Faith for diagnosis and cure

Very recently the doctors diagnosed that the non-Hodgkins lymphoma, from which I have been free for two years, has returned. As at this point I have some mild symptoms, but nothing that yet stops me living normally day-to-day. I only went to the doctor really because those symptoms, though mild, felt exactly like just before I was taken ill with the disease the first time around. 

But the point is that even though I feel essentially fine, with a few aches and pains, the diagnosis from the experts is that I am very ill and that I need very intensive treatment in order to completely cure me. 

Given that I don’t feel like it’s that serious, it takes faith to believe what the doctors say. In order to submit myself to treatment I have to believe that the doctors know what they are talking about and that the diagnosis is correct. This is especially true this time because the symptoms are not yet serious. The doctors can talk about the evidence they have, but I still have to take their word that what they say is evidence is really evidence. 

I also have to believe that the treatment will be helpful and represents my best chance to avoid the worst consequences of my disease. And again, I have to take the doctors’ word on that. 

It strikes me that it’s a little bit similar to when we talk about the Christian gospel to people. We try to explain that the diagnosis is bad, but curable. According to Jesus we are heading towards the wrath of God because of our selfish, self-centred, rejection of God and His ways. Even though you may feel fine, although perhaps niggled by the odd disappointment or upset, you are not fine. The sin in your life is a serious illness that needs to be dealt with. 

And then we explain to people that the cure is to have faith in Jesus Christ, repenting from old sins and selfish ways, and living for Him. In order to submit to that cure, we must believe both that the cure is available and effective, and that the diagnosis is correct. 

I guess it’s not exactly an earth-shattering observation! 

Some people have more of a problem believing the diagnosis – we don’t naturally like to believe there are unseen problems that can be very serious. We like to think that if we feel fine then we are fine. Because if our feelings are not an accurate measure of our health, then how can we really ever know whether we are in danger of dying or not? That means we have to rely on someone else to tell us, and that means we are not self-sufficient. The same is true in the spiritual realm as in the physical – we should listen to God’s diagnosis in the spiritual realm, just as we should listen to the doctors’ diagnosis in the physical. 

Some people don’t have a problem believing the diagnosis – mainly those whose senses align with reality, those who feel as bad as they really are. In a spiritual sense, there are those who don’t have a problem admitting they are sinners because they acutely feel the guilt and they know they deserve to face some sort of punishment. But they don’t believe there is an adequate cure available. They can’t accept that God may have dealt with their sin – by punishing His own Son instead. But God promises that whoever repents and puts their trust in Jesus Christ will be saved, and will have eternal life. ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16) 

I suppose that one worthwhile observation to leave you with is that whether we talk about the diagnosis or the treatment/cure, in both the physical and the spiritual realm, it is better to trust in those who look objectively at your body or soul. If we trust our own feelings about how well we are or how likely we are to be cured then we can tend either towards complacency or despondency. 

God shows us in His Word, the Bible, that we are all sinners, and that we are all facing an eternity of Hell apart from His saving grace. He tells us that Jesus Christ came ‘to seek and to save the lost’ (Luke 19:10). His Word is more reliable than our feelings. 

So I urge you to believe the diagnosis and the cure that are told us by God Himself, the Creator, the One who knows everything… and if you believe to go on believing, no matter what.

Loving by talking about sin

Whose Rules Rule? - Part Eleven

 

Last time I was trying, poorly in my own judgment, to contrast the outcomes of non-religious morality (selfishness and oppression) with Christian morality (love, charity and care for everyone not matter how sinful). I really wanted to show that for a Christian to say that something is wrong, even while they attempt to ensure that it is made illegal, does not mean that they will be unkind to the people who do those wrong things. We too are sinners, under the same moral judgment of God. But having repented and accepted the Lord Jesus, we take seriously the command to love fellow sinners, fellow humans. We don't take it personally, as the non-religious person does, when people do things we believe are wrong.

The greatest demonstration of love was the love of God for sinners, in giving His only Son to die in our place, so that through faith and repentance we might be set right with Him and have eternal life. "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

If God loved sinners that much, we should also love sinners (i.e. everybody). We saw that last time.

