Throughout my life, I can think of several dates when the plans for my day were totally upended. The death of a relative. An unexpected phone call. 9/11. A co-worker tragedy. In most of these examples, when the plan for the day was totally canceled, someone died. Death has a way of intruding into our life, changing plans, and unexpectedly causing shock and grief.
In ancient Israel—as is true for many Jewish people today—the first thing the faithful do is recite the Shema, the confession found in the Torah: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, ESV). The one exception that put all prayers on hold is when your parent died. In that case, burying your father or mother takes precedence over everything, out of reverence for the one who raised you.
This helps us understand a passage in the Gospel of Matthew when a man pledges to follow Jesus after he first buries his father. We expect Jesus to say, “Of course, you must first give your father a proper burial. But then come follow Me!” Instead, Jesus gives this jarring response: “Follow Me, and leave the dead to bury the dead.”[1]
For those who have derived their image of Jesus from the culture, this statement is always puzzling. They picture Jesus as a nice guy who walks around with a lamb on His shoulders and a nice smile, hugging everyone He meets simply because He is so full of niceness (trust me, that’s a word).
Now, don’t get me wrong. Jesus was and is the most loving person to ever grace the planet. But quite often Jesus showed tough love—which is the kind of love that says things we don’t think we need to hear, but desperately do. In the words of 1 Corinthians 13:6, it’s a love that “rejoices in the truth.”
Jesus didn’t always say what sounds “nice” and affirming, but He did always tell us what we need to hear. And in this instance, He was teaching about the danger of delayed discipleship. His point was that no matter what else we may think is urgent and essential, nothing can take priority over following Him. In light of the Bible’s strong emphasis on caring for one’s family, Jesus’ statement here is all the more surprising.
Jesus knows that sometimes people will look for excuses for why they can’t follow Him today. Sometimes, people will use family as an excuse.
To such people, Jesus says:
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”[2]
Stop and consider for a moment how insanely self-centered this would sound on the lips of anyone else. Do you still think Jesus was merely a good teacher of moral ideals?
Offensive? Maybe. But necessary for each of us to hear.
At another time, Jesus gave a parable (which is a story meant to illustrate the kingdom of God) about a man who decided to host a great banquet at his house. He sent out invitations to all his close family and friends. “But they all alike began to make excuses.”[3]
Some claimed they were too busy. They had purchased fields or oxen that demanded their care and attention. Another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”[4] Each person seemed to have a good and reasonable excuse. It’s not as though they were all at home playing video games or binge watching Netflix. But they were excuses nonetheless.
Jesus said the master of the house became angry when people rejected his generous offer. After all, he was providing a sumptuous feast, free of charge. Because those who were supposedly closest to him rejected his offer, the master sent his servant to go and “bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.”[5] After all, those who had less in life would recognize the generosity of this invitation.
After his dining hall is filled with everyone from “the highways and hedges” far and wide, the great banquet can finally begin. Then, somewhat disdainfully, the master of the house says of those who turned down his invitation, “I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.”[6]
The message is pretty clear. Those who put off Jesus and His invitation into life in the kingdom of God are missing out on the joy He is offering.
To say it again: Nothing is more urgent or important in your life right now than discipleship to Jesus.
We might imagine that while we can’t follow Jesus today, we will certainly square things up with Him later. We might even think it’s better to live for ourselves today so that we will better appreciate grace later. But here’s where people need to take care. Sin has a way of hardening the heart that puts Jesus off. How do you know you aren’t hardening your heart against Jesus today? If you don’t have time for Jesus today, what makes you think you will suddenly have time later in life?
The spiritual sage J. C. Ryle offered this warning:
“Habits of good or evil are daily strengthening in your heart. Every day you are either getting nearer to God, or further off. Every year that you continue unrepentant, the wall of division between you and heaven becomes higher and thicker, and the gulf to be crossed deeper and broader. Oh, dread the hardening effect of constant lingering sin! Now is the accepted time. See that your decision not be put off until the winter of your days.”[7]
In reality, no matter what excuse we might come up with for why we are delaying discipleship to Jesus, that very excuse might be the roadblock that keeps us from ever coming to the party. Beware of excuses in your own heart. Take warning from Jesus’ parable. What a tragedy it would be to miss out on the very thing that gives our lives meaning not only for this life, but for all eternity.
In the words of Jesus, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”[8]
If you have any questions about any of this, I would love to hear from you!
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15, NIV)
It’s not easy to talk about abortion. In our culture, merely expressing pro-life convictions can earn you the label “bigot,” “misogynist,” or “ignorant.” When I joined some college students for a prayer vigil outside a Planned Parenthood in Salem, Oregon, several years ago, one middle-aged woman pulled her car over just so she could scream, “How can you be so stupid and hateful!” Ironically, the only one showing hostility was her.
Thankfully, no one in our group responded in kind. Instead, the young woman next to me said, “We love you! We don’t hate you!” Still livid, the woman got back in her car and sped away. After she left, a middle-aged Christian woman participating in the prayer vigil turned to me and said, “That makes me sad.” She said it sincerely, without a hint of contempt. “I used to think like her. I had an abortion a long time ago, and the only reason I’m here today is because of Jesus.”
This dear woman was not there to express hatred and condemnation. She wanted to express the love of Jesus to the women pulling into the parking lot about to make an immensely important decision. She wasn’t there to name-call or retaliate with anger. But the one thing she couldn’t do was remain silent. Even by telling me her story, she was speaking the truth in love.
We Bear a Message of Life
My pro-life convictions rest on the basic recognition that every human life is a gift from God. Each one of us came into existence at a specific point in time in our mother’s womb. Scientists have learned that at the moment of conception, there is a flash of light in the womb.[1] Human beings have only recently discovered this, but our Creator has seen every time one of His image bearers came to life.
Take God and His Word out of the equation, and I really don’t have much to say on the issue. And I definitely wouldn’t be able to say anything in love. If you leave God and His gospel out of the conversation, someone can always make some kind of utilitarian argument for why abortion is a good idea in certain cases. It is because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, first and foremost, that Christians are called to speak the truth in love regarding the sanctity of every human life. It makes no sense to claim to follow the One who is Life and not be pro-life.
Many people, including pastors, would love to leave the topic of abortion alone. They point out that any time the word “abortion” is mentioned, sparks fly, and emotions run hot. In the minds of many Christians, we should just vote accordingly and otherwise avoid the subject altogether. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of life, hope, and forgiveness. If we cannot speak about the hundreds of thousands of human lives taken every year by abortion,[2] then either our gospel is impotent (Paul calls the gospel “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” Romans 1:16) or our belief in the gospel is.
If you are a Christian tempted to think that there is no real value in speaking the truth in love about abortion, I want to challenge your thinking. I say that not because I enjoy walking into a hornet’s nest, but simply because God calls us to represent Jesus, no matter what the circumstance.
In Scripture, there is the repeated theme that those who belong to God must speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. The Jewish Queen Esther even risked her own life by speaking up for her own people when their lives were in danger of being snuffed out.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9, NIV)
Who is more needy and vulnerable than the baby in her mother’s womb? Like Esther, we must accept the risk and speak up for those whose right to life is being trampled.
On the other hand, you may be a passionate pro-life advocate ready to defend the cause at the drop of a hat, but your tone tends to be derogatory, inflammatory, and harsh. In that case, I don’t want to quench your passion, but I do want to urge you to temper your language with gentleness and love. Jesus urged us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. When you love God rightly, you will love your neighbor well. Scripture calls us to speak the truth about the crucial issues of life—even if they are controversial—but to do so out of love for others.
