Steven Colborne's Blog, page 98

The Lighthouse

Did you know that Elvis Presley used to sing a lot of Christian / Gospel songs? Today I would like to share with you one of my favourites. But this version doesn’t feature Elvis, but a band of Elvis’s contemporaries called J. D. Sumner and The Stamps Quartet. The lyrics are really moving and I’ve pasted them below. Underneath the lyrics I have embedded a video of the song. I hope it blesses you:

There’s a lighthouse on a hillside

That overlooks life’s seas

When my soul is tossed about

It sends out a light

That I might clearly see

And the light that shines in darkness

Will safely lead me home

If it wasn’t for the lighthouse

This ship, it would sail no more

Now everybody that lives about us

Says tear the lighthouse down

Cause the big ships don’t sail this way anymore

There’s no use in it hanging around

But my mind goes back to one stormy night

When just in time I saw the light

It was the light from that old lighthouse

Way up high on the hill

I thank God for the lighthouse

I owe my life to Him

Jesus is the lighthouse

And from the rocks of sin

He has shone a light around me

That I might clearly see

If it wasn’t for the lighthouse

Where would this ship be?

 

 

If you’d like to learn more about J.D. Sumner, here’s a link to the relevant Wikipedia page.

What are your favourite Gospel / spiritual songs? Feel free to share in the comments!

He’s Just a Prayer Away

If you’ve never been to Westminster Cathedral in London, I would highly recommend a visit. It’s a beautiful building, filled with the presence of God. And it’s very peaceful, so a great place to pray.

Last year I visited the cathedral with a friend, who went into the cathedral shop and bought me a small gift. The gift was a little card with a poem on it. It’s a simple and beautiful poem, and today I’d like to share it with you for your encouragement.

Here’s the poem:

No matter what your troubles are

no difference large or small

each upset that may come your way

each time you slightly fall

The smallest fear you’ve ever had

is always known by God

each step you’ve walked he’s counted

on every road you’ve trod

So never feel that you’re alone

when shadows cloud your day

but speak His name and you will see

He’s just a prayer away.

Isn’t that beautiful? I’m always on the lookout for inspiring poetry about God, so if you know of any inspiring Christian poems please leave them (or a link to them) in the comments below. Thanks for reading and may God bless you.

Understanding the Devil

Today I was reading from the book of Matthew and I came across a passage that has influenced my understanding of what exactly the devil is. I have had problems understanding the devil as a being in competition with God, because I believe God has all power in existence (and therefore, how could a being like the devil exist in opposition to Him?).

The passage that inspired me was Matthew 16:21-23 which says this:

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

When he rebukes Peter, it is clear to me that Jesus doesn’t consider him to literally be Satan (after all, he is one of Jesus’ chosen disciples), but instead he is speaking about Satan in a metaphorical way. The devil in this instance is a spirit of distrust and a lack of faith.

We all experience distrust, but does this mean we have Satan inside of us too? I would argue that this is only the case if we understand Satan to be a certain spirit or attitude, rather than that fallen angel with the red horns as he is often depicted.

It is also true that in the Bible people are given demonic possession by God in order that He might be glorified through their healing by Jesus. Again, the devils in question aren’t horned beasts or fiery dragons, but are spirits that come from God to serve a specific purpose. There is a theme in the New Testament that God gives people ailments in order that He might be glorified by Jesus’ miraculous healing ministry. See, for example, John 9:2-3:

His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

So again here we see that the ailments of the sick are given to them by God (and I believe we can include demonic possession) according to His higher purposes. When viewed in this light, I find it much easier to accept Biblical references to the devil or Satan, as He is not some kind of great dragon that is literally fighting with God, but is a spirit under God’s control.

Feel free to join the debate: Who or what exactly do you believe the devil is?

My Baptism Today

This morning I awoke to clear blue sky – it was a truly beautiful sight. I knew that today was the day I would be sealing my discipleship of Jesus Christ, and having my sins symbolically washed clean via the sacrament of baptism. I was of course nervous, but engulfing that anxiety was a sense of peace and a trust in God.

When I got to the church, my father was waiting on the steps by the entrance. We embraced and he told me he had had an amazingly smooth journey to London. Praise God! Looking up to the sunshiny sky we shared that famous scripture together: “This is the day that the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24).

My father was baptised as a child. My mother, who passed away in 2003, was an atheist. My parents made the decision that they wouldn’t baptise my sister and I as children; they would let us grow up and decide for ourselves whether or not to become Christians. I respect that decision that my parents made.