But what is the greatest demonstration of love that Christians can show?

As a kind of parable, consider a man who knows an organisation that will give anyone immense riches if they simply come and ask. This organisation is wealthy enough to do that for everyone. What would be the most loving thing that man could do? Surely it would be to tell everyone?

Consider another parable. A man can see a bunch of people who have inadvertently passed a "danger!" sign and are wandering towards a hidden cliff edge. What is the most loving thing that he can do? Surely it would be to tell them!

Hence, as Christians, when we see people being sinful and immoral and bringing God's wrath upon themselves (which starts in this life and is finalised at the Last Judgment), while we know God, through Christ, will give anyone eternal life who comes to Him in repentance and faith, what is the most loving thing we can do? Surely it is to tell people.

That's one of the main reasons why moral debates about homosexuality, adultery and marriage, for instance, are so important within the modern church. It is not because we want to judge others by our own standards. It is because God judges by His own standards (which are clear), and we rob people of the opportunity to repent before God, and obtain eternal life in a perfected creation, if we do not call wrong things wrong. For Christians to avoid moral statements or water them down for the sake of peace in a secular society is unloving. For Christians to make strong statements about sin and morality is not unloving if it is done with the good news in mind, that all sinners may have eternal life if they repent and trust in Jesus Christ, who was punished in our place. It is the highest love we can show.

All may come! All may be saved!

Whose Rules Rule? - Part Nine

We learnt last time that the equality of human beings within a Christian worldview involves not only being created as special by God, in His image, but certain other things that are universally true of human beings. As human beings we are universally tainted by sin - we have a sinful nature. Our natural inclination is to sin and to be self-centred, rather than God-centred. And as universally sinful we are all headed towards a Judgment Day that will not go well for us, and we would all be sent to Hell without some intervention. The fact that we all die is one sign of that truth. Physical death in human beings would not have happened except as a consequence of sin. But we face the prospect of something much worse than death.

The good news is that Jesus Christ, God's own Son visible 2,000 years ago as a human being, died to take away sin and take away wrath. His death was the punishment for the sins of all those who believe in Him. He took our place. He suffered not just the physical agony of the crucifixion, preceded by the beatings, lashings, ridicule and betrayal. He suffered the separation from God that we deserve - on the cross He cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) That was a reference to a psalm of the old scriptures, but it reflected what He was going through on the cross. He was put out of God's presence, away from everything good. In a very real way, He suffered hell for us.

But He didn't suffer hell forever, as we would. He rose from the dead, with a perfected body, to show that He has conquered sin and death and Hell. Instead of those bad things, we can look forward to also rising from the dead and having a perfected body. And on that day we will also see a perfected creation, what the Bible calls "the New Heaven and New Earth" (Revelation 21; see also 2 Peter 3:13).

And Jesus did that all for us, for whoever will put their trust in Him.

The offer is universal, to every single human being on the planet. We are all equally graciously offered eternal life, forgiveness of our sins, renewed access to God (the source of all good) forever.

Going back to Romans chapter 5, verses 6-11, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

And later in verses 18-19, "just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."

We are all sinners, we all deserve God's wrath, and we are all offered forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

The way that we get access to this free gift of eternal life is simply through repentance and faith (see Acts 3:19 and 16:31, for example).

Faith is believing not just the facts about Jesus, not just believing that the Bible is true. Faith is trusting in the person, Jesus Christ, that He has done the necessary work so that you can look forward to receiving the promised forgiveness and eternal life.

Repentance means you stop doing sinful things. It means you stop acting like you are the final authority, and you acknowledge that God is the final authority and you submit to His authority. You stop doing things because of your self-centred desires, and start doing things because you want to do what God wants.

Sometimes I feel like we ought to be specific occasionally. So, for instance, repentance means that if you are an abortionist, you give up your job killing babies. If you are a prostitute, you stop selling sex. If you engage in homosexual sex, you do so no longer. If you are sleeping with a person you are not married to, you stop. If you are violently aggressive, you become peaceful. If you are involved in fraud, you stop and be honest. If you are greedy and selfish, you start to be selfless and open. And I could go on…

Repentance means acknowledging the sins of the past as sins, and resolving never to return to them.

