sum of suffering, for no one suffers it. When we have reached the maximum that a single person can suffer, we have, no doubt, reached something very horrible, but we have reached all the suffering there ever can be in the universe. The addition of a million fellow-sufferers adds no more pain" (The Problem of Pain).

Consider that while our suffering can rise only to the level we individually can suffer, Jesus suffered for all of us. All the evils and suffering that we tell Him He never should have permitted, He willingly inflicted upon Himself, for us.

Think about that long and hard, and let it pierce your heart with wonder and praise.

Lord, if we understood the extent of your empathy for us and the extent of your suffering to make us your children, we would surely be embarrassed to express our displeasure with you when your plans turn out to be radically different from ours. While we tend to live for the pursuit of our happiness, you are committed to the pursuit of our holiness. Teach us that when we pursue only happiness we will lose it along with holiness, but when we find holiness, including the holiness that can come to us through difficulties, we will find the happiness of Heaven.

This blog is excerpted from Randy's devotional 90 Days of God's Goodness. Right now, you can purchase 90 Days of God’s Goodness in softcover from EPM for $6.99 (53% off $14.99 retail), plus S&H.
 
Offer ends Thursday, September 19 at 12:00 pm PT (noon)
 
“This book is truly inspiring! Help for those going through deep water or who want to encourage others who are.” —Reviewer on Amazon

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Bruce Ware on Is Jesus the Only Savior, and Is Faith in Christ Necessary to Be Saved?

My friend Bruce Ware is an accomplished theologian and a professor of Christian Theology at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Here he answers some vital questions about whether Christ, and faith in Him, really is the only way to be saved.  —Randy Alcorn

Two Questions, Three Positions

Three positions abound today on the question of whether Christ is the only way to salvation. All three can be detected by how each answers these two fundamental questions: First, Is Jesus the only Savior? More fully: Is the sinless life of Christ and his atoning death and resurrection the only means by which the penalty of sin is paid and the power of sin defeated? Second, Is faith in Christ necessary to be saved? More fully: Is conscious knowledge of Christ's death and resurrection for sin and explicit faith in Christ necessary for anyone to become a recipient of the benefits of Christ's atoning work and so be saved?

Pluralism answers both questions, ‘No.’ The pluralist (e.g., John Hick) believes that there are many paths to God, Jesus being only one of them. Since salvation can come through other religions and religious leaders, it surely follows that people do not have to believe in Christ to be saved.

Inclusivism answers the first question, ‘Yes,' and the second question, ‘No.' To the inclusivist (e.g., Clark Pinnock), although Jesus has accomplished the work necessary to bring us back to God, nonetheless, people can be saved by responding positively to God's revelation in creation and perhaps in aspects of their own religions. So, even though Christ is the only Savior, people do not have to know about or believe in Christ to be saved.

Exclusivism answers both questions, ‘Yes.’ The exclusivist (e.g., Ron Nash, John Piper, Bruce Ware) believes that Scripture affirms both truths, first, that Jesus alone has accomplished the atoning work necessary to save sinners, and second, that knowledge of and faith in Christ is necessary for anyone to be saved. The remainder of this article offers a brief summary of some of the main support for these two claims.

Jesus Is the Only Savior

Why think that Jesus is the only Savior? Of all the people who have lived and ever will live, Jesus alone qualifies, in his person and work, as the only one capable of accomplishing atonement for the sin of the world. Consider the following ways in which Jesus alone qualifies as the exclusive Savior.

1. Christ alone was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:26), and as such, he alone qualifies to be Savior. Why does this matter? Only as the Holy Spirit takes the place of the human father in Jesus' conception can it be true that the one conceived is both fully God and fully man. Christ must be both God and man to atone for sin (see below), but for this to occur, he must be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a human virgin. No one else in the history of the world is conceived by the Spirit and born of a virgin mother. Therefore, Jesus alone qualifies to be Savior.