“A Patient Is a Person, No Matter How Small”
Dr. Bill Lile is a pro-life doctor who models speaking the truth with love and grace powerfully.[3] Borrowing from Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who, Dr. Lile’s trademark statement is, “A patient is a person, no matter how small. And patients have rights.”
I first heard Dr. Lile speak at the Options Pregnancy Resource Centers annual banquet in 2022. I was impressed with the way he confidently, yet graciously, shared some encouraging news about advances in fetal surgery. He even described an open-heart surgery at Cleveland Clinic for a baby at 27 weeks gestation. The surgeon successfully removed a teratoma—a rare type of tumor—that was on her heart. He pointed out that during the surgery both mom and baby needed their own anesthesiologist. He then showed a digital illustration of how this astonishing surgery took place.[4]
Dr. Lile told the captive audience, “If you can do open-heart surgery and have a separate pediatric anesthesiologist for the baby in the womb, is that a patient? Yeah, a patient is a person, no matter how small. And patients have rights.”
As an obstetrician who has even delivered quadruplets, Dr. Lile could speak with clarity and confidence about the humanity of the preborn baby. But he did so with kindness and humility, rather than sounding like someone with an axe to grind. Most importantly, he connected the issue of saving preborn babies to the message of ultimate salvation and forgiveness found in Christ.
Fear of Man Is a Snare
As Christians, we need to know how to address abortion because, whether we like it or not, it exists as a real issue that people in America face every day. We need to face it squarely, guided by the lens of Scripture and the character of Christ. Yes, we need to be careful how we speak about sensitive topics, and we need to be sure we are listening well to those that are hurting. But this doesn’t mean we need to permanently zip our lips.
Too often, I think Christians have avoided talking about abortion out of fear of being labeled “judgmental” or “too political.” It’s in those times of fear that we should recall what Jesus said:
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28, ESV)
In the same way, do not fear those who try to kill your reputation or unfairly criticize you. Don’t fear those whose opinions will evaporate on the day of judgment. Fear the One whose opinion eternally matters. “The fear of man is a snare,” the Bible reminds us (Proverbs 29:25). May you and I avoid this snare!
At the same time, in principle, we should not relish controversy. In fact, if you love to just stir the pot whenever you get the chance, that’s not a great sign. There is a kind of fleshly craving to say things that will upset others. But we are called to be ambassadors for Christ and speak about real issues of life that confront us.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor who stood up to Hitler and the Third Reich. He spoke out against their horrible treatment of Jews. Nazi ideology held that the Jewish people were subhuman. At the time, Bonhoeffer was warned by many of his fellow pastors to keep silent about what the Nazis were doing if he wanted to avoid trouble. Bonhoeffer responded, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” In other words, there is no neutral approach when innocent lives are being taken. To be cowed into silence was to swear loyalty to Hitler. And that was something Bonhoeffer could not do.
God has given Christians guidance on how we are to live and speak in a world where lies and deception meet us at every turn.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15, NIV)
Christians are followers of the risen King, and we have been appointed to speak the truth about His kingdom in love. Notice the conjunction here. We’re not merely to smash people with the hammer of truth and let God clean up the mess. We are to speak the truth in love.
Balance Grace and Truth
It’s not easy to balance truth and love. Early on in our dating relationship, my wife Whitney took me horseback riding. If you have ever ridden a horse, you know how important balance is. If you start to fall one way, you can’t overcompensate, or you’ll fall off the other side!
In a similar way, it’s very challenging, but we must try to balance truth and love. This is how the church grows into maturity. We build one another up with love and truth. Christians have often fallen off the horse on one side or the other, but we need both!
When we communicate truth to a lost world, we need to be careful that we are speaking from a place of love and understanding. It does no good to interrupt, tear down, and scream. We already have enough of that today.
Engage with Questions
That means we need to listen well to those with whom we strongly disagree. James 1:19-20 says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
This is why perhaps the most effective way to begin a productive conversation with someone in favor of abortion is to pose some important questions. Ask them with the goal of understanding them, not so that you can pummel them or make them look foolish. The goal should be helping them see the error in their thinking with a spirit of gentleness.
Christian apologist Scott Klusendorf suggests the following questions when you are engaged in an abortion conversation:
“Do you believe that every innocent human life should be protected?”
“What is the unborn (preborn)?”
“What is your understanding of what happens in an abortion?”
“What’s wrong with a law that says you can’t kill innocent human beings and, if you do, there will be consequences?”
“Why is it legally okay for Laci Peterson to kill her unborn child, but if Scott does it, he’s convicted of murder?”
“When you say the Bible is silent, do you mean the word abortion is never mentioned or that we can’t draw any inferences from what’s taught there?”
If someone was to say, “The unborn are human, but they are not persons” some follow-up questions might include:
“What’s the difference? Do you mean there’s a group of humans whom we can set aside to be killed while others can’t be?”
“Have you considered what your view does to the concept of human equality?”
Become a student of the other side. Seek to understand them. Ask questions with gentleness and grace, always aspiring to leave the impression that Christ is loving this person through you. You don’t want to beat anyone up, but you do want to bring light into clouded thinking and help people see the truth of what is at stake.
But don’t be cowed into silence. Speak the truth in love as a faithful ambassador of our Lord.
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
*If you are interested, I encourage you to check out Options Pregnancy Resource Centers in Albany, OR at their website here: https://www.optionsprcfamily.org/ You can find out how to support this important organization and hear testimonies of women who found love and support when they walked through their doors.
A Muslim friend of mind recently recommended I read the 2019 book Apostate: From Christianity to Islam in times of secularization and terror, written by the recently converted Muslim, Joram van Klaveren. The well-written book describes van Klaveren’s journey from Dutch Reformed Protestantism to Islam, from Christian to Muslim.
While there is much to agree with, my conclusion after reading the book is that van Klaveren has abandoned a Christianity that he never fully embraced. I mean that respectfully. Throughout the book, van Klaveren admits that he’s always had intellectual struggles with concepts like the Trinity, the dual natures of Christ, and the idea that divine forgiveness requires a blood sacrifice.
I love Muslims, so I wanted to read this book to better understand some of their objections. At the heart of the disagreement between Christians and Muslims is Jesus Himself—His person and work. My great desire is to see my Muslim friends come to know Jesus personally as their Lord and Savior.
But when I share the gospel of a crucified and risen Jesus, a dilemma immediately presents itself. The Quran—the text all Muslims believe is the revealed word of Allah (God)—declares that Jesus (Isa) never even died on a cross (Surah 4:157). Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet, but not the eternal Son of God. The Quran clearly states, “The Messiah son of Mary was no other than a messenger before whom similar messengers passed away, and his mother was a saintly woman” (5:75).[1]
Jesus: Prophet of Allah or Son of God?
In Apostate, van Klaveren lays out some of the nagging issues he had with Christian theology for many years, which eventually led him to outright reject the faith and convert to Islam. His biggest struggle is with the deity of Christ. He quotes Colossians 1 as saying Christ is “the firstborn of every creature” (Colossians 1:15, KJV). And then asks, “If Christ is created, has there then existed a time before he was created? God, however, is eternal.”[2]
Here, van Klaveren seems to have a misunderstanding about the incarnation of Christ. Christians have never believed that Christ is created. The New Testament repeatedly teaches that Christ is the Creator of all things. In fact, van Klaveren fails to quote the very next verse, which says that Christ is the Creator of all things (v. 16). I’ll quote the passage in context in the English Standard Version (ESV):[3]
“He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17, ESV)
His confusion seems to be rooted in his understanding of the King James translation of verse 15, which says, “He is the firstborn of every creature.”
