Dear Jason…

March 26, 2012— I was walking by the bridge the other night. Actually, I got engaged there just a few months ago. My fiancée sat on the same bench and looked out over the dark river and the city beyond – and I couldn’t help but think about you Jason and that terrible night.

For me, it was dark and a perfect night for a walk. I guess you and your fiancée and friend though the same. It’s what 20 year olds do. That train bridge would have given you a spectacular and stunning view of the city, for sure. Little did you know that this evening stroll would change my life.

I’ll be honest Jason, I haven’t quite been the same person since that night. When I saw Ginny running on the bridge, I didn’t know what I was seeing. I’d never seen a human being on a massive train bridge. The dam below was empty that night, so it was quieter than usual – but when I heard her weeping, I knew something was wrong.

Then the sirens. I jumped off that special bench and had to run on the sidewalk around to the other side of the bridge and there she was, almost falling on the ground. I tried to get her to settle down, but she couldn’t keep from crying out unintelligible phrases.

Finally, I realized that you had fallen. [...]

I preached this sermon at Ryker’s Ridge Baptist Church on the morning of November, 13 2011. In this message, I speak of Paul’s gracious calling as an apostle, his gracious welcome to the churches at Galatia, and his gracious warning to those who are believing and teaching a false gospel. Grace is something that characterizes Paul’s ministry, and it should ours as well.

I sincerely hope you benefit from this message!

SERMON: Grace to You and Peace – Galatians 1:1-10

A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs by Mona Simpson was published in the New York Times after being read at the late Apple CEO’s funeral. It created quite a stir as a bedridden Jobs, surrounded by his family stared into the distance momentarily and uttered these last words before dying a few hours later: “Oh WOW, Oh WOW, Oh WOW”.

Final words fascinate the living. We are drawn to the dying at a moment when life on earth and an unknown separate existence fully embrace. What can be drawn from those so close to the end –and so near the real beginning?

For those who deny the immortality of the soul, there is great curiosity as it relates to a dying man’s final word.

Steve Jobs was himself a Zen Buddhist. For those familiar with the religion, complete enlightenment is the goal. Concepts of heaven and hell are non-entities. Needless to say, Jobs did not put any stock in life after this one. In Christianity Today, Andy Crouch wrote an article early this year titled, “The gospel according to Steven Jobs” http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/januaryweb-only/gospelstevejobs.html Here is a quote Crouch cited from Jobs after his initial diagnosis from cancer in 2003:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now, the new is you. But someday, not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it’s quite true. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Crouch’s article was powerful. He conveyed Jobs’ final analysis on the meaning of life: This existence is all we have so you might as well do something innovative, creative and original. And this is precisely how he lived.

In my Systematic Theology class my professor recalled his interaction with a Christian man who knew Jobs and who had, on occasion shared the gospel with the man. He told us Jobs knew the Bible fairly well but was closed to Christianity –increasingly so towards the end of his life.

After reading “The gospel according to Steve Jobs” coupled with the knowledge of a faithful witness of Christ and finally, the three Exclamations before expiring, I couldn’t help but ponder in amazement why Jobs said what he did.

What did he see? Why would he make those exclamations? Is there any significance to it?

Men like Steve Jobs were successful and bettered society through technological innovations. Jobs did his job well. But isn’t there more to life than that?

In the ultimate paradox, Jesus tells us, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

For Christians, our death on earth marks the beginning of true life. Christ offers salvation for those who will trust him by faith. This doesn’t mean believers don’t work to make the world they reside in better, or care about the environment or develop the iPod. It does mean however, that these things are of no consequence if a love for Jesus is not only greater, but the primary motivation for doing them.

To know what Jobs saw, we can only speculate. But what could cause a skeptical dying man to express awe?

Was it a realization of the truth he denied? I like to think so.

And while I don’t know what exactly that is, I do know the Word says, “It is appointed a man once to die and then comes the judgment,” and “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”.

Make your “Oh WOW!” be that of a faithful servant before the living God not a surprised and regret-filled enemy of the King.

Nearly ninety percent of Americans believe in heaven, while only thirty percent believe hell is a real place. Moreover, only a small percentage of the thirty believe they’re actually going to hell.

