YOU and GOD

Add to your faith temperance. This is the third of seven building blocks that Christians are to add to the foundation of the Christian life. The foundation is faith, without which it is impossible to please God.

It is interesting to note that in the list of the fruit of the Spirit given in Galatians 5, temperance is mentioned there, and it is the only fruit of the Spirit that is also mentioned in Peter’s list of add-ons in II Peter 1. The fruit of the Spirit—such as love, joy and peace—are manifest in the believer’s life when he is yielded to the Holy Spirit. You cannot produce these things; they are solely the result of what the Holy Spirit produces in the life of a yielded child of God.

On the other hand, the seven building blocks listed by Peter are things that are added on to one’s faith, and we can and should be involved in that process. We cannot add love, joy, or peace; they come wholly from the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. But we can, with diligent and devoted effort, add virtue, knowledge, and patience. The one exception to this list is temperance; it is a fruit of the Spirit, and we can add temperance to our life only as we are yielded to the Holy Spirit of God. But what is it, why do we need it, and how do we get it?

1. What is temperance?

It is self-control, self-discipline, moderation: “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things…I therefore run, not as uncertainly: so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (I Cor. 9:25-27)

2. Why do we need temperance?

(a) For sexual purity so that we will avoid adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, because “marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” (Hebs. 13:4) “But fornication, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you as becometh saints.” (Eph. 5:3) “The truth is, whenever man lies with a woman, whether they like it or not, there is set up between the two, a transcendental relation which must be eternally enjoyed or eternally endured.” (C.S. Lewis)

(b) In what we eat or drink: “For the drunkard or glutton shall come to poverty.” (Prov. 23:21)

(c) In matters mental: to avoid excesses such as anorexia, bulimia, depression, hypochondria, all sorts of phobias: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Thess. 5:23)

Interestingly, when Paul had the opportunity to witness at length of the resurrection of Christ to the Roman Governor, Felix, in Caesarea, he “reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come….” (Acts 24:25). Paul would not reason with an unbeliever of that which he could not obtain through self-effort, i.e. love (agape), joy, peace. But, one wonders whether Paul knew from common knowledge that Felix had a problem with self-control in some area such as anger or alcohol or adultery, and thus reasoned with him that there was a path to freedom from this torturing sin—that being through the righteousness and temperance that comes through knowing Christ and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God.

3. How do we get it?

“And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption: let all bitterness, wrath, anger, and clamor and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice.” (Eph. 4:30,31)

“O that a man would arise in me that the man I am would cease to be!” (Augustine)
“Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Eph. 4:32) Temperance is a fruit of the Spirit which every believer can enjoy as he or she is yielded to the God’s Holy Spirit.

It was the wisest of the wise who said, “He that is slow to anger (temperate) is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” (Provs. 16:32) Strive diligently, therefore, to add to your faith temperance through moment by moment yielding to God’s Holy Spirit, who dwells within you as a believer. “Few,” one has opined, “are fit to be entrusted to themselves.” That is true even of believers! But entrusted into the guidance of God, through the work of His Holy Spirit, we can be governed in our spirit, soul, body and mind.

Believers are taught in the Holy Scriptures, by His spirit, to be governed in mind, body and spirit so that our lives will not be a reproach but a rebuke in a godless age that has removed almost every ancient landmark.

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 19:21)

John Smith went to church one Sunday morning. He heard the organist miss a note during the prelude, and he winced. He saw a teenager talking when everybody was supposed to be bowed in silent prayer. He felt like an usher was watching to see what he put into the offering plate, and it made him boil. He caught five grammatical errors in the sermon. As he slipped out through the side door during the closing hymn, he muttered to himself, “Never again! What a bunch of clods and hypocrites!”

Jack Jones went to church one Sunday morning. He heard the organist play an arrangement of “A Might Fortress,” and he thrilled at the majesty of it. He heard a young girl take a moment in the service to speak of the difference her faith makes in her life. He was glad to see that his church was sharing in a special offering for the hungry children of Nigeria. He especially appreciated the sermon that Sunday—it answered a question that had bothered him for a long time. He thought, as he walked through the doors of the church, “How can a man enter this place and not feel the presence of God?”

