Today's Christians are no strangers to the idea of deconstructing their faith. One website talked about the clutter of beliefs that have been piled on to believers and the need to question to understand a personal conviction. This may be especially true for those who grew up in Christian homes and just followed the path marked by their parents, the path of least resistance for most missionaries' and pastors’ children. It’s good to make the decision to know why and what you believe.
Lee Strobel’s The Case for Faith laid this out by following the lives of the late Reverend Billy Graham and Charles Templeton. Both started as evangelists and were close friends, until Templeton saw the cover of a magazine with an African mother holding her dead baby amidst a drought-stricken country. Templeton could not reconcile a loving God allowing such to happen. Templeton walked away from his faith while Graham continued his legacy of faith until the end of his life on earth.
How did you come to faith in Christ? Chances are someone asked you this question: “If you die today, do you know where you’re going?” The pictures of what eternal life and eternal damnation look like will make it plain and clear what the best option is. Then comes the confrontation that you, like everyone else, are a sinner in need of a Savior. It doesn’t matter whether you are not a murderer or a thief and are generally a good, law-abiding citizen. You need the plan of salvation.
First, let’s talk about these pictures of eternal life and eternal damnation. Jesus talked about these destinations at the end of this age many times. In the parable of the weeds, Jesus said, “Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:40-42).
Contrast that with the wonderful place revealed to John and described in Revelation 21: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (vv.3-4). And to emphasize the fiery destination once again, it was “the lake that burns with fire and sulfur” (v.8).
The locations of the rich man and Lazarus provide us with the best images of these contrasting locations—Lazarus basking in comfort by Abraham’s side while the rich man burns in anguish, in a place of fiery torment. You can read their story in Luke 16:19-31.
Now comes the hard truth about being a sinner, as clear as crystal, with Romans 3:10 saying, “None is righteous, no not one.” Paul further stressed that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (v.23). But God did not desire for any to perish because of His great love for everyone. “Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners” (5:6), “for the wages of sin is [eternal damnation], but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (6:23).
If you were shaken by this presentation, the best destination to choose becomes even more attractive. You don’t need to watch a horrific movie like A Thief in the Night and see what a prolonged and painful experience can be. You can receive the forgiveness and grace of God through Jesus Christ right now.
A pastor said that we all have a story to tell, our personal testimony of how we came to know Christ. Have you ever reflected on your reason for believing? Did you accept Christ because you want the assurance of God’s kingdom before it’s too late and you find yourself suffering the same fate as the rich man? Did you really see yourself a condemned sinner, accepting the fact that you can’t save yourself no matter what you do, just like the thief on the cross next to Christ? Did you really understand the great sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, His victory over death when He rose from the grave, His return to His Father and His eventual return for His people? Paul said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31). And it is “…by grace…saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).
We go back again to the faith deconstruction happening in the Christian church. Does it prove that we don’t really hear much of the Word of God from the pulpit today, and just merely opinions of men? Jesus already warned us of the hypocrisy of teachers of the law in the past, saying, “So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for people to see” (Matthew 23:3-5). We now need a biblical dictionary just to make sure we understand theological concepts.
There also seems to be an ongoing battle on whose pastor has a bigger name and church membership. Somehow, the pastor’s celebrity status and number of followers create the illusion of great teachings. Paul had words for this: “When one of you says, ‘I am a follower of Paul,’ and another says, ‘I follow Apollos,’ aren’t you acting just like people of the world?” (1 Corinthians 3:4). Remember how many have fallen into this trap of disillusionment when a renown pastor fails and the members wake up to the knowledge of a life lived in a lie.
It’s easy to focus on circumstances rather than keep our eyes on the Lord. Look at Peter who was walking on water towards Jesus yet, fearing the strong winds, he started to sink. Or for Thomas who heard the news of the risen Christ, yet wanted proof that it was true, and only believed when Jesus asked him to put his hands through the wounds on His hands and sides. What happened to their faith-walk journey of three years under the tutelage of Jesus? Why the constant back-and-forth of believing and doubting?
Today, we like to talk about ourselves as “under construction” as an excuse for our failures when the truth is we aren't focused on Christ. Yet, we firmly stand on the grace and mercy of God that is always available to us. This is true, but would you say it’s abused by constant sinning from those who call themselves followers of Christ? This time of lawlessness we’re living in, when Christians are no different in behavior from unbelievers, we take so much comfort in God’s love and grace, not in Jesus’ invitation to abide in Him and the obedience of His commands and statutes.
We are asked why and how we love God. Yet we have unexplainable and inexpressible feelings. Don’t you think that it’s easy to grow cold in our love for Him because we truly don’t understand why and what we believe? Something hard to articulate may not be based on a good foundation because it’s not based on the character of God and our understanding of truth.
Now here’s another parable, that of the net, that Jesus explained the same way as the parable of the weeds. A variety of fish were caught in the net. “When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:48-50).
Let’s not be blind to the fact that not all sitting in the church are true believers in Jesus Christ and, at the end of the age, the separation of the true and false believers will take place. Even today, the process is happening as we see people we know falling away. How hard would it have been for Templeton to return to Christ after admitting to Strobel how much he missed Jesus, but still chose to remain an agnostic? Or Kevin Max, former Christian artist from dc Talk and Audio Adrenaline, now known as an “exvangelical” after rejecting Christianity. Were his songs of praise merely words to him even then?
We go back again to untangling the web of doctrines taught from the pulpit. Think now of the seven woes in the Matthew 23, calling teachers of the Word hypocrites and blind fools and guides. It’s important to note that Jesus mentioned the dangers of neglecting to teach and practice the “weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23). Could this be because we are being taught that the law has been done away with and it’s all about love and grace for New Testament believers?
Remember that our faith journey is personal, and we are more responsible for it than anyone else. We are encouraged to not simply remain as “infants in Christ” but to feed on “spiritual solid food” to obtain spiritual maturity. It will lead to a great discovery of the “depth and richness and wisdom and knowledge of God” that will firmly anchor our faith (Romans 11:33).
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Luisa Collopy is an author, speaker and a women’s Bible study teacher. She also produces Mula sa Puso (From the Heart) in Tagalog (her heart language), released on FEBC Philippines stations. Luisa loves spending time with her family over meals and karaoke!