But it's also much more than specific lists of dos and don'ts. Repentance is about recognising that God is above all, and we should obey Him, and trust Him, and if that means giving up something that He says is sinful then we do it happily. Repentance means we no longer usurp God's authority in our own lives. We no longer act as if we are the final authority when it comes to right and wrong in our thoughts, words and deeds. We acknowledge God's final authority. And that is a fundamental shift in worldview. I hope that has become clear over the nine parts of this series so far.

Hence when Christians speak about morality, calling for purity and repentance, we do so from a standpoint of equality, not supposed superiority. We are not only equally created, but equally sinners, equally wrath-deserving and equally called to repentance and faith, equally offered forgiveness and eternal life.

Our view of ourselves should give us a humble attitude when we stand for God's morality, and maintain that abortion is wrong, pornography is wrong, etc, because we know that we are not superior in God's sight.

It is Jesus Christ alone who makes the difference.

Riots in England 2011 - thinking about the reaction

A lot of articles have been written trying to come to terms with the recent riots and looting in England (August 2011). Most people I spoke to while it was going on were asking "Why?" 

In fact, just stating the fact that the incidents occurred in England says a lot. Nothing of note happened in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. So there were no sectarian undertones involved. There may initially have been a hint of racial disgruntlement, but this was actually expressed peacefully and was not part of the violence. The attacks were mainly on property, rather than people. People who got hurt were almost invariably protecting property. No organisation, as far as I can tell, played any part in encouraging or organising violence. 

But why? Few of those involved can really give a reason or purpose that anyone else can understand or believe. Many people have attempted explanations based on political agendas. Some point to the withdrawal of community services because of cost cutting, and the social exclusion of the lower classes. Others point to the dismantling of the fabric of society (e.g. the attack on the traditional family) by the "liberal intelligentsia" and the previous socialist government. Others cite the "entitlement culture" which encourages people to feel they should expect to be provided for, whether they work hard or not.

We've heard the offenders spoken of as "feral rats". I've heard people I know rant about them, saying they should be packed off to Afghanistan to see what it's like at the sharp end. Some have ranted that they should be lined up and shot, or that they don't deserve any place in our society.

So there has been widespread condemnation of the rioters and thieves, and a whole lot of finger pointing as we try to understand the reasons. And on top of that there was criticism of the police for not preventing it all.

The Prime Minister spoke of pockets of society being, "not just broken, but sick." In the Daily Mail article by columnist Melanie Phillips (11 August 2011, www.dailymail.co.uk), she begins her lengthy analysis by saying that these events were the, "all-too-predictable outcome of a three-decade liberal experiment which tore up virtually every basic social value." She goes on later to say that, "What has been fuelling all this is not poverty, as has so predictably been claimed, but moral collapse… We are not merely up against feral children, but feral parents." 

She brings her article to a close by saying that, "Repairing this terrible damage also means, dare I say it, a return to the energetic transmission of Biblical morality… When church leaders stop prattling like soft-headed social workers and start preaching, once again, the moral concepts that underlie our civilisation, and when our political leaders decide to oppose the culture war that has been waged against that civilisation rather than supinely acquiescing in its destruction, then - and only then - will we start to get to grips with this terrible problem."

And lest I be misunderstood in what I am about to say, I believe that Melanie Phillips has some very perceptive observations. I too have been concerned through the New Labour years at the attempt to break down the family, but I think if we're honest the rot started a lot further back than 1997. And it wasn't 1979 either, when the socialists say that we all became materialist through the work of the Thatcher government. It was probably also further back than the "permissive society" that boomed in the 1960s (before I was born). 

I also think it is right to track down lawbreakers and see that they face justice - that should go without saying. People who do wrong things should be punished for their wrongdoing.

So what is my take on it all… for what it's worth!?

I tried to think of where Jesus might have focussed his attention. Did He condemn the rioters, fraudsters and thieves of His day? Did He condemn the lone-parent families, the prostitutes and the drunks? Who were His harshest words reserved for?