Van Klaveren seems to think that “firstborn” indicates “first created.” But the Greek word prototokos (firstborn) does not mean “first created” one. We have to ask what Paul the Jew meant when he first wrote this. When we turn to the Old Testament, we find that “firstborn” certainly can mean simply “first one in birthing order.” But there is also a well-developed understanding of the “firstborn” as the one with a special status before God. For example, Moses tells Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22).
We also see the term taking on messianic significance when God speaks of David, who was a prototype of the Messiah. God says of David: “And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth” (Psalm 89:27, ESV). All this rich background to the term firstborn seems utterly lost on van Klaveren. Ironically, the very term Paul uses to emphasize Christ’s exalted status as Lord, he takes to mean “less than God.”
I can understand why van Klaveren would have questions about why Paul would call Jesus “the firstborn of creation.” But even without the Old Testament background on the term, if he simply read the passage in context, he would see that Paul is repeatedly emphasizing Jesus’s deity throughout. Christ created all things (v. 16). All things were created for Christ (v. 16). Christ is before all things, and He holds all things together (v. 17). In everything, Christ is to be preeminent (v. 18). In Christ, all the fullness of God dwells bodily (v. 19; 2:9). There’s really no escaping what Paul intended to teach: Jesus is the Creator God in human flesh.
Did Jesus Deny that He is Divine?
Rather than questioning the Bible’s accuracy, van Klaveren is convinced that the biblical Jesus denied He is God. He approvingly quotes Abdal Hakim Murad:
“In the Bible, Jesus sometimes appears explicitly to deny that he is Divine. Texts include, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone’ (Mark 10:18), and ‘The son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing’ (John 5:19).”[4]
Again, context is crucial to our understanding of what Jesus intended to convey. As we will see below, there are countless times that Jesus did affirm His own eternally divine nature. First, let’s consider the Mark 10 passage.
In context, Jesus is responding to a young rich ruler, who has just said, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17, ESV). Jesus responds with a question of His own, which He often did as a way of leading people to the truth. “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (v. 18). Notice that Jesus does not explicitly deny that He is God. He asks a question that corresponds to the man’s starting assumptions.
Jesus is leading this self-righteous young man to reevaluate his concept of goodness. Believing Jesus to be a wise teacher, the man is happy to consider Jesus “good.” He probably was willing to call many rabbis “Good Teacher.” He also considers himself good, asserting he has not broken any of the commandments since childhood (v. 20). But Jesus can see through his self-confident exterior. In reality, this young man worships money, not God. That is why Jesus calls him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor before following Him. The man is hoping to add Jesus to his wealth rather than come to Jesus as Lord and Savior. He is not yet recognizing his desperate position as a sinner accountable to a perfectly good God.
The other passage mentioned, John 5:19, does not deny Christ’s deity either. In fact, in this very passage Jesus clearly expresses His deity. Interestingly, Murad does not quote the whole verse, which reads:
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19, NIV)
When Jesus says, “the Son can do nothing by himself,” He is speaking about His obedience to the Father. According to the Bible, the plan of redemption originated in the Father, who sent the Son into the world to accomplish redemption. The Son, who is coequal and coeternal with God, is nevertheless functionally subordinate to the Father. That’s why Jesus frequently says He can do nothing apart from the Father’s will (e.g. John 6:38). This is a statement about their difference in roles, not difference in nature.
Murad cuts off Jesus’s statement that “whatever the Father does the Son also does” (v. 19). How could someone less than God be said to do whatever God does? In Apostate, van Klaveren argues that when Jesus is called “the son of God,” in the Jewish context that term didn’t suggest that He was literally divine, “but rather refers to an exalted status because of his exceptionality.”[5] But that’s only partially true. When Jesus spoke of God as “My Father” and Himself as “the Son,” He clearly taught His equality with God.
In the immediately preceding verses, we are told:
In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:17-18, ESV)
A little understanding of context goes a long way in clarifying many of Jesus’s statements. The Bible teaches that, as a man, the sinless Jesus was subject to many limitations such as being hungry, tired, thirsty, had to learn and grow, and was even subject to temptation. But that is with respect to Christ’s human nature. As God, Jesus could also make statements no mere man could make:
“For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” (John 5:21-23)
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40)
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
In terms of roles, the Father has the highest authority. That’s why Jesus can say, “I do not speak on my own authority” (John 14:10) and “the Father is greater than I” (v. 28). But at other times, Jesus speaks to their shared divine nature, such as when Jesus says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (v. 9) and “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me” (v. 11).
Furthermore, we cannot overlook all the times that Jesus received worship. In Scripture, godly men and angels always refuse to be worshiped (see Acts 10:26; 14:12-15; Revelation 19:10; 22:9), and wicked men like Herod seek to be worshiped as a god (Acts 12:21-23). So, how could Jesus be merely a man—especially a godly man—since He always welcomes worship?
And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:33, ESV; cf. Matthew 28:9)
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:28-29, ESV)
Is the Trinity a Late Invention?
Van Klaveren’s other main objection to Christianity seems to be that the doctrine of the Trinity is a confusing mystery and “intellectual impediment.” This is a common view among Muslims I have interacted with on college campuses. The Trinity is viewed as an obscure or nonsensical belief that was added into the Bible many years later.
Van Klaveren states that “the most evident Trinitarian reference” is 1 John 5:7-8, but this is a later addition to the original manuscripts. I found it interesting that van Klaveren, a self-proclaimed former Christian, would say this, because while it remains a common argument Muslim apologists make, it’s also a very outdated and unconvincing argument. Here’s what I mean. He is referring to the King James Version, which renders the verses:
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” (1 John 5:7-8, KJV)
Certainly, van Klaveren is right that the earliest manuscripts we have do not include “in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one,” but instead only include “the Spirit, the water and the blood” as the three giving testimony. But nearly all our modern translations reflect what we find in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. Furthermore, I don’t know of any Christian scholar who would appeal to 1 John 5:7-8 to make a case for the Trinity.
For example, in his 200-page book defending the Trinity, Christian apologist James White never even mentions 1 John 5:7-8.[6] Why? Because the New Testament as a whole is thoroughly Trinitarian. In other words, so many statements made by Jesus and the New Testament authors cannot be rightly understood apart from the doctrine of the Trinity. While the word “Trinity” is never found in the New Testament, the concept clearly is. The following facts can be gathered from a careful reading of the New Testament:
There is only one God (John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:5).
God exists as three divine persons who share the same eternal divine nature (John 10:30; 14:9): the Father is God (1 Corinthians 8:6), the Son is God (John 1:1), and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4).
The Father is a distinct person from the Son (John 16:9), and both are distinct persons from the Holy Spirit (John 15:26).
When you put all three together, what do you get? There is one God who has eternally existed as three distinct, coequal, and coeternal persons. That is the definition of the Trinity. So, to say that the best reference to the Trinity is also a late addition to the Bible is misrepresenting the facts, and it fails to interact with the multitude of passages that so clearly teach God’s triune nature.
Truly Man, Truly God
The late Christian apologist, Nabeel Qureshi, has said that when he was a Muslim, he was taught that the Trinity was nothing but “veiled polytheism.”[7] But if you actually follow the history of how the Christian church came to understand God as Trinity, it’s clear that they were simply working out the implications of New Testament teaching. It should be added that from the earliest records outside the New Testament, the Christian church has always affirmed Jesus’s deity.
