Why read ‘The Reason for God’?

I am just coming to the end of reading The Reason for God by Tim Keller. With just one chapter to go I can say already that it is a book I would recommend to anyone and this is why:

If you are a skeptic, agnostic, atheist or in any way negative towards the Christian faith then this book attacks all of the major topics that I’m sure you would have questions about. The first half of the book seeks to answer some of those big questions and statements such as ‘how could a good God allow suffering’ and ‘science has disproved christianity‘. Having looked at these kind of questions and arguments the second half of the book is then to show you why you should believe Christianity. For this reason I would endorse this to any non-christian.

But if you are a Christian then I would recommend this book just as much. I think there are lots of big questions that Christians have about their faith that they are often scared to ask and try to brush under the carpet – this is a great book for looking at some of them and seeing the answers for them. My main reason for recommendation though would have to be how this has encouraged my walk with Jesus. A little snippet fresh from the chapter about the resurrection:

‘Sometimes people approach me and say, ‘I really struggle with this aspect of Christian teaching. I like this part of Christian belief, but I don’t think I can accept that part.’ I usually respond: ‘If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all He said; if He didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what He said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like His teaching but whether or not He rose from the dead.’ This is how the first hearers felt who heard reports of the resurrection. They knew that if it was true it meant we can’t live our lives any way we want. It also meant we don’t have to be afraid of anything, not roman swords, not cancer, nothing. If Jesus rose from the dead, it changes everything.’

The rest of the chapter brilliantly and heart-warmingly shows why.

Whoever you are and whatever your stance to the Christian faith I wholly recommend this book.

Calvin on Preaching

Here’s a statement made by John Calvin that is as relevant to Pastors and Preachers today as it was when he said it:

‘Let the pastors boldly dare all things by the word of God… Let them constrain all the power, glory, and excellence of the world to give place to and to obey the divine majesty of this word. Let them enjoin everyone by it, from the highest to the lowest. Let them edify the body of Christ. Let them devastate Satan’s reign. Let them pasture the sheep, kill the wolves, instruct and exhort the rebellious. Let them bind and loose thunder and lightning, if necessary, but let them do all according to the word of God.’

– Taken from John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God by John Piper

The Genius of C.S. Lewis

I think that recently I have come to appreciate far more the genius that God gave C.S. Lewis. Having been an atheist for such a long period in his life he met Jesus and had his life completely turned on its head.

At the moment I am reading Mere Christianity, one of his all time classics and it is just jam packed with goodness.

Here is one thing that I thought especially great when he was talking about finding satisfaction:

The reason why it (anything other than God) can never succeed is this: God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

What an amazing thought! Out of all the things I look to give me satisfaction nothing can fulfil me fully because it is not God. One day it surely will be this way though when we are satisfied in Him forever!

I urge you, if you havent before, read works by C.S. Lewis.

The Lost Symbol

Ever since The Da Vinci Code was released all of Dan Brown’s new releases seem to have been met with good anticipation and lots of high expectation! I have to say that his newest book, The Lost Symbol, did not disappoint!

I just finished reading it yesterday and thought it was brilliant. Dan Brown is a very skilled writer and he manages to keep you in suspense the whole way through the book with so many different twists constantly happening. I love watching films and when I read this book, similarly with his others, I found it is almost as though I am watching them in my head as I picture everything that is going on.

Naturally, the books always create a bit of a stir because of what they say mainly about religion. In this book Brown actually tries to reconcile the two and show how science actually points towards religion, but of course there are some controversial statements and misinterpretations of the bible that are made but I wont post about them, rather about a great statement made about the reality of death.

When one of the characters, I wont mention who, feels that they soon may die, they say the following:

‘[The Character] strained to comprehend that these would be [their] final moments of life. Soon [they] would cease to exist… everything [they] were… or had been… or would ever be… was ending… In this moment, [The Character] realized [their] true insignificance in the universe. It was as lonely and humbling a feeling as [they] had ever experienced.’

Doesnt this seem to capture brilliantly some of the reality that we are not the be-all-and-end all in the universe. Actually there is One who is far above us, who is awesomely Holy and the only eternal God. I guess near death experiences or things of a similar nature really can give a harsh awakening to the reality of death, and the eternal things that await.

Copyright Dan Brown 2009 – extract taken from The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Why Me?

Roger Carswell

Why Me? by Roger Carswell is a book containing 8 short stories of people who’s lives have been hugely changed and affected by horrible circumstances they have been through. From disabled and dying children to murdered spouses, this book will move you as you read it.

Instead of writing a work of Christian Apologetics about suffering and evil Carswell instead just hand picked 8 individuals who all testified to the grace of God in their lives. They all talk of how God had used their bad circumstances to bring about good and how all of them seemed to have a deeper relationship with the living Lord as a result of what they went through. Some even said they felt the tangible presence of God with them as they went through their tragedies.

This book will certainly move you and hopefully helps us all to see how God is always in control. He will always bring about good for those who love Him (Rom 8:28).

I liked the way the book was finished. Carswell reflects on how the Christian in someone who has God to thank when everything is going well but they also have a God to cry out to when everything is going wrong. He is a God who will always listen and never abandon us, the God who said

“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”         Matthew 28:20

It is an amazing thing that God should care about us, but He does!

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.       1 Peter 5:7

John Piper is incredibly wise on the subject when he comments in some of his poetry

Beware the thought that all is vain, in time God’s wisdom will be plain.

C.S Lewis described pain and suffering as being God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world, this is so often true. It is so often in the darker times of life that people ask questions of the meaning of life and what the point in life is when there is so much hurt. Thank God that we have a God who knows what it is to suffer, and who is always with us.

This Psalm I have found to be hugely encouraging to me:

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

The Lord will watch over our coming and our going, in this life and the next, now and forevermore!

The Freedom of The Christian

Recently I read The Freedom of the Christian by Martin Luther on line at Theology Network.

Far from doing a book review now, although I do suggest you read it, is more so just to talk about the wonderful theology that Luther’s eyes were opened too.

When Luther first understood that he was saved by Grace through faith it totally changed him and he wrote many great works after that. He was said to write quicker than the printers could publish! I think the illustration I like most is the one he uses much of a prostitute marrying a King. He explains the doctrine of justification by faith in using this example. If a prostitute marries a King then when she marries him it doesn’t mean that suddenly she is not a prostitute and that she has not done all of the things she has done, but now because of her marriage to the King she becomes Queen because she is married to the King! In marriage don’t the Bride and Groom vow ‘everything I am is yours and everything I have I share with you’? So it is the same with Jesus imparting His Righteousness to us. When we are reconciled to God through faith in Jesus then, although we remain sinners, we become righteous by our association and joining to the Righteous One! Everything Jesus is becomes ours because of our joining to Him, and everything we have which is sinful he takes on Himself. I love this illustration and the greatness of what it illustrates.

This is the whole basis and essence of the Christian Faith, and it is what our freedom stems from. As I try to learn more of Jesus I want to learn to love this doctrine with all my heart as I realise that I am so sinful and that I am in desperate need of a great Saviour. Praise God for Jesus! Trough Him we are totally clean, totally free! This means we don’t have to try and earn God’s approval because Jesus has done this, and now God looks at us and is totally happy with us because He sees Jesus’ righteousness, this is truly awesome!