The church service today was so wonderful. The worship songs were glorious, the sermon was inspiring, my baptism was beautiful, and the Holy Communion was such a blessing. The scripture that was the focus of the service was this: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for anyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16).

I have a long way to go on my journey to understand the Word of God and to live in the way that Jesus instructed. But I trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to guide me day by day, and little by little, to reveal God’s truth to me. I am anticipating that I may have struggles at times, but my prayer is that I will not stray from Biblical teaching and will continue to be inspired by the Gospel.

Just before my baptism, I read out a prayer to the church that I wrote when I woke up this morning. I would like to share it with you, in the hope that it encourages you and blesses you:

Today, Almighty Father, I give you thanks.

Thank you for the gospel, Lord, which is salvation unto all who believe.

Thank you Lord for restoring my faith in your beloved Son, in whom you are well pleased.

Thank you Lord, that though I am a wretched sinner, your wrath does not burn against me, but instead Lord you have made a way to salvation by the blood of the lamb.

Today Lord I beg you for mercy and ask that you would cleanse me of my sins in the blessed name of Jesus.

Please bless this church Lord and all who are gathered here today in your name.

We love you, Heavenly Father, and may all honour and glory be yours forever and ever.

Amen.

This is just a short blog post, but in truth, I could write a book about today. So many happy memories to cherish for the rest of my life. In fact, I think this was the best day of my life. Glory to God in Highest Heaven! Thank you for reading, and feel free to leave a comment below.

Why I am getting baptised

Friends, it may come as a surprise to you that I am going to get baptised. I say this because if you have read some of my blog posts, you will see that I have had a lot of intellectual problems with Christianity over the last few years.

Even through my struggles with Christianity, I have always believed in God. I have been going to Westminster Cathedral once or twice a week to pray for several years, but I haven’t felt comfortable attending Mass because there were aspects of the liturgy that I found puzzling and nonsensical. For instance, I had problems with the idea of original sin and I couldn’t believe that we have free will. I should add that this never stopped me having a deep awe for God and for Jesus. But I didn’t feel I could become a committed Christian.

When I was living in Wandsworth Town last year, there was a small group of Christians from a local church who used to congregate by the shopping centre every week on a Saturday for ‘outreach’. They would sing songs about Jesus and hand out leaflets encouraging people to explore the Christian faith. I used to chat with them, buy them the occasional coffee, and share with them the struggles that I was having with Christianity. And I asked them to pray for me.

I know that other friends and family have been praying for me too. I have been to several churches in the past and met some wonderful friends who have kept me in their prayers even while I was blogging about why I couldn’t bring myself to commit to Christianity. Despite all these prayers, I began to think of myself as a ‘post-Christian’ thinker, and had an ongoing struggle in my spirit regarding the role of Jesus in my life.

In recent weeks I have been reading the Bible every day, and watching sermons by amazing Christian speakers like Nicky Gumbel and Bishop T.D. Jakes online. All the while I felt the strong pull of faith, but also the intellectual resistance to some of what these preachers were saying. I was beginning to think I would have to live with this struggle for the rest of my life.

But something amazing happened on the 27th August. I had been reading the Bible and was sitting quietly in bed ready to switch off the light and go to sleep. I was suddenly overtaken by a strong conviction and these words sprang into my mind: ‘You are going to get baptised’. I felt shock, but it was also an amazing feeling and I knew these words were coming from God. Before I could recover, another conviction came to my mind: ‘You are then going to take Holy Communion’. I was overcome with a feeling of great peace and joy. I stayed awake all night in excitement and prayer, and I felt overjoyed by these revelations.

Since that night the conviction that I am going to get baptised and take Holy Communion hasn’t left me. In fact, God has been setting the wheels in motion and all the preparations for my baptism are in place. I am getting baptised this Sunday, 6th September, in the baptist church from where the outreach team that I met outside the shopping centre came.

Despite all of my struggles with Christianity, I know that Jesus shed his blood for me, and for all of us. I know that the crucifixion was an atoning sacrifice and a declaration of God’s love and forgiveness for humanity. I know from my Bible studies that there is so much more to existence than this short earthly life, and it’s important to live with eternity in mind.

I believe baptism is a sacrament from God, allowing people to be cleansed of their sins and to share in the death and resurrection of Jesus. I’m aware that baptism marks a commitment to the Christian faith, and I feel that I am being called to put aside my intellectual difficulties with Christianity and step into a new phase of my life living by faith in Jesus.