2. Christ alone is God incarnate (John 1:1; Hebrews 1:1; Philippians 2:5; 1 Timothy 2:5), and as such, he alone qualifies to be Savior. As Anselm argued in the 11th century, our Savior must be fully man in order to take the place of men and die in their stead, and he must be fully God in order for the value of his sacrificial payment to satisfy the demands of our infinitely holy God. Man he must be, but a mere man simply could not make this infinite payment for sin. But no one else in the history of the world is both fully God and fully man. Therefore, Jesus alone qualifies to be Savior.

3. Christ alone lived a sinless life (2 Corinthians 2:21; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 7:23; Hebrews 9:13; 1 Peter 2:21), and as such, he alone qualifies to be Savior. As Leviticus makes clear, animals offered as sacrifices for sin must be without blemish. This prefigured the sacrifice of Christ who, as sinless, was able to die for the sins of others and not for himself. But no one else in the history of the world has lived a totally sinless life. Therefore, Jesus alone qualifies to be Savior.

4. Christ alone died a penal, substitutionary death (Isaiah 53:4; Romans 3:21; 2 Corinthians 2:21; Galatians 3:10), and as such, he alone qualifies to be Savior. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). And because Christ lived a sinless life, he did not deserve to die. Rather, the cause of his death was owing to the fact that the Father imputed to him our sin. The death that he died was in our place. No one else in the history of the world has died because he bore the sin of others and not as the judgment for his own sin. Therefore, Jesus alone qualifies to be Savior.

5. Christ alone rose from the dead triumphant over sin (Acts 2:22; Romans 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 1 Corinthians 15:16), and as such, he alone qualifies to be Savior. The Bible indicates that a few people, other than Christ, have been raised from the dead (1 Kings 17:17; John 11:38), but only Christ has been raised from the dead never to die again, having triumphed over sin. The wages of sin is death, and the greatest power of sin is death. So, Christ's resurrection from the dead demonstrates that his atoning death for sin accomplished both the full payment of sin's penalty and full victory over sin's greatest power. No one else in the history of the world has been raised from the dead triumphant over sin. Therefore, Jesus alone qualifies to be Savior.

Conclusion: Christ alone qualifies as Savior, and Christ alone is Savior. Jesus’ own words could not be clearer: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). And the Apostle Peter confirms, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). These claims are true of no one else in the history of the world. Indeed, Jesus alone is Savior.

Faith in Christ Is Necessary to Be Saved

Why think that faith in Christ is necessary to be saved? The teaching of the apostles is clear, that the content of the gospel now (since the coming of Christ) focuses directly upon the atoning death and resurrection of Christ, and that by faith in Christ one is forgiven of his sin and granted eternal life. Consider the following passages that support the conviction that people are saved only as they know and trust in Christ as their Savior.

1. Jesus' own teaching shows that the nations need to hear and repent to be saved (Luke 24:44). Jesus commands that “repentance and forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). The people Jesus here describes are currently both unrepentant and unforgiven. To be forgiven they must repent.  But to repent they must hear the proclamation of Christ’s work in his name. And this is true for all the nations, including Jews who haven't trusted Christ. Jesus does not envision the “nations” as already having saving revelation available to them. Rather, believers must proclaim the message of Christ to all the nations for people in those nations to be saved.

2. Paul teaches that even pious Jews, and everyone else, must hear and believe in Christ to be saved (Romans 10:1).  Paul's heart's desire and prayer is for the salvation of his fellow Jews. Even though they have a zeal for God, they do not know that God's righteousness comes only through faith in Christ. So these Jews, even though pious, are not saved. Whoever will call upon the name of Christ (see Romans 10:9 along with Romans 10:13) will be saved. But this requires that someone tell them. And this requires that those are sent. Missions, then, is necessary, since people must hear the gospel of Christ to be saved.