The conclusion I came to was that Jesus reserved His harshest words for the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the religious traditionalists, who thought they were above everyone else because they kept the law. They looked down on the tax collectors (fraudsters), prostitutes, the adulterous, the irreligious. They would have been the ones wringing their hands over the collapse of the moral fabric of society. They were morally upright and perfectionist down into the fine detail.

But why did Jesus condemn them? Why did He call them "whitewashed tombs" (Matthew 23:27)? 

Basically it was because they thought they were better than everyone else. They thought that their morality and uprightness made them more acceptable to God than the ordinary Jew, and certainly a cut above the tax collector and sinner. They followed the letter of God's law, and even embellished it, but they did not understand what God's law was all about.

And that's what I think we see today too. We see non-religious Pharisees, the respectable middle-classes, the Daily Mail readers… those who spit blood as they talk about lone parents on benefits, immigrants, youths outside Tesco Express, the language of young people today. We think we are so much better than the looter, the rioter, the inarticulate gangster ("init bruv"!), the heroin addict, the binge drinker, the uneducated. In contrast we are respectable, we are upright, we give to charities, we are on the school PTA, we discipline our children, say 'please' and 'thank you', we don't have too many children and we are polite to our neighbours.

I think it would be just as much a shock now as it was then for the Pharisees to hear Jesus call us sinners, as much sinners as the rioter. Perhaps Melanie Phillips might be shocked (although I don't know her, so I shouldn't personalise my point) to be called a sinner alongside the looter and the liberals and Harriet Harman.

The truth is that Jesus calls us all to repent of our sin, and to turn to Him. If we "return to the energetic transmission of Biblical morality" - and we should - it should be to serve the energetic transmission of the good news of salvation for all sinners. Truly Biblical morality, of the kind that Jesus preached, is the kind that calls us all sinners, all under the judgment of God, and all heading for Hell. But the Christian gospel is the good news that all are called to repentance and faith, and all are offered eternal life through Jesus' death and resurrection.

And I could leave it there. But I think this opens a bit of a can of worms. You see, whilst the Jewish Pharisees of Jesus' day at least believed in God and knew what sin was, we middle-class Pharisees of the 21st Century do not even comprehend the word sin. We do not see why God shouldn't accept us. In our own eyes we are not bad people. I remember many years ago bringing an unbelieving friend along to a Sunday morning church service at which Lindsay Brown (of IFES and Lausanne) was speaking. Lindsay spoke very strongly of the need for repentance. My friend was extremely offended and fumed quietly afterwards that he had no need to repent because he had done nothing wrong. Many of us these days think like that.

So I'm going to spend a few more articles reflecting on Christian belief about sin and morality, how we should talk about it as Christians, and how it contrasts rationally with the non-religious worldviews of 21st Century Britain. I hope and pray that it will be useful.

Prayer - Ask for Anything? (Part Fourteen)

Pray!

So after studying thirteen or fourteen Bible passages about prayer and faith, what were my thoughts as I turned back to the passage that had set me thinking? That's what I will share with you as I come close to the end of this series. I learnt a lot about prayer and about God, and I hope that you have done too, as I've taken you through the verses that challenged me.

The verse that triggered my thoughts was James 5:14-15, "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." Is it as simple as that? Pray, and get better?

Back in Part 5 of this series I said that, when we consider the rather blunt statements James makes throughout his letter, we ought to have in mind the purpose of the letter. Once you get to know him James is not difficult to understand. He's just knock-down blunt! 

He starts his letter, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (1:1-4)

He is straight to the point. The letter is all about the right response to suffering and hardship. It's not scattered, random, thoughts ranging from temptation, to favouritism, to faith and deeds, to grumbling, to prayer, to healing sick people. It is challenging the responses to hardship that come from lack of faith. It is encouraging an uncompromising walk in the wisdom of God, through faith, with love, underpinned by prayer.

So when we come to the fifth chapter, let's spend a little time looking at how he leads into the verse we are looking at. Here's the passage (James 5:7-18) in full so that we can refer to it:

"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 

"Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. 

"Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned. 

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 

"Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." 

James has been condemning, in the verses immediately before this, the rich believers who are using their wealth as protection against persecution and hardship, rather than helping their poorer brothers. They have "hoarded wealth" (v3) just in case they might need it as they face hard times for the Lord. But they have ignored those who have hardly anything and the people who are starving to death around them.