If you are a believer, please pray for me that my faith remains strong and my baptism goes well on Sunday. I’m very grateful to you for reading and feel free to leave a comment below.

The Devil Doesn’t Exist

The Bible is full of references to the devil (also called Satan, Beelzebul, the enemy, the evil one, etc). It would be fair to say that the existence of this being is central to the Christian faith. We learn from the gospels that Jesus, when carrying out His ministry and His miracles, was often casting out demons and rebuking the devil.

But who or what exactly is the devil? There are plenty of scriptures that mention the devil in many different contexts. In one scripture he is referred to as a “great dragon” and an “ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9). Elsewhere he is described as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:32). In another scripture the devil is described as the “son of Dawn” who has “fallen from heaven” (Isaiah 14:12).

The impression that one gets when reading the scriptures that mention the devil is that he is in opposition to God, and does not serve God. Instead, he is the lord of temptation and betrayal. He tempts Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-2), and betrays Jesus through the actions of Judas Iscariot (John 13:2). The devil seems to be responsible for all evil in all our lives.

But let us consider whether it is really possible for any being to exist in opposition to God. I believe that God created this universe and everything in it. Theologians will tell you about the attributes of God which are omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. In other words, God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere. If this is true, it means that everything that happens, and everything that has ever happened, is and always has been under the direct control of God.

In this context, is a rebellion against God by the devil really possible? If God is omnipresent, that means that nothing else exists apart from God. The whole of existence is part of God, and God is in control of everything. One would have to conclude that either the devil doesn’t exist, or he exists but is under God’s control. But why would God create and control a being whose purpose is death, destruction, and torment?

Some Christians might respond that the devil fell from grace and acts of his own free will, as do his earthly followers. But this argument fails. It fails because, as we have said, omnipresence is part of God’s nature. If this is true, there can be no free will. All of existence is created and sustained by God. He is all-powerful and in control of everything that happens.

I believe, therefore, that it is wise to see sin and shame and death and destruction as under the direct control of God. After all, isn’t that why we pray to Him? Isn’t that why we reach out to Him? Don’t we know, deep in our hearts, that God has all power, is in control, and is the solution to every problem?

Perhaps God has created an evil spiritual being, a devil, in opposition to Himself as part of the game of life. Perhaps the devil is part of a grand scheme to make existence more interesting for God. But if this is the case, I would still have to conclude that the devil doesn’t really exist because he is a part of God and is under God’s control. There is no escaping the Ultimate Truth which is that as an independent being with free will the devil doesn’t really exist.

What is the meaning of life?

I have been an atheist, a new age spiritualist and a Christian, and I’ve been drawn to different teachings and philosophies from around the world at different times in my life. I spent a good deal of my adult life searching painfully and desperately for truth.

My life has taken on a different meaning since I became aware that there really is a God. When God reveals himself to you, it changes everything. It is both wonderful and frightening. The God that I now know is all-powerful and has created our universe and everything in it. God is in control of the perfect chaos of existence on Earth and throughout the universe. All of the good, and all of the bad, is the result of God acting in creation.

When I was a Christian, my life was filled with purpose. I was on a mission to discover more about Jesus by studying the Bible and I was very evangelical. Bringing people into the Christian faith was my ambition and this gave my life so much meaning. I thought that I would be a Christian for the rest of my life.

But things changed when I began to think in depth about some of the key teachings of Christianity. These teachings conflicted with my knowledge about God in a way that made me feel deeply uncomfortable. For instance, I know that a part of God’s nature is that he is omnipresent (everywhere) and therefore all is God. There cannot be free will – all will is God’s will.

If all will is God’s will then it is not coherent to talk of sin, or the fall of man, or punishment in hell, or the devil.  Knowing that there is no free will means I can no longer call myself a Christian. I now know that the whole of existence is contained within God, and wherever there is action in existence God is the animating force.

The meaning of life, I have come to understand, is that we are all part of a cosmic game with God in control. God needs to stay entertained and occupied for all eternity, so he has created this complex universe in order to express many different aspects of himself and of reality.

In this short article, I have merely scratched the surface. For a deeper insight into my life and philosophy feel free to visit my website, www.stevencolborne.com, where you can also find out more about my books. Alternatively, you might wish to explore some of the many articles that are relevant to this discussion on this blog.

What are your views about the meaning of life? Leave a comment below!

A Prayer of Thanks

Today, Almighty Father, I give you thanks.

When I was an unbeliever,

you were shaping and moulding my character;

working out a plan for my life with great care and intricacy.