Writing around AD 107-110 (about 460 years before Muhammad was born), Ignatius wrote, “God appeared in human form to bring the newness of eternal life.”[8] This was long before the Arian controversy was settled at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. In AD 180, Irenaeus similarly affirmed that Jesus was “truly man” and “truly God.”[9]
While van Klaveren is right in one sense that the Trinity is a deep mystery we cannot fully grasp, that is not an argument against its veracity. After all, we are talking about the nature of the infinite Being. If God has revealed Himself as triune, who am I to say I won’t accept it simply because I cannot rationally comprehend it? We finite creatures are in no position to tell God what He can or cannot be like. Ultimately, only the Holy Spirit can reveal these truths to our hearts. As Paul wrote, “And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13, ESV).
The overwhelming testimony of the New Testament is that Jesus is the divine Messiah and Lord of the world. John could not have been clearer when he wrote:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-3, 14, ESV)
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
[1] There are times when the Quran seems to misunderstand what Christians believe about the Trinity. In one passage, Allah asks, “O Jesus son of Mary! Did you say to people: ‘Take me and my mother for two gods besides Allah?’” (5:116). The Trinity that is refuted here includes Jesus, Mary, and Allah, and is a polytheistic group of three gods (“two gods besides Allah”). But this is not what Christians have historically taught about the Trinity.
[2] Joram van Klaveren, Apostate: From Christianity to Islam in times of secularization and terror (2019).
[3] I believe the ESV is a more accurate translation than the KJV for two important reasons: 1) It depends on the earliest and most reliable NT manuscripts, which were not available during the first publication of the KJV. 2) It uses language that strikes a balance of matching original word choice in Koine Greek with comprehensibility in modern English.
[4] Murad, 2013, quoted in van Klaveren, Apostate, 43.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, ESV)
In 1971, the popular Beatles singer, John Lennon, sang of a dream he had where no religion existed in the world. In that dream, not only was there no such thing as religion, but also no heaven or “hell below us,” and “above us only sky.” Such a world, he sang, would bring about world peace and unity since there’d no longer be anything worth killing or dying for.
Many today hold on to Lennon’s dream. In 2020, when most of the world was in isolation during the COVID-19 outbreak, Lennon’s song “Imagine” was sung by 25 celebrities in a compilation video posted on YouTube. Many still believe that a world without religion would be preferable. More specifically, many people have thought it better if Christianity didn’t exist in the world.
The so-called New Atheists, such as Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens, have argued vociferously in their books The God Delusion and God Is Not Great that “religion poisons everything.”
However, only 8 years before Lennon recorded that song, another dream was expressed across the pond by Martin Luther King, Jr. In that dream, he imagined that one day “little black boys and black girls [would] be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” The irony is that while Lennon’s dream envisioned a world where there was no Christianity, King’s dream was firmly rooted in biblical Christianity. His iconic speech appealed to his Christian faith, which holds that every person was made in God’s image and has sacred value in God’s sight. King even deliberately quoted Scripture like Isaiah 40 to make his point.
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
After quoting this passage, King declared, “This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with… With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”
So which worldview is right? Is religion—and more importantly—is Christianity a force for good or evil in the world today?
Is Christianity Headed for Extinction?
In a 2016 survey, 30.9 percent of freshman college students claimed no religious affiliation, which is a 10 percent rise since 2006. Many have noticed this growing trend to be non-religious and have predicted that Christianity and the other religions are destined for extinction. This has been called the secularization hypothesis, because it predicts that religion will be pushed more and more to the fringe as secular values advance.
But is this true? Actually, no. In contrast to the thinking of many academics, the reality is that Christianity has never had a wider reach. Right now, Christianity is the largest belief system in the world, with 31.5% percent of the world’s population identifying as Christian. While it’s true that those identifying as religious in Europe and North America has declined in recent years, on the global scale, Christianity is growing stronger than ever.
Many sociologists have been forced to admit that the whole secularization hypothesis has been totally debunked. Robust Christianity is globally on the rise, and the trend is actually toward a more religious rather than secular world.
Biblical Christians would expect nothing less. Not only did Jesus promise that His gospel would be proclaimed to all nations (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10), but He also promised that the church He built will prevail “and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18, NIV).
But the question remains: Is Christianity a force for good or evil in the world? After all, just because something is believed by many doesn’t make it true (also, many who claim to be Christian don’t follow Jesus’s teachings).
Joy in Knowing Jesus
A 2016 article in USA Today was entitled “Religion May Be a Miracle Drug.” The authors begin by asking, “If one could conceive of a single elixir to improve the physical and mental health of millions of Americans—at no personal cost—what value would our society place on it?”[1]
They go on to lay out all the correlations between mental and physical health benefits and consistent religious participation. According to their research, Americans who are actively involved in a local church tend to be more optimistic, have lower rates of depression, are less likely to commit suicide, have greater purpose in life, are less likely to divorce, and even tend to live longer! There is also good research showing that those who live out a robust Christianity—including having a regular prayer life, active Bible reading, consistent church attendance, and meeting the needs of others in the community—tend to be happier in life.
In fact, in his book The Happiness Hypothesis, even atheist social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, makes the case that devout Christians tend to be happier than secular atheists like himself!
He writes: “Surveys have long shown that religious believers in the United States are happier, healthier, longer-lived, and more generous to charity and to each other than are secular people… Religious believers give more money than secular folk to secular charities, and to their neighbors. They give more of their time, too, and of their blood.”[2]
Obviously, sociological research isn’t the ultimate reason to surrender your life to Christ. We are to surrender to Christ because He is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). But it’s worth noting that objective research done by secular scholars inadvertently agrees that there really is joy that comes from knowing Jesus. Non-religious scholars like Haidt have begun to realize there really is something to what Paul taught: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).
The truth is that when the Bible is taken seriously and faith in Christ is lived out, there is a positive impact—both personally and in society. Christians first started universities to educate the mind, launched hospitals to care for the sick, and built orphanages to house those whom the world had rejected as a lost cause.
It is because of their Christian faith that William Wilberforce worked to abolish slavery in England, Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke out against the Nazis, and Martin Luther King marched for the civil rights of black Americans. Today, many speak out boldly for the life of the unborn, largely due to their faith in Christ.
From Atheism to Jesus
This happened for Dr. Sarah Irving-Stonebraker. Sarah was an atheist, known by her friends at Cambridge for being “politely hostile” to Christianity. She passionately believed that one should defend the human rights for the hurting and underprivileged. But something happened while she attended a series of lectures given by the well-known atheist, Peter Singer, who was trying to make the case for human rights from an atheistic worldview.
As Sarah listened, it slowly dawned on her that despite Singer’s best attempts to prove otherwise, the godless worldview of the atheist gave no explanation for why humans should have any rights at all. If we are nothing more than a bunch of organized cells in a mindless universe, how could anyone really speak of human rights at all? She later met a group of Christian students whose lives were deeply shaped by Jesus. They were a joy-filled community that lived out their faith “feeding the homeless, running community centres, and housing and advocating for migrant farm laborers.”[3]
As Sarah considered this issue, she realized that it was none other than the biblical worldview—which she had rejected as a teenager—that made the best sense of humans having value and therefore, having rights worth defending. A human being, she realized, whether born or unborn, is not just another organism to be disposed of, like a worm or a beetle, but had intrinsic value because he or she had been made in God’s image, and thus was a neighbor deserving her love. Sarah gave her life to Jesus and today she fights for the rights of the underprivileged from the solid standing of a biblical worldview.