The godly response to this hardship is not in using wealth, but to, "be patient… until the Lord's coming." (v7) They are not to "grumble against each other" (v9) over who has and who hasn't, or whether they can avoid persecution. In short, they are to have faith, believing and trusting that the Lord is coming again to bring judgment on their oppressors and bring them salvation as He promised.

He gives the example of the Old Testament prophets (vv10-11), who persevered in the face of suffering, never compromising, never failing to proclaim God's Word even if they were tortured, imprisoned or ignored. He gives the example of Job, who refused to speak ill of God, even in sickness, poverty and bereavement. And he assures us that, "The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." (v11)

When he says, in verse 12, "do not swear… Let your 'Yes' be yes, and your 'No", no…", he is warning against trying to bargain with God: "I swear on my life, I'll do xyz if only you will relieve my suffering…" We are to simply do the right thing because it's right, patiently waiting for our vindication at the coming of the Lord. 

Is anyone in trouble? "He should pray." (v13) God is full of compassion and mercy. We don't need to swear and try to bargain with God and twist His arm to do good to us. We should pray, knowing that He intends our hardship for our own good, persevering so that we, "may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (1:4)

Are we happy? Let's not, in complacency, forget the one who provides "every good and perfect gift" (1:17). "Let him sing songs of praise." (5:13) Don't neglect prayer and praise when you are in trouble or when you are happy. Both are from God and are for our good.

Are we sick (vv14ff)? Here we get to what we wanted to understand. Isn't the tendency to complain, to languish in bed feeling sorry for ourselves, to ask why God has done this to me or let this happen to me? "He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord." James bluntly says, in effect, "don't just lie there! Have faith in God and go and gather the church around you and ask for God's help!"

James is not here giving a ritual or an instruction book for divine healing. He is telling us to wake up and get serious with God! Anointing with oil is not a magical remedy. Having the elders come and pray is not giving them wizard-like powers. Those are to picture someone who seriously, truly believes that God is powerful and compassionate. When one of us is sick, we should get on our knees, calling on the name of the Lord in earnest, persevering prayer.

So James says in v15, "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." Literally, the phrase is, "… will save the sick person." In the context, making the sick person physically cured of his sickness seems, at first sight, to be the primary intention, but James doesn't elaborate. Likewise, the phrase, "if he has sinned, he will be forgiven" does not imply that James makes a link between sin and sickness, as it appears at first. As we shall see, James is pointing at the mercy of God, who forgives our sins freely through faith in Christ and repentance.

So James is expressing the confidence that if we pray in faith, a sick person will definitely be saved - those who trust in Christ to such an extent that they confess their sins, ask for prayer, and are confident of forgiveness through him will receive forgiveness and eternal life. But James does hold before us the possibility that we may also receive physical short-term salvation from our particular illnesses. Whether our salvation is an immediate freedom from sickness, or a complete freedom from sickness and death after the Lord's coming (which James has only been talking about 8 verses earlier), faith manifested in earnest prayer will bring it about. Whether we are raised up from our present sick bed, or raised up from the grave, faith in Christ, manifested in prayer is what gives us access.

I think this is the right way of looking at the verse, since James says at the start of the passage that we are to "be patient… until the Lord's coming." Jesus never promised complete freedom from hardship or sickness before His second coming, even if we pray our socks off. In John 16:33, Jesus assures us that, "In this world you will have trouble." His promise is not to always relieve us of trouble. His promise is, "But take heart! I have overcome the world." In particular, Jesus did not promise His followers freedom from death before He comes again. Those who are not chosen to be alive when He returns will definitely die. And that means that some sicknesses will end in death, and some sicknesses will last until death. The greatest thing that Jesus did for us by taking the punishment for our sins on the cross, and rising from the dead, was to give us victory over death. Death is not to be feared, because it is the gateway into eternal life, when we will all be "mature and complete, not lacking anything" (1:4). As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:56-57, "The sting of death in sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

What James wants from us ultimately, which is what God wants from us, he spells out in v16: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." We are to be a community, a church, a family that loves and cares for each other, so that we pray for each other. We are to be a family that strives together for righteousness, humbly confessing our sins and our failings, and encouraging each other to trust Jesus for forgiveness, and encouraging each other to look forward to His coming. In a community like that our prayers will be "powerful and effective".