Both men went to the same church on the same Sunday morning. Each found what he was looking for. What will you find next Sunday? (Copied)

None of us like criticism directed to us or our efforts; but most of us understand what was meant by the motto: “If you can’t say anything good about a person, let’s hear it.” We too often don’t mind criticizing others, nor do we mind hearing others criticize others.

Abraham Lincoln said, “If I tried to read much less answer all the criticisms made of me, and all the attacks leveled against me, this office would have to be closed for all other business. I do the best I can. And I mean to keep on doing this, down to the very end. If the end brings me out wrong, then ten angels swearing I had been right would make no difference. If the end brings me out all right, then what is said against me now will not amount to anything.”

“My dear boy,” said a father, “take a word of advice from an old man who loves peace. An insult is like mud; it will brush off much better when it is dry. Wait a little, till he and you are both cool, and the thing will be easily mended. If you go now, it will only be to quarrel.” Good advice for all when our patience is put to the test.

The eighteenth-century English evangelist John Wesley became concerned about wasting good time over less than wholesome talk, so he and eleven of his fellow preachers entered into the following covenant, which they each signed: “It is agreed by those whose names are underwritten that (1) We will not listen, or willingly inquire after any ill concerning each other; (2) If we do hear any ill of each other, we will not be forward to believe it; (3) As soon as possible, we will communicate what we heard by speaking or writing to the person concerned; (4) Until we have done this, we will not write or speak a syllable of it to any other person whatever; (5) Neither will we mention it after we have done this to any other person; (6) We will not make any exception to any of these rules, unless we think ourselves absolutely obliged in conscience to do so.” (Quoted by Leslie Parrott in The Power of Your Attitudes.)

One of America’s beloved poets aptly wrote: “I watched them tearing a building down, a gang of men in a busy town. With a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell, they swung a beam and a side wall fell.

I asked the foreman, ‘Are these men skilled? And the men you’d hire if you had to build?’

He gave a laugh and said ‘No indeed! Just common labor is all I need. I can easily wreck in a day or two what builders have taken a year to do.’

And I thought to myself as I went my way, which of these roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder who works with care, measuring life by the rule and square?

Am I shaping my deeds to a well-made plan, patiently doing the best I can?

Or am I a wrecker, who walks to town, content with the labor of tearing down?” (Edgar Guest)

The building of the Panama Canal brought many challenges to George Washington Goethals as he was in midst of the toilsome task. He had more than enough critics scrutinizing his work, picking it apart, criticizing his progress, and prophesying that the canal would never come to completion. Someone once asked the builder if he were not going to answer his critics, to which Goethals replied, “In time.” “How?” The master builder replied simply, “With the canal.” (Stephen Olford, “God’s Refining Cleansing Fire,” Charisma, April 1984)

“For with the same judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (Matthew 7:2)

It’s not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we give that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; not what we profess but what we possess that makes us a Christian.

And, only if you possess saving faith in Jesus Christ are you a Christian. But faith is only the beginning. Faith results in the new birth, and the new birth issues into a new life. To this saving faith, Peter instructs us to add seven essential building blocks to our life in Christ. We have seen that the first of these is virtue. Virtue is strength of mind, spirit and soul. It manifests itself in the Christian life in spiritual power and spiritual praise.

Next on the list in 2 Peter 1:5 is the basic building block of knowledge. Without faith, one cannot possess virtue; without virtue, one will never realize true knowledge. We are not talking about human knowledge or understanding. Of this kind of knowledge, Solomon said that he who has it increases in sorrow. Paul warned that human knowledge “puffed” up and said that it would eventually “vanish away.” (I Cor. 13:8)

 Consider the NATURE of the knowledge that we should add to our faith:

1.  It is personal: “That I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection.” (Phil.3:10). Jesus: “This is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ Whom Thou has sent.” (John 17:3) Christianity is not a matter of academics—not just ascribing to a creed or confession—but a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

• It is priceless: “But what things were gain to me, those things I counted loss for Christ; yea, doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3:7,8) House, degree, job, earnings: nothing in this life, even family, can compare to knowing Christ To know Him aright is life eternal.