This is just one of countless examples of how the light of God’s truth can pierce through the darkness of this fallen world and bring about the dramatic transformation of a single individual.
I began by asking whether Christianity is a force for good in the world today. Consider that Christianity alone—of all the world’s religions—not only offers a reasonable explanation for why human beings have value in God’s sight, but that it also declares the truth that everlasting life is found in knowing this great God. Christ-centered Christianity is without question the greatest force for good this world has ever seen, because it alone points to the free offer of eternal life found in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23).
But this is only the case as Christians have held tightly to the Word that their Lord gave them. When Christians have conformed to the world around them and lost touch with the biblical worldview, they have ceased being a force for good, because they no longer have brought hope to the world. And I think we can all agree that this world desperately needs hope.
Because Jesus is the ultimate Light of the world, His followers are called to be lights shining in the world (Matthew 5:14-16).
Consider what this means for you personally. In what areas of life is it hardest to bring the light of Christ? In whatever area that may be—at home, in the workplace, with family—ask God for courage to hold fast to the Word of life in this dark world.
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
In October 2019, the Pew Research Center released a major new report called “In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace.” The research said that while 65% of Americans still nominally identify as Christian, the alarming thing is that this was a 12% decrease in only ten years.
This may be hard for Christians to hear, but it really will be to our benefit when we face up to the reality of how hostile our world is to biblical Christianity. When we downplay this, we are only making it harder for ourselves to know how to respond. The simple fact is, we may enjoy certain legal protections as Christians still, but our world is increasingly hostile to our faith, the values we stand for, and the Christ we proclaim as Lord. Rather than putting our head in the sand like an ostrich, we want to be like the men of Issachar who “understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32, NIV).
Strangers and Exiles
In the Book of Hebrews, the author recounts the incredible faith of godly men and women who stood out from the world around them because of their serious commitment to God. He then sums up their lives like this:
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13, ESV)
When he calls them “strangers and exiles on the earth,” he’s not only talking about the likes of Noah, Abraham, and Sarah. He’s talking about all who belong to the one true God. Similarly, the Apostle Peter uses the word “exiles” to describe all his fellow believers scattered throughout modern day Turkey (1 Peter 1:1; 2:17).
So this is not a designation for a select few. This is us. As followers of the risen Jesus, we too are strangers and exiles in our own world. The Greek term for “exile” (παρεπίδημος, parepidemos) usually referred to a traveler from a foreign land, only staying in a certain place for a limited duration. So Peter calls Christians “elect exiles” (1:1) and “sojourners” (2:17) to remind us that we are not permanent residents of this world.
As the old hymn goes, “This world is not my home. I’m just a-passin’ through.” Some Christians might object, “But aren’t we destined to live on a restored earth in real resurrected bodies?” Absolutely, we are! But Peter’s point is that the world as it now is—fallen and corrupted by sin—is not our home. This is an identity statement.
When Christ sets you free through faith, you come to see that your new identity in Him will never be embraced by the world. You’ll never fully fit in with the world. You’ll never be totally at home here. We are strangers. It’s essential for us to recognize this because too often we can forget our calling. We can forget why we’re here. We’re not here primarily to soak up as many worldly pleasures as possible. God has a much bigger view of joy than we do.
Citizens of Heaven
So what does that mean for us? We shouldn’t let our roots go too deep. We should keep a loose hold on the things of this world. We need to remember and embrace the truth that “this world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31, NIV).
If we think of this world as our permanent residence, we will begin to live like citizens of the world rather than citizens of Heaven. We’ll start to live like the world, embrace the world’s values, and forget our purpose here is not merely to “live it up because you only live once,” but to live for Christ.
I want to encourage my Christian brothers and sisters to be mindful of this and not be caught off guard. Following Christ makes you different in this world—you are a sojourner and an alien in a world that rejects Him.
We tend to think that if we are living faithfully for Christ, people will automatically be drawn to us. The sober truth is that when you live for Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and faithfully obey His commands, you will be at odds with the world around you. On the night before He was crucified, Jesus told His disciples:
“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”(John 15:19, NIV)
What was true of the disciples then is true of us today. “In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12, CSB).
Between Two Worlds
Peter calls the church “God’s elect exiles” (1 Peter 1:1, NIV). In other words, believers have been chosen and set apart by God. That is something to marvel at: that God would graciously choose us who were once His enemies. On the other side of the coin, being God’s elect—or God’s chosen people—inevitably estranges us from the world around us.
To live as an exile means you’re living between two worlds—the world you are inevitably enmeshed in and the world to come, the world to which you now belong.
But what does it mean to live between two worlds?
Let me illustrate this principle. When Whitney and I had our firstborn, Logan, our world became very different. In one sense, we still lived in the old world. We were still married. We still had the same friends and other interests. But, on the other hand, we had just entered the very new world of parenting. We now had a new schedule, with much of our time and interests wrapped up in the eating, sleeping, crawling, and babbling of our little bundle of joy. Oftentimes, new parents find themselves a bit alienated from their other friends who don’t yet have children, because they suddenly have less in common and their schedules are totally different from what they used to be. You are still you, but your life has totally changed.
Peter was writing to former pagans who worshiped dozens of gods who have now become followers of the one Lord, Jesus Christ. And that is a much bigger change than entering the world of parenting. Peter is writing to assure them that their new identity as followers of Jesus will set them apart from the world they inhabit.
In chapter 4, Peter will tell them, “You used to live like pagans, but you’re different now.”
“You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:3-5, NLT)
Those first Christians Peter is writing to had entered another world. And because they had committed themselves to Jesus, their worldviews were now diametrically opposed to their pagan friends. In the same way, your old party buddies might wonder the same about you. “What’s with you now? Why don’t you like to get drunk with us anymore? Why do you take sexual purity so seriously? And why have you become a Jesus freak? It’s like you can’t stop talking about Him!”
Every follower of Jesus should come to terms with this. It doesn’t matter what your upbringing might be. There are certain practices, groups, and lifestyles we are called to leave behind. There are many things where we must, in personal conviction from the Spirit, say, “I can’t be a part of that anymore.” As strangers in our own world, there are times we have to say, “I won’t entertain myself that way.” We must never forget that we have been set apart because Jesus shed His blood and atoned for our sins.
What about you? What is Jesus calling you to leave behind? Let me encourage you, whatever it might be, if it’s contrary to the faith, give it up for Jesus. There is blessing in embracing your new calling. While many will reject you, God will use your living testimony to draw others to Himself.
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.”
Thus begins the well-known hymn, “Amazing Grace.” Those words were written by a former slave trader turned gospel minister from the 18th century named John Newton. While the hymn “Amazing Grace” is known and loved by millions, the author of that hymn is not as well known in our secular age.
Wretched Sinner and Slave Trader
John Newton was drafted into the Royal British Navy at 18. But early on, his rebellious spirit got the best of him. Newton attempted desertion, which earned him a public flogging on the main deck in front of his entire crew, an ordeal that was equally excruciating and shameful. Filled with bitter rage, Newton began mocking his captain and leading a life where he regularly blasphemed God and committed all kinds of indecent acts.