Most people believe that being a good person is sufficient to get them to heaven. Most religions teach that good works will earn you a place in eternal bliss. When you read the Bible, however, you quickly discover that the truth is quite the opposite.

Author and speaker Andy Stanley wrote a book entitled, Since Nobody’s Perfect, How Good is good enough? In it, he addresses the widespread belief that good people go to heaven. Stanley wrestles through the inconclusive standard of good and evil, the guilt-ridden human conscience, the impossibility of fully obeying the law, and more.

He argues that most people put hope in a belief system that is untenable. Performing good works in order to cancel out the bad ones presents many problems. A major one is the brevity of our lives.

Jesus blew the hypothesis that good people go to heaven out of the water while hanging on the cross and pardoning a condemned thief on the brink of death.

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ’since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong’” (Luke 23:39-41).

Here’s an excerpt from Stanley:

Notice anything about what the second criminal said that is particularly relevant to our discussion? As horrible a death as crucifixion was, the second criminal readily admitted that his life was so horrible that he was actually getting what he deserved. ‘We are getting what our deeds deserve.’ In other words, ‘Stack up our deeds and you won’t find a good one in there anywhere.’”

Then the convicted criminal did the unthinkable: he asked Jesus a favor. He asked Jesus to have mercy on him in spite of his worthless life. He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).

Keep in mind this man was in no position to bargain. There was no “from now on,” no turning over a new leaf. The opportunity for doing good had come and gone. This was a dead man talking. He had come to the end of his miserable life and there was no chance to make up for lost time. He lived his life exactly the way he wanted, with no concern for doing the right thing, and then, he suddenly gets religion and asks for mercy.

Now if Jesus, like most people, believed that good people go to heaven and bad people don’t, what would you expect him to say to a guy who, by his own admission, had lived a life worthy of crucifixion? What would you have told him? What if he had raped your sister or murdered your brother? What if you had been maimed for life because of this man’s reckless behavior?

Pushing up on the nail that pierced his foot for leverage, he managed to utter these words: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Do you realize what that means? It means that not only did Jesus not believe that good people go to heaven, he believed that bad people do! One of his final acts before dying was to promise a criminal a spot in paradise!

God’s grace and mercy is sufficient where works fall far short. Only forgiven people can and will enter God’s rest.

This post stands as the final installment to my five part series, which has dealt with the doctrine of justification and the differences that exist between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism concerning this doctrine. In my first post, I introduced the debate, explaining what is at stake and gave some context to the issue (read it here). In the second post, I attempted to define and articulate the Roman Catholic teaching on justification—righteousness infused through the sacraments (read it here). In the third post, I sought to define and explain the Protestant doctrine of justification—imputed righteousness (read it here). In the last post, I intended to present a critique of the Roman Catholic doctrine of justification (read it here). In this final post, my goal is to respond to some of the most common objections that Rome has raised against the Protestant doctrine of justification.

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Roman Catholics and Protestants have many doctrinal commonalities. However, they differ, and differ tragically, when it comes to their soteriology and their views of justification. In the first entry to this series, I introduced the discussion, explaining what is at stake and gave some context to the issue (see this post here). In the second entry, I sought to define and articulate the Roman Catholic teaching on justification—righteousness infused through the sacraments (read it here). Last time, I attempted to define and explain the Protestant doctrine of justification—imputed righteousness (read it here). In this post, I intend to present a critique of the Roman Catholic doctrine of justification.

The grave and historical error made by Rome is that they have failed to understand and believe the true message of the gospel: that man is saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. The damning flaw in Rome’s doctrine lies in its denial of this great truth. Since the Reformation, the most important criticisms of the Catholic view of justification have had to do with its inclusion of and need for meritorious works. While Rome seeks to emphasize that its views on merit should be understood in concert with God’s grace, it neglects the scriptural teaching that grace and meritorious works are mutually exclusive. The faulty Catholic doctrine of justification has much to do with the many problems in their teachings on merit.

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Why do we celebrate Easter? Why did Jesus have to die? What was accomplished on the cross? What is important about Christ’s resurrection? Thabiti Anyabwile and Erwin Lutzer help us to think through these important matters.