• It is progressive: “But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 3:18) “As new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby.” (I Pet.2:2) It takes time. Relationship building is always a process.

• It is perfecting: “For the perfecting of the saints…till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect (mature) man.” (Eph. 4:12) A growing knowledge of Jesus Christ will deepen your spiritual life, just as getting to more fully know some people will make you a better person.

Now consider the NECESSITY of the knowledge that we are to add to our faith:

1.  It is necessary for effectual work: “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.” (James 3:13)

• It is necessary for an effectual witness: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

• It is necessary for an effectual walk: “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.” (Col. 1:19,20)

• It is necessary for an effectual word: “And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness; filled with all knowledge, also able to admonish one another.” (Rom. 15:14)

• It is necessary for an effectual worship: “But I desired mercy and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)

The writer of the book of Hebrews was distressed that many to whom he wrote his epistle had been saved long enough to have been able to teach others; but they were, for the most part, still in need of being taught. (Heb. 5:11-14) Jesus expressed a similar concern when, to Phillip, He said, “Have I been so long time with you and yet thou hast not known me?” (John 14:9)

How long have you been a believer? Are you daily growing in your knowledge of Him? It cannot be done by osmosis. It requires a consistent time with Him and in His Word. Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge.

“That I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” (Phil.3:10)

Corrie Ten Boom was imprisoned, with her sister Betsie, in a Nazi concentration camp. It was a filthy, flea-infested place; yet Corrie’s sister insisted that God still wanted them to “in everything give thanks,” for even this was God’s will for them. (I Thess. 5:18) Corrie had a difficult time accepting that until she learned one day why the guards never visited their barracks to insist that they stop praying, singing, and reading the Bible: They wanted to stay clear of the fleas! So, as the sisters learned, even the pesky, totally bothersome fleas were agents of God’s grace and mercies, and were His answers to their prayers.

James, in his New Testament epistle, begins his letter to the persecuted and scattered first-century saints by encouraging them to “count it all joy” when they were beset with trials, tribulations, and adversities. (James 1:1,2)

The Apostle Paul enumerated some of the physical adversities that he had encountered in ministry, and few followers of our Lord have suffered more severe hardships. Yet he wrote to believers in Rome that they should glory in tribulations because they would produce patience in their lives; patience would no doubt bring experience; and, finally, experience would usher in hope. (Romans 5:3,4)

Who has not been visited by trials, tribulations, and adversities? But, consider a lesson from our natural world. Every beautiful snowflake differs from every other snowflake; none is exactly like another. Who has not marveled at their six-point symmetry, grace, and pure white loveliness when they’re gently falling? Truth: at the very core of each of these beauties is a grain of dirt or foreign matter. This minute particle is sometimes as small as one one-hundred-thousandth of a millimeter in size, but those floating particles collect condensation as they tumble through the atmosphere to their final resting place, usually on our streets, walks, driveways, lawns. And, how beautiful they are when fresh fallen! Yet it all began with a foreign, unattractive, maybe even ugly speck out there in space.

We often go through a similar metamorphosis. An unwanted, ugly, foreign matter intrudes into our daily sphere of existence, attaches itself to our life, and hangs on for dear life so to speak. What may have been uninvited, unappealing, and unwanted at the beginning may, when it is all said and done, turn out to be a beautiful blessing in disguise. The heartbreak, illness, and confusion attaching itself to our orb in life clings on through the journey—until maybe, just maybe, it becomes an amazing, surprising source of beauty and blessing.