After leaving the Navy, Newton entered a new career aboard a slave trading ship. His actions became more and more revolting. In his own words, Newton said, “I was exceedingly vile… I not only sinned with a high hand myself but made it my study to tempt and seduce others upon every occasion.”[1] One biographer said of Newton: “Although he had been brought up in the Christian faith by his devout mother, who died when he was six, Newton had become such an aggressive atheist and blasphemer that even his shipmates were shocked by his oaths.”[2]
When his ship was caught in a violent storm, Newton surprised even himself by crying out to God for mercy. Eventually, the storm calmed and Newton began to sense that perhaps “there is a God who answers prayer.”[3]
Eventually, he felt compelled to study the Scriptures. As Newton read, the God of the Bible seemed to come alive to him. He felt drawn to Jesus, the very same Jesus he had once mocked and ridiculed.[4] But realizing that his debt of sin had piled up high over the years, he assumed that God would want nothing to do with him. Yet, to his amazement, he found that the God of the Bible is a God of astounding grace who offers sinners like himself forgiveness. Newton came to see that in Jesus Christ alone, there was a path to grace, freedom from sin and total acceptance with God. He renounced his sinful ways, and trusted in Christ for salvation.
After beginning a pastoral ministry in Olney, England, Newton continued to be amazed by the favor God had shown to one so undeserving as he. Not only did Newton leave behind his life as a slave trader, he eventually preached against this cruel practice. His sermons and writings carried great weight, because he was speaking as one who once lived the wickedness he now condemned.
In his diary, Newton wrote a prayer to God, “Thou hast given an apostate a name and a place among thy children—called an infidel to the ministry of the gospel. I am a poor wretch that once wandered naked and barefoot, without a home, without a friend: and now for me who once used to be on the ground, and was treated as a dog by all around me, thou hast prepared a house suitable to the connection thou hast put me into.”[5]
Today, Newton’s legacy is not merely that he was a terrible sinner, but that he came to understand—to really understand—what Christianity is all about. It’s all about the amazing grace of God found in Jesus Christ.
What Christianity Is All About
It took some time for Newton to truly grasp the wonder of God’s grace. In a similar way, so many people today simply don’t understand just what God is offering them. They can hardly believe that God is as gracious as the Bible describes Him to be. Complete forgiveness of sins? Assurance of eternal life? A love relationship with God Himself? How could this be?
We assume that we must somehow earn acceptance with God. That’s the default perspective for every single one of us. Grace sounds too good to be true. We think that there must be something that we must do in order to be forgiven, and in order to be welcomed into God’s family. We don’t understand how God could offer the unfathomable riches of grace, forgiveness, and acceptance apart from any work from us (Romans 4:5-6).
And to be honest, this is why such a large number of people simply don’t understand Christianity. They think they do, but they don’t really. They think that Christianity is all about a God that is for good people. And so, in order to become a Christian, we must clean up our act, walk the straight and narrow, and live an obedient life—maybe even with God’s help. And then after we have cleaned ourselves up, God will welcome us as one of His own.
But that’s not what Christianity is all about. Christianity is all about Jesus and what He has done. First and foremost, it’s not about us and what we can do for God. Christianity does not say that, in order to be saved, you have to become more religious, do good works, do penance, and be obedient to laws and ordinances to somehow make yourself worthy of God. No!
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV)
Incredibly, the Bible says that God credits righteousness “to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly” (Romans 4:5, NIV). In fact, you know what the Bible says about good works that are done to earn God’s acceptance? It calls them things like “filthy rags” and “sewage” (Isa. 64:6; Phil. 3:8). Why? Why would God view even our best works as filth? Here’s what the Bible says:
“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6, ESV)
Isaiah is saying that when good works are done to earn God’s acceptance, even our most righteous deeds are actually foul to God because they are still tainted by our sin. Why? Because every one of us, ever since the fall of man in Genesis 3, has come into this world with a sinful heart. Some are offended by this teaching. Many would rather believe that people are basically good.
But when we are most honest with ourselves, we can see that this is absolutely true. There is a darkness in us that keeps us focused primarily on ourselves. If we would stop and examine our own thoughts and actions, we would all have to admit that we are incredibly selfish creatures.
Even in our best moments, we are nearly always looking out for ourselves. We lie to make ourselves look better. We often ignore the needs of others. We don’t always show love to others like we should. We envy others when they succeed. And the root of the problem is this: We have all chosen to live as if our lives belong to ourselves and not to God. We’ve lived as if God doesn’t exist or doesn’t have a say over how we live our lives.
But we don’t belong to ourselves. We belong to God. We are His by divine Creator rights. When an artist creates art, that art is his. It belongs to him because he created it. As our Creator, we owe our very existence to God alone. We were created for His glory, and yet we have committed the great sin of turning our backs on Him.
Are You Thirsty?
Now enter grace. This is what Isaiah says—or really this is what God says—Isaiah’s just the one delivering God’s message:
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?... Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.” (Isaiah 55:1-3, NIV)
This is just incredible. Here is God, the very God who we have all rebelled against, saying to every one of us, “Come!” Rather than turning us away or annihilating us for all our rebellion, He’s calling us to Himself in love. And, remember, because we’ve committed the infinite offense of sinning against the almighty God of the universe, He would be perfectly just to simply judge all His creatures for what they have done. It is not an overstatement to say that each one of us, myself included, is deserving of hell (Romans 1:32, 6:23).
As an ambassador for Christ, I am compelled by Christ’s love to warn you: There really is a coming day of judgment. And more importantly, according to Scripture, God Himself “is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Jesus Himself repeated this same invitation to whomever would heed His voice:
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38, NIV)
We owed a debt of sin we could not pay, and yet full forgiveness is offered to each one of us through simple faith in Christ. The reason God can do that and still be just is that He took the sin that we are guilty of, and He laid it on His own Son, Jesus Christ, when He hung on the cross.
“He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14, NIV).
In his astounding love, Jesus paid the price for our sin. Although we could never pay such an awful price, Jesus could, because He is both God and man. Only as a man could Jesus bear man’s sin, and only as the infinite God could He pay the infinite cost.
And before Jesus died, He cried out on the cross, “It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30). It’s finished! It’s done. The price for sin has been paid. The work of atonement is complete. Now, whoever will yield their lives to Jesus, trusting in Him alone, will receive everlasting life and be forgiven of their great debt of sin.
What a shame it would be to have such an amazing invitation offered to us and then ignore it.
He Will Abundantly Pardon
Remember, John Newton had lived a contemptible life. He had squandered the opportunities he had been given and chosen to live a life of complete rebellion. He mocked others, sexually abused many of the slaves on his ship, and lived an utterly wicked life.
But God chose to forgive Newton of his countless sins. Even Newton struggled at first to believe that God could love him and want anything to do with him. “What mercy could there be for me?”[6] Newton asked himself as he first considered the gospel in light of all his terrible sins. And yet, God showed grace to him and gave him a new heart with new desires.
Newton realized that God was the God of second chances. God extended the invitation to Newton to come to Him, to come to the cross of Christ where the great burden of his sin could be removed and he could fully receive the love of God. And Newton never ceased being amazed at God’s grace in rescuing him, an utterly undeserving “wretch” in his own words. He spent the remainder of his life working to end the slave trade and spread the gospel of grace.
On his deathbed, Newton told his close friend, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior.”[7]
Many of us can think like Newton did when he first heard the gospel. We can think that we’ve sinned one too many times, that we’ve failed too many times. So—we think—surely God wouldn’t want anything to do with me… would He? Wouldn’t He just give up on me?