3. Cornelius's story demonstrates that even pious Gentiles must hear and believe in Christ to be saved (Acts 10:1, Acts 10:38; Acts 11:13; Acts 15:7). Far from being saved before Peter came to him, as some think, Cornelius was a pious (Acts 10:2) Gentile who needed to hear of Christ, and believe in Christ, to be saved. When Peter reports about the conversion of the Gentiles, he declares that only when he preached did Cornelius hear the message he needed to hear by which he would “be saved” (Acts 11:14; cf. Acts 15:8). Despite his piety, Cornelius needed to hear the proclamation of the gospel of Christ to be saved.

Conclusion: Jesus is the only Savior, and people must know and believe in Christ to be saved. May we honor Christ and the gospel, and manifest our faithfulness to God’s word, by upholding these twin truths and living in a manner that demonstrates our commitment to them.   

This article originally appeared on Christianity.com and is used with permission of the author.

Photo by Ben White on Christianpics.co

God’s Sovereignty Means Our Giving Isn’t Random

The following is an excerpt from my new book Giving Is the Good Life. I hope it encourages you to look today for God-given opportunities to experience the adventure of giving!

The popular expression “random acts of kindness” is catchy and good hearted, but as believers in a sovereign God, we should see how He orchestrates our lives, including the people we know and the needs He brings across our path.

Cathy Osbun, a friend of EPM (our ministry), told me she knew someone whose husband was going to college, so grocery money was tight. She said, “The Holy Spirit prompted me to gather up some food, including the ham I’d just bought with my $300 monthly grocery budget. I struggled with that ham, thinking we’d have no more grocery money for the month. Thankfully the Holy Spirit won. I had my sister quietly place the bags of groceries on my friend’s porch.”

While Cathy didn’t expect it, what happened next seemed like God’s way of showing His approval. “I shopped at a grocery store that drew a signed receipt weekly for that amount in free groceries. The next week my receipt for over $300 was drawn. As far as I know, my friend never knew who provided the groceries, but God sure did.”

I believe that while it’s wise to do most of our major giving in a thoughtful, planned way, there’s certainly a place for spontaneous giving. But even unanticipated giving is not ultimately random. If you believe in a sovereign God, then being somewhere at a certain time and place when a particular person is also there is not random, but providentially orchestrated by God.

Acts 17:26 says, “From one human being he created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live” (GNT). Since God fixes the exact times and limits of where people live, doesn’t this suggest He also fixes the times and places we will be on any particular day? Sure, people have free will, but that doesn’t mean God can’t take into account your free will and mine (and everyone else’s), so He can schedule us for divine appointments with people at certain times and places.

The next verse tells us the beautiful purpose God has for fixing our exact times and places: “He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27, GNT, emphasis added). Part of our role in divine appointments is helping people look for and find the grace of Jesus. Perhaps having His followers everywhere is part of the way God is not far even from unbelievers. He touches others through us.

Too many of us are bored with our Christian lives, and the reason for that is largely because we don’t see life in terms of the daily opportunities for adventure granted us by our sovereign God.

One afternoon, I bought a stranger lunch at a pizza place (I left my credit card with the cashier while I ate, and told her to use it for whoever came in next). As I saw the stranger smile, this thought came to me: God had me here today, not for a random act of kindness, but to fulfill his ancient plan and purpose. He prepared in advance for me to buy lunch for this man at this place and time.

I couldn’t have put that particular man on my schedule. What I can put on my schedule is a giving adventure—a day of giving, where I don’t buy anything for myself without giving something to someone else.

After spending two bucks at a dollar store on work gloves and a pair of giant plastic spiders to scare my grandsons (both purchases proved to be good investments), I kept my eyes open for a giving opportunity. Leaving the store, I saw an energetic and raggedly dressed little boy peering into every window. From the look on his face and the way he ran ahead of his mom and grabbed the door, he thought he’d arrived in paradise.

I approached the young mom with three dollar bills and asked if she would buy some things for her son. She looked at me, incredulous. “Are you sure?” Smiling broadly, she walked in to share the good news with him.