Former President Richard Nixon, receiving a landslide mandate in 1972 to serve a second term as president before he was forced to leave that office in disgrace in 1974, as a young man had visited the Grand Canyon. He was overcome with the majestic beauty of this giant wonder as he viewed it from the South Rim, looking down at the magnificent, breathtaking, panoramic view. But then, the young future president hiked seven miles down to the floor of the canyon and looked from its depth up to the heights, hearing and seeing the rushing waters of the Colorado River. Nixon would later muse of the experience, “Only then did I fully appreciate the majesty of one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Only when you have been to the depth can you truly appreciate the heights.” (Norman Bales)

Most of us, at one time or another, will find ourselves staring at life from the depths. We will learn how beautiful the heights are when we are at the very bottom. By God’s grace, He will not leave us at the bottom, but with cords of love will pull us to Himself, even as He did His children of Israel who had hit the bottom after 400 years in Egypt. That is why Paul said we could “glory in tribulations,” and James said we could “count it all joy.”

Yes, even the fleas may be agents of His never failing grace.

A pastor was visiting one of his shut-in members when she exclaimed, “How I enjoy the songs of the birds! But there is one that I would rather hear than all the rest—the robin!” “Does he sing more beautifully than the rest,” the pastor asked. The sick lady said, “No, not more beautiful; but the robin is the only one that sings in the storm. When the storms come and the clouds get black and the winds blow, the robin stays out there in the storm and sings its little song.” (copied)

We, too, can thank God for a song that all the storms of life cannot quench! The song of salvation; songs that will buoy us up even in the worst of life’s adversities—so that we can surely “glory” in them all, counting them all joy!

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

Peter, writing a general epistle primarily to persecuted saints who had been scattered throughout their world, (I Pet. 1:1) establishes in the first few verses of his second letter to them that the foundation of any life is, first and foremost, faith. But our experience does not end there. Peter quickly adds that there are several crucial characteristics that followers of Christ must cultivate in our walk with Him. The first of these is virtue.

Virtue is demanded by our calling: “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” (II Peter 1:3) A common definition of virtue is “moral excellence.” “Who can find a virtuous woman?” Solomon queries in Proverbs 31:10, and then proceeds to tell us what she looks like. She is a woman of impeccable principle, self-discipline, unabated love for and protection of her family, and conscientious service to the community in which she lives.  

Perhaps one would hesitate to quote John F. Kennedy on the subject of virtue, but what he once said about a person of virtue remains true: “Of those to whom much is given, much is required. And, when at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment on each of us, recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities, our success or failure, we will be measured by the answers to the following four questions: Were we truly men of courage; were we truly men of judgment; were we truly men of integrity; were we truly men of dedication?” (Speech before the Massachusetts State Legislature, Jan. 9, 1961. Papers of John F. Kennedy) Our high calling of God in Christ Jesus demands nothing less than to embrace those things in which there is “any virtue.” (Phil. 4:8)

Virtue is also detailed by our character. We ever strive for excellence along with effectiveness. Not “how much” or “how fast” is the key to reaching that goal—but simply “how?” Did we play by the rules? Were we considerate of others? Was our goal to succeed to fulfill a selfish ambition, or to please our God? Edwin Markham, the poet laureate of Oregon (1923-1931), offers some food for thought here: “We are blind until we see nothing is worth the making if it does not make the man. Why build these cities glorious if man unbuilded goes? In vain we build the world, unless the builder grows.” Virtue, detailed by our character, will keep us on track and on target in the building of our life and legacy.

Virtue is deciphered by our composite. Who is the composite you? A beautiful composite portrait of a woman of virtue is, again, painted in Proverbs 31. Gene Getz, in his best-selling book The Measure of a Man, draws from Paul’s composite depiction of the bishop, who must be “blameless…vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality…not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous.” (I Tim. 3:2,3) That would be a composite portrayal of a man of virtue. George Washington desired that his life would reflect virtuous qualities: “I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an ‘honest man.’” If we aspire to the same noble end, it will be because of a personal decision, and through a personal diligence: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14). There was a personal decision and a persistent diligence to allow the Holy Spirit to produce a man who could be deciphered by a composite: virtue.