But, friend, if you think that God would ever give up on you, you’re not thinking of the God of the Bible. You’re thinking of a false god. God is more gracious than you could possibly imagine. In the words of Philip Yancey, “Grace, like water, always flows downward, to the lowest place.”[8]
The New Testament describes Jesus as One who came with “grace upon grace” (John 1:16). See, that’s the most amazing thing: for those who rest in Christ, there is no end or limit to God’s grace. In Jesus, there is grace that is greater than all your sin.
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7, NIV)
God “will abundantly pardon” you when you turn from sin and trust in Christ. Jesus is inviting you right now—come to Him. Embrace His offer of life and forgiveness. Come to Christ and discover what it truly means to be forgiven.
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
[1]John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace, Jonathan Aitken. P. 18.
“Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” (Psalm 111:2)
Many today take it for granted that biblical faith is incompatible with scientific findings. The assumption is that science has provided all the knowledge we need about our origins and the origin of our universe. This idea that science and Christianity are at odds has been so widely promoted in our culture by popular science communicators – including Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson – that many have taken for granted that this is true.
Christianity and Cosmic Order
Before one can undertake any scientific endeavor, such as calculating the growth rate of fertilized plants versus that of unfertilized plants, one must hold some basic working assumptions. One such assumption is the regularity of nature. In other words, you must assume that certain physical laws will remain in place each time you observe and measure the plants. Such an assumption might seem incredibly obvious. We think, Of course, there is regularity in nature!
But on an atheistic worldview, why assume any kind of law-like structure to the universe? Laws don’t form by chance; they come from a Lawgiver. If the universe is the result of an undirected chaotic explosion rather than the ordered creation of an infinite Mind, why would we expect consistency in nature?
No one would believe that the Eiffel Tower formed as a result of an iron mine explosion. In the same way, we shouldn’t expect any kind of orderliness in a universe that formed by an unguided explosion.
Paul Davies is a physicist who is certainly not religious. And yet he comments:
“Just because the sun has risen every day of your life, there is no guarantee that it will rise tomorrow. The belief that it will, that there are indeed dependable regularities of nature, is an act of faith, but one which is indispensable to the progress of science.”[1]
The Bible not only says that “all things were created through [Christ] and for [Christ],” but also that “in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). It is because the Son of God “upholds the universe by the word of His power” that we can have confidence in the regularity of nature (Hebrews 1:3).
Physicist Michael Guillen says, “The Christian worldview best squares with the scientific worldview. It’s easy for me to be both a scientist and a Christian. Do science and Christianity have disagreements? Oh, you bet! And a few of them get the bulk of the publicity. But when it comes to the fundamentals, the two worldviews are very much in line. They are like my wife and me. We have our disagreements. And some of them are real doozies. But when it comes to core principles, we see eye to eye.”[2]
This is why modern science first began in the West, where the backdrop of the culture was the Christian worldview. This also explains why the vast majority of the founders of modern science were theists – and many were Christian theists.[3]
For instance, Galileo – often falsely portrayed as an opponent of biblical faith – was a Bible-believing Christian who argued that “the laws of nature are written by the hand of God in the language of mathematics” and that the “human mind is a work of God and one of the most excellent.”[4]
While many want to argue that faith and science are at odds, the scientific method itself is based on certain faith assumptions. Without these assumptions – which most scientists simply take for granted – science could never get off the ground. These include the orderly character of nature, the regularity of physical laws, the rational intelligibility of the universe, and the fact that our minds are equipped to understand certain truths about the universe.
Philosopher Richard Swinburne writes:
“The very success of science in showing us how deeply ordered the natural world is provides strong grounds for believing that there is an even deeper cause for that order.”[5]
The Limits of Science
Many have bought into the ideology of scientism, which says that science alone is the key to answering all our questions about the universe. But this ignores the many areas where science is limited. For example, science can teach us how to build an atomic bomb, but it cannot tell us whether it is right to use it.
Science cannot even tell us why there is a universe to study in the first place. Science is a wonderful tool, but it cannot give us a grand explanation of everything. Instead, science points us to a greater explanation beyond its analytical reach.
Scientific observations showing that our universe is expanding indicate that our universe had a beginning. But if the universe had a beginning, there must have been a cause. Things don’t just burst into existence without a prior cause. A timeless and all-powerful God who transcends nature would be a reasonable explanation for the origin of our universe.
“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20, ESV)
Atheism and Its Illogical View of the Beginning
In his book The Grand Design, the late Stephen Hawking argued that we don’t need God to explain the origin of the universe. Instead, the universe’s physical laws can explain why there is a universe.
Hawking wrote: “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”[6]
Interestingly, when I shared this idea with my 7-year-old son, Logan, he laughed and said, “That’s impossible for something to make itself.” He recognized that Hawking’s statement is logically flawed. For something to create itself, it would have to be in existence already. His statement is incoherent.
Why would a scientist as accomplished as Stephen Hawking make such an obvious logical blunder and claim that the universe brought itself into existence?
Scripture provides insight here. The Book of Romans says that when you reject the one true God who created nature, you will end up worshiping various aspects of nature itself (Romans 1:21-23). Interestingly, there is a parallel to this ancient form of nature worship among many scientists today. They attribute creative power, eternality, and even design to the cosmos instead of the Creator of the cosmos.
Oxford scientist John Lennox observes:
“Perhaps there is a subtle danger today that, in their desire to eliminate the concept of a Creator completely, some scientists and philosophers have been led, albeit unwittingly, to re-deify the universe by endowing matter and energy with creative powers that they cannot be convincingly shown to possess.”[7]
Can Irrationality Produce Rationality?
If nature is all there is, that would mean there is no divine mind outside the universe responsible for our existence. But that would mean that our brains are the result of blind and irrational natural processes. Now, if that is where atheistic science takes us, then why in the world would we trust our brains can grasp the truth? In fact, why think we could ever do science in the first place?
Consider a scenario where I told you about a computer that was not designed by a human mind but came about purely by the blind forces of nature. Would you expect such a machine to function well, let alone assemble naturally in the first place? Such an idea sounds preposterous. In the same way, we could only trust our brains to grasp scientific truth if they have been designed by an intelligent Creator who transcends the blind processes of nature. The great irony is that, in their eagerness to eliminate God from the scientific enterprise, atheists have actually removed any reason whatsoever for trusting our rational faculties.
Some atheists have recognized this and are haunted by the logical outcome of their godless worldview.
The chemist J. B. S. Haldane said, “It seems to me immensely unlikely that mind is a mere by-product of matter. For if my mental processes are determined wholly by the motions of atoms in my brain I have no reason to suppose that my beliefs are true.”[8]
Atheist John Gray has put this problem more bluntly: “Modern humanism is the faith that through science humankind can know the truth and so be free. But if Darwin’s theory of natural selection is true this is impossible. The human mind serves evolutionary success, not truth.”[9]
Gray’s point is that on Darwinism, there’s no real basis for thinking we have adapted the ability to know the truth. After all, the Darwinian worldview says that there is no ultimate design and purpose to organic life and that humans are the result of unguided chance.
Christian apologist C. S. Lewis similarly asked, “If thought is the undesigned and irrelevant product of cerebral motions, what reason have we to trust it?”[10]
If atheists want to go on believing that their brain is the product of blind chance, they are welcome to do so, but I’m going to stick with the hypothesis that the only wise God designed my brain. Praise God, we are not mere accidents. Instead, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” by God with loving design and intention (Psalm 139:14).
According to the Bible, we have every reason to believe our brains can grasp certain truths about the natural world. In fact, the Bible says that God created us in His own image – meaning our rational minds are a reflection of His rational mind (Genesis 1:27-28). Thus, on the Christian worldview, we have good reasons to think we can learn about the world through the scientific endeavor.