However, lest we shrink from prayer because we know that we are not perfect, he gives the example of Elijah in verses 17 and 18. "Elijah was a man just like us." If you read about Elijah in the book of 1 Kings in the Old Testament, you will find that he showed both great faith and great cowardice. He argued with God and then spoke boldly in His name. He had failings and fears just like we do. And yet when he prayed God brought a drought, and when he prayed again God brought rain. God answered Elijah's prayers in an amazing way.

To quote George Stulac's commentary, "Having emphasised righteousness as a condition for effective praying, James is not wanting Christians to postpone praying while they try to attain some level of perfection or super-spirituality… James is saying: Strive earnestly for the goal of righteousness, but get down immediately to the business of praying." (p186)

And I can't think of a better way to sum up the passage in James 5, and indeed probably the whole of James' letter, than with Stulac again: "In your trials, you don't need the power gained by money or favouritism or selfishness or fighting or swearing; use the power of prayer, for which you need righteousness. Commit yourself to doing what is right without compromise; then you may rely on God in prayer for all your needs." (p185)

I'll write again to summarise the lessons from all these studies, but if there is one thing that has come through time after time it is this: Even though God does not promise to give us everything we ask for without exception, He is our Father, He is compassionate and merciful, He loves His children so much that He purposed that His only Son should die so that we can spend eternity enjoying Him in Whom is the greatest joy, and He wants us to pray. He enjoys giving us things we pray for, if they are according to His will. 

So I want to encourage you, as I have been challenged, if we have learnt nothing else together studying these passages - pray! Pray! Pray! Strive for righteousness, strive to know God's will from His Word, and pray some more! Pray privately. Pray with the church. Pray for healing. Pray for strength. Pray for more righteousness. Pray for small things. Pray for big things. Pray for amazing things. Pray at home. Pray at work. Pray in bed. Pray at mealtimes. "Pray continually!" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Pray! Pray! Pray!

Reflections on What it Will Be Like Meeting God on Judgment Day

When we think about dying and meeting God we should be afraid, afraid enough to think how we can prepare for that day. We will all die one day, and when we do we will meet our Maker! An atheist may say they don't believe they will have any conscious experience after death, and therefore they have nothing to be afraid of. But God has told us that we will all face Him after the end of our life in this world. We can choose whether we believe that or not, but that will not affect the truth of the situation. And the prospect of meeting the Creator, the Lawmaker, the Judge, the All-Powerful, the Ruler of Everything, should make us nervous.

I had an experience recently that made me think about this. It's not an experience I really wanted to talk about. I would rather forget about it, to be honest. But for the sake of a helpful illustration I will share! If someone finds this helpful then perhaps it will make a bad experience a bit more bearable!!

I had a claim for "Jobseekers Allowance" (a UK state benefit for the unemployed) turned down in 2009 when I had been out of work for eight months. I thought that was jolly unfair and so I appealed against the decision. I thought nothing more of it, since I finally found an interim management contract, and then fell ill. It was not worth chasing. But then a few of months ago I got a letter acknowledging my appeal and inviting me to a tribunal to hear the case. The hearing was several weeks ago, at the end of 2010.

I went along to the hearing having done a little preparation, but not armed with enough evidence to back up my case. I completely underestimated the formality and seriousness of the occasion. And I was utterly humiliated!

The case was heard by a "judge". Ok, not a real judge, but an independent lawyer with authority to judge in the tribunal. I walked into the room alone and sat at a desk facing the judge's bench, which was raised up on a platform. He spoke with a confident, posh accent - like the judges in the TV courtroom dramas.

He chided me for not bringing enough evidence, made me feel very small and reduced all my arguments to mumbling. I had set up my affairs in a particular way, and had not ordered them correctly in a way that would allow me to claim benefits. The fact that I had reached the point of selling a car, cashing in mortgage endowment policies and maxing out credit cards was of no interest. The fact that I had not asked advice from someone who could have given me good advice was of no consequence (even though I had asked advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau!). I had tripped over the letter of the law, I should have known better and my appeal was a waste of everyone's time. And since I had earned a fair amount of money before my lengthy spell out of work I was made to feel bad for even applying for benefits in the first place.