You sent teachers to help me through struggles

and to develop my curious mind.

Lord, I was lost in a wilderness for so many years,

and you used my trials to bring me closer to you.

I now know that you were holding me and protecting me in my darkest moments.

Your light was there, out of sight, but you were watching over me.

You gave me a taste of depression and despair,

of pain and suffering,

but you led me through those darkest hours to a place of greater peace.

Knowing you, Lord, has been my life’s great blessing.

I praise you for the light you have poured into my suffering soul

and for the precious freedoms you have afforded me.

You are there when I pray, Lord, listening and guiding.

You are also there when I am lost and confused.

You have blessed me so richly and saved me from countless hostilities.

I love you, Lord, with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and I pray that you would keep me in your peace forever.

Amen.

What is the meaning of life?

I believe there are countless answers to the above question. I have personally believed many different things about life’s purpose at different times in my life. So it’s important to validate everyone’s perceptions of the meaning of life, however different from our own ideas they might be.

I have been an atheist, a new age spiritualist and a Christian, and I’ve been drawn to different teachings and philosophies from around the world at different times in my life. I spent a good deal of my adult life searching painfully and desperately for truth.

For me, life has taken on a different meaning since I became aware that there really is a God. When God reveals himself to you, it changes everything. It is a both wonderful and frightening. The God that I now know is all-powerful and has created our universe and everything in it. God is in control of the perfect chaos of existence on Earth and throughout the universe. All of the good, and all of the bad, is the result of God acting in creation.

When I was a Christian, my life was filled with purpose. I was on a mission to discover more about Jesus by studying the Bible and I was very evangelical. Bringing people into the Christian faith was my ambition and this gave my life so much meaning. I thought that I would be a Christian for the rest of my life.

But things changed when I began to think in depth about some of the key teachings of Christianity. These teachings conflicted with my knowledge about God in a way that made me feel deeply uncomfortable. For instance, I know that a part of God’s nature is that he is omnipresent (everywhere) and therefore all is God. There cannot be free will – all will is God’s will.

If all will is God’s will then it is not coherent to talk of sin, or the fall of man, or punishment in hell, or the devil.  Knowing that there is no free will means I can no longer call myself a Christian. I now know that the whole of existence is contained within God, and wherever there is action in existence God is the animating force.

The meaning of life, I have come to understand, is that we are all part of a cosmic game with God in control. God needs to stay entertained and occupied for all eternity, so he has created this complex universe in order to express many different aspects of himself.

In this article, I have merely scratched the surface. For a deeper insight into my life and philosophy there are books, articles, essays, and more, available from my online store here. Alternatively, you might wish to explore some of the many articles that are relevant to this discussion on this blog.

What are your views about the meaning of life? Leave a comment below!

A response to Richard Dawkins on the absurdity of the crucifixion

There’s a lot that I don’t agree with Richard Dawkins about. But he once said this in an interview:

“It’s a horrible idea that God, this paragon of wisdom and knowledge and power, couldn’t think of a better way to forgive us our sins than to come down to Earth in his alter ego as his son and have himself hideously tortured and executed so that he could forgive himself.”

This strikes a chord with me and seems to encapsulate something rather absurd about the Christian faith.  I think the central point here is one that I discuss often in my books and on this blog – the problem of free will.  Christians might argue that in the act of Jesus’ crucifixion God is not forgiving himself but sinful human beings.

When Dawkins talks about God ‘forgiving himself’, the implication is that God is in control of sin and therefore that we don’t have free will, which is also what I believe.  If we don’t have free will then the whole notion of forgiveness is absurd, because human beings can have done nothing freely that would need forgiving. In this light the story of the crucifixion is very strange indeed.

The reason why I don’t believe we have free will is because I believe in a God who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.  Everything that exists is a part of God, and this means that God must be in control of everything that happens, including what is referred to as ‘sin’.

The following quote from Epicurus is apposite here:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.

Is he both able, and willing? Then whence cometh evil?

Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God.

My response to Epicurus would be that God is able to prevent evil, but not willing.  But I disagree that this necessarily makes God malevolent.  It may be that God has very good reasons for creating evil in the world.  Perhaps, if God himself suffers terribly, then He creates evil to give us a taste of what ultimate reality is like for him.  In what way does God suffer?  I have explored that question here.

In summary, then, Richard Dawkins has highlighted that if God is in control of our existence (as I believe He is), the story of human redemption through Jesus’ crucifixion makes very little sense.

What do you think about the quote from Richard Dawkins? Is God responsible for sin?