Science and biblical faith are not at war. They complement and reinforce one another.
[3] Such theistic scientists include Roger Bacon, Gregor Mendel, Blaise Pascal, Johannes Kepler, Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, and Michael Faraday.
[4] Galileo quoted in John C. Lennox, Cosmic Chemistry, 43.
[5] Richard Swinburne, Is There a God? (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), 68.
We live in an age of “anything goes” when it comes to religion or spirituality. If it warms your heart or excites you or if it works for you, then go for it.
Into this cultural context comes the big question of truth. What is it? How do we know truth?
Historically, truth has been defined as that which corresponds to reality. To tell the truth is to say how things really are – objectively and independently of how I feel about it.
Truth and Authority Redefined
Today, people have redefined truth to mean “whatever I strongly feel to be true in my heart.” That’s why you hear people say things like “You’ve got to live your truth” and “Everyone has their own version of the truth.” The truth is no longer understood to be something “out there” that I must go and discover. Instead, it is something that rises up within my own heart. And there’s a reason for that. Truth is a binding word. That is why many will argue that if something is true for someone else, then we should never question it. Otherwise we’re asking others to not be true to themselves. To be inauthentic. To live a lie. Or so the argument goes.
J.P. Moreland explains this line of thinking:
“Today, people are more inclined to think that sincerity and fervency of one’s beliefs are more important than the content. As long as we believe something honestly and strongly, we are told, then that is all that really matters.”[1]
But no matter how much I may passionately believe that something is good for me, that fact alone does not make it true.
Intuitively, we recognize that truth is closely linked to authority. If I get to define what is true for me, then I am my highest authority, and I don’t have to answer to a truth that stands outside of me or to a God who determines what is true.
Despite how common this claim is in our culture, the reality is that you and I don’t get to decide what is true. Trying to elevate our feelings and opinions to the level of moral truth doesn’t change the fact that when God declares something to be so, it is true for everyone.
Truth and Love
This doesn’t mean that personal experiences don’t matter. One well-known political commentator has a famous line: “Facts don’t care about your feelings.”[2] It’s a witty slogan perfect for bumper stickers. But the problem I have with most bumper stickers is that they often leave something wanting, something left unexplained. While I agree that facts don’t care about your feelings, followers of Jesus should care. We belong to One who showed incredible compassion for the lost, the hurting, and the misled.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read this of Jesus:
“When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36, BSB)
Elsewhere in the Bible, we read this of God:
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:13-14, BSB)
While truth should never be sacrificed in the name of love, truth is best delivered in the context of a loving relationship. Try as we might, we cannot have one without the other. Truth and love act as preservatives for one another. When you try and separate them, they both spoil.
Why We Need a Transcendent Authority
Many in American culture fail to understand that in order to determine whether something is objectively right or wrong, we must have a transcendent authority. Only a God who has created us and therefore holds authority over us can decide whether something is right or wrong. Whenever a higher authority is rejected, people get to pick and choose whatever is right for themselves. The biblical book of Judges is centered on how dark things become when everyone lives by their own version of morality.[3] Which is why all this talk about “living your truth” is really just a declaration of autonomy and liberty from all moral restraints. As Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “Without God… everything is permissible.” Families suffer, societies are ruined, and even whole nations are destroyed by such a poisonous philosophy.
Despite all those claiming the right to decide what is morally right for themselves, I still believe that everyone knows there is a transcendent moral standard that stands outside of them; it’s unavoidable. Our consciences bear witness to the fact that God’s law is written on our hearts (Romans 2:14-16). Deep down, none of us can deny that we are all beholden to this standard.
All you need to do is watch what happens when someone is mistreated by someone else. Sure, you can claim all day long that “everyone should just live their own truth.” But the moment your car stereo is stolen or a store overcharges you or you get penalized for something you didn’t do, suddenly your blood begins boiling and you feel the need to cry out, “You can’t do that! That’s not fair!” The moment we are harmed personally, our moral indignation betrays what we really believe: There is a transcendent moral standard to which we are all accountable, despite our frequent claims to the contrary.
After all, how could anyone ever say the Holocaust was evil or the Jim Crow laws were unjust or what the terrorists did on 9/11 was wicked unless there really is a transcendent moral standard embedded in the nature of God Himself? We all know it’s not enough to say, “I don’t personally like those things, but I’m not going to foist my version of truth on someone else.”
The Oldest Lie in the Book
In the book of Genesis, the serpent came to tempt Eve to eat from the one fruit that God had forbidden. We’re told that “the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made” (Genesis 3:1). In other words, he was an expert strategist. He had really thought this through. In order to entice Eve into rebellion against the One who had formed her and loved her, he had to point out something that she didn’t yet have. Despite all the delights of living in a beautiful garden with a husband who adored her and a God who met her every need, the serpent touched on the one thing she did not have: the ability to determine good and evil for herself.
After she initially objects to violating God’s single prohibition, the serpent assures her:
“You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5, ESV)
That was the bait that convinced her to eat the fruit. Being like God. Standing in His place. Knowing good and evil as He does.
Well, how does God know good and evil? Not by experiencing both good and evil – the Bible everywhere denies God can sin – but by determining what is good and evil as only a moral authority can. So to be like God is to decide for oneself what is good, beautiful, and true. Eve believed the satanic lie that she could live her own truth and not face any consequences. “You will not surely die,” the serpent had said.
The Truth Will Set You Free
When Jesus of Nazareth walked this planet, He talked a lot about truth. Because we’ve inherited the sin nature from Adam, we are by nature truth suppressors.[4] Jesus explained that we fall for the same old lie that duped Eve. And just as she and Adam ran and hid from God, we all run from the truth. To be more precise, Jesus said we don’t want to know the truth about ourselves. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says:
“For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:20-21, ESV)
Jesus came into an already condemned world to bear our condemnation.[5] He said that apart from Him we are trapped in the darkness of deception. On the other hand, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
The gospel of Jesus Christ is a call to repentance and surrender. To repent is to admit we have gone wrong – that our version of the truth is not, in fact, the truth. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, our sins are forgiven (including the sin of distorting the truth) and our minds are renewed. From that point forward, we’re called to live in line with the truth of the gospel.
To sum up – yes, we should speak the truth in gentleness and love, not abrasively.[6] Yes, we need to be sensitive to the feelings, personal convictions, and experiences of others. Yes, we need to respect those who are different from us. After all, in the biblical worldview they are made in the image of God and thus imbued with unfathomable dignity as His precious creations.
But let’s stop claiming things that can only mislead: “People should be able to determine what is right and wrong for themselves” or “Everyone needs to live their own truth.” As followers of the One who claimed to be “the Way, the Truth, and the life,” we need to surrender to the truth as He defines it in His Word.
"I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right." (Isaiah 45:19, ESV)
Living my truth might be the worst thing I could ever do. Instead, I am called to live God’s truth.
[1] J.P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind (NavPress: Colorado Springs, 2012). Kindle edition.
[2] This is conservative commentator Ben Shapiro’s line. For the record, I agree with much of Shapiro’s moral reasoning. Of course, because Shapiro does not believe the gospel, he and I just don’t see eye to eye on the solution to moral problems.
[3] This was the repeated message in the very dark book of Judges: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:24)
[4] See Romans 1:18-20; 5:12. According to the Bible, the universal sin is that human beings have “exchanged the truth about God for a lie.” We worship things of this world, rather than the Creator of this world.
Lamp and Light 