I wished I had taken the whole thing more seriously, but it was too late. I wished I had been better prepared, but it was too late. I wished I had brought an advisor or a representative with me, but it was too late. (Actually, to be perfectly honest, I wished that I had just given up on the claim in 2009 and not bothered with the appeal!)

My point is not the rights or wrongs of my case. My point is that the experience of sitting in front of an unsympathetic judge, on my own, with no advocate, no advisor, in a quiet room on a grey Tuesday afternoon, and receiving what I felt was a "telling off", was extremely unpleasant. I would rather forget about it.

Without Christ, when we face God, the Judge of all People, we too would go before Him alone. We would feel exposed. We would realise how unprepared we are. We would kick ourselves because it would be too late to do anything about it. We would kick ourselves for not taking this court more seriously. All our arguments and complaints against Him would be reduced to mumbling. We would not be able to exonerate ourselves. God's courtroom would be infinitely more forbidding and scary than the mini-courtroom I sat in. God would not have to say very much before our arguments would crumble, and we would realise that we should have known. And instead of being free to walk out of the hearing into the bleak streets of Reading, with only an ear-bashing and a failed appeal, we would go straight to face eternal punishment.

Many of us know this deep within ourselves, and we fear it. How will God, who sees everything, look upon our impurities, our selfishness, our greed, our sins? Can we really comfort ourselves with not being as bad as the worst? We're not Myra Hindley, Saddam Hussain or Adolf Hitler, but is that good enough? Everyone does things that are wrong, but is that a good enough excuse? Who will help us after we die to make our case before God, the Creator, the Judge? 

If we dwell long enough on the subject of our death, we realise that it will be a lonely journey. Can we really believe it will be a journey into darkness and nothing? Or will it be a lonely journey into the presence of the One whom we have spent our lives trying to avoid? And if we have spent our lives trying to avoid Him, how angry will He be? Who will help us then?

There is only one person who can help us. And only one way we can avoid this humiliation. That is Jesus Christ.

The Bible says that, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 1:8-2:2) (NB. "Propitiation" is where God's judgment upon us because of our sin is turned aside by Jesus standing in our place, taking our punishment upon himself.)

Jesus is our advocate with God the Father. Jesus stands for us in the courtroom of God if we have faith in Him and repent of our sins. He speaks in our defence. God could justly punish every human being with eternal damnation for our rejection of His rule in our lives. And yet because Jesus, the perfect Son of God, came as a human being on earth, and took the punishment that should have been handed to His people, by dying on the cross and suffering separation from His Father, God can look at us in that courtroom and acquit us. And we will be acquitted, not because God simply sweeps our sins and wrongdoing under the carpet, but because His justice has already been satisfied by Jesus' death. All the wrath of God that we deserve was brought down on the head of the Son of God.

And God, through Christ, offers that forgiveness, to everyone if they will only turn, acknowledging their sin against Him, trusting in Jesus.

The bad news of life without Christ is death without Christ - a lonely journey to a courtroom where wrath with be full, wrath will be forever and wrath will be just.

The good news of life with Christ is eternal life after death with Christ - a life accompanied by the best friend and advocate anyone ever had, freedom to enjoy the new perfect creation that God will bring in to replace this passing universe at the end of time, a life never having to come in to the courtroom of God because Jesus has been there on our behalf.

Some more verses:

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8)

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:36)

If you are not a Christian, understand that this is serious and true, and this is the reason why your Christian friends want to convert you so much!! Your urgent attention will not be wasted for all eternity.

For Christians these thoughts should fill us again with gratitude and worship, that we should be forgiven and redeemed even though we deserve wrath. And we should be filled with compassion and concern for our friends and family members who don't yet believe the good news, leading us to urgent prayer and taking every opportunity, with humility and grace, to share this salvation with them.

May none of us have to face the courtroom of God, but instead, through Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world, may we look forward to eternal life and friendship with God.