I didn’t have one of my booklets, and I didn’t have the opportunity to tell her I’m a Christ-follower. But I didn’t waste money that day. Jesus was behind the whole thing. I prayed he would use this tiny event somehow in their lives.

Jesus said that where your treasure goes, your heart will follow. Three dollars isn’t much of a treasure, but I can still picture that woman and her son, and even as I write this, I’m praying for them again.

That’s what giving does—it takes us on an adventure and ties our hearts to people we otherwise would never have noticed or connected with. And some of them we will see again on a redeemed Earth filled with endless adventures.

Photo by Javier Molina on Unsplash

God’s Truth Is at the Heart of the Spiritual Life

A common Old Testament word expressing truth, emeth, speaks of a dependable reality that’s solid and binding. Truth is the bedrock of human relationships (Exodus 20:16), involving an integrity of thoughts, speech, or actions.

Over half the New Testament uses of truth, the Greek word aletheia, are in John’s Gospel. Truth is reality. What seems to be and what really is are often not the same. As I develop in my novel Deception, “Things are not as they appear.” To know the truth is to see accurately.

God has written his truth on human hearts, in the conscience (Romans 2:15). If truth is spoken graciously, many are drawn to it, instinctively knowing it will fill the moral vacuum they feel. Every heart longs for truth—even the heart that rejects it.

As followers of Christ, we’re to walk in the truth (3 John 3), love the truth, and believe the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). We’re to speak the truth, in contrast to “the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14). We’re to be “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

Truth is far more than a moral guide, it’s inseparable from God’s own person. Jesus declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He didn’t say He would show the truth or teach the truth or model the truth. He is the truth. Truth personified.

That Jesus is the God-man, the second member of the Trinity come in human flesh, is central to our faith. To deny this is to be a “liar” (1 John 2:22). If we get it wrong about Christ, it doesn’t matter what else we get right.

The Holy Spirit leads people into truth (John 16:13). We’re commanded to know the truth (1 Timothy 4:3), handle the truth accurately (2 Timothy 2:15), and avoid doctrinal untruths (2Timothy 2:18). Christ’s disciples do the truth (John 3:21) and abide in the truth (John 8:31-32). The “belt of truth” holds together our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:14). God “does not lie” (Titus 1:2). He is “the God of truth” (Isaiah 65:16 ESV). “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).

Christ, as the Living Word of God, is inseparable from truth. He not only is the Truth, He is the source of all truth, the embodiment of truth, and therefore the reference point for evaluating all truth-claims.

Those in countries where democratic ideals are embraced might have the illusion they should have a voice when it comes to truth. But the universe is not a democracy.

Truth is not a ballot measure. God does not consult us to determine right and wrong. It’s we who must go to revealed Scripture to find out what we should believe. Our culture appeals to whatever now is; God appeals to His intentions and design, to what ought to be.

When we wonder what’s right, we’re to turn to God’s Word: “For the word of the Lord is right and true” (Psalm 33:4). As Psalm 119 depicts in every one of its 176 verses, God’s truth is at the heart of the spiritual life.

Truth: A Bigger View of God's Word

Author Randy Alcorn shares 200 daily meditations with Scripture readings and inspirational quotes to help you grasp the wisdom and love found in the eternal Word of God. 

Right now, purchase one copy of Randy Alcorn’s Truth devotional from EPM for $5 (67% off retail $14.99) and get a second copy of the Truth book FREE! No code necessary. No limit to number ordered. Your free book will be automatically added to your cart. Offer ends Thursday, September 12 at 12 pm PT (noon).

"Truth is a daily jolt of reality for the day! I gave a copy to my agnostic friend with a challenge to him to read just one page and then ask himself if that is how he views truth. This book makes a great gift, and the daily layout is excellent in its inclusion of Scripture." —Reader review

Photo by Ben White on Christianpics.co