Finally, virtue is delivered by our contemplation. Paul said, “If there be any virtue…any praise, think on these things.” (Phil. 4:8) “And beside this, giving all diligence,” Peter admonishes. (I Pet.1:5) We must and will find time, in the busyness of the hurry-scurry world in which we live, to join the band of those who have finished their course before us to contemplate His life in us and our life in Him. If indeed, as Peter affirms, He has given unto us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness,” there is no limit as to the contemplative life of the follower of Christ. This of course will not mean that we will be so heavenly minded that we will be of no earthly good; but it will mean that we will be so heavenly minded that we will be of great earthly good.

Add to your faith, then, virtue. It is demanded by our calling, detailed by our character, deciphered by our composite, and delivered by our contemplation.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Phil.4:8)

I have a poem that I am going to share with you in this column since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and our thoughts naturally turn to romance, love, and sweethearts. Isn’t it nice that in the middle of winter we have such a special day that always warms one’s heart as thoughts of “first love,” and life-long love, flood one’s mind? It was 59 years ago this summer that Ellen and I sealed our love with sacred vows, and at a holy altar promised ourselves each to the other. The memory of that night in North Carolina, in that little white-steepled church where we joined hands and hearts in a lifetime journey, is etched into the deepest recesses of my mind and heart. It will be with me as long as I am able to have conscious thoughts.

So I cherish every opportunity to reflect upon that day and all the days that have ensued since—with births, marriages, birthdays, Christmases and, yes, sadly so, even some funerals: all part and parcel of a life adventure that started with young love and longings and matured into a full-bloomed, nurturing love one for the other. It is now, more than half a century later, a love that is still with pleasure yet not without pain, drawing our souls, minds, and hearts ever-more tightly together into that perfect bond of “oneness.”

The poem that follows, “Two Lovers,” speaks to this maturing bonding of a perfect love:

Two lovers by a moss-grown spring:
They leaned soft cheeks together there,
Mingled the dark and sunny hair,
And heard the wooing thrushes sing.
O budding time!
O love's blest prime!

Two wedded from the portal stept:
The bells made happy carolings,
The air was soft as fanning wings,
White petals on the pathway slept.
O pure-eyed bride!
O tender pride!

Two faces o'er a cradle bent:
Two hands above the head were locked:
These pressed each other while they rocked,
Those watched a life that love had sent.
O solemn hour!
O hidden power!

Two parents by the evening fire:
The red light fell about their knees
On heads that rose by slow degrees
Like buds upon the lily spire.
O patient life!
O tender strife!

The two still sat together there,
The red light shone about their knees;
But all the heads by slow degrees
Had gone and left that lonely pair.
O voyage fast!
O vanished past!

The red light shone upon the floor
And made the space between them wide;
They drew their chairs up side by side,
Their pale cheeks joined, and said, "Once more!"
O memories!
O past that is!
O memories! O past that is!

(The author of this poem, “Two Lovers,” was a woman named Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880), who used the pen name “George Eliot” so that her poetry would be more widely read and accepted in 19^th century England.)

Ellen and I wish you all a happy, love-filled Valentine’s Day! (O memories! O past that is!)

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…He hath made every thing beautiful in His time.”  (Eccl. 3:1,11)

I recall a time when I was a young parent and our children, who were in elementary school, were introduced to a concept called “higher math.” I was a bit skeptical of math that was considered “higher,” as I never thought I fully grasped the basic math that I was taught, which must have been considered “lower.”

Coming to the Apostle Peter’s second general epistle, we are introduced to what might be called a spiritual kind of higher math. He says that there are some things that ought to be added to our faith, and he also mentions that which should be multiplied, i.e., “grace and mercy.”

Peter, in a very few words, sweeps us up to heavenly spiritual heights, reminding us that Christ’s divine power “hath given us all things that pertain unto godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” (2 Pet. 1:3) He had already mentioned that believers are those who “have obtained like precious faith…through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” (1:1). We are the recipients of “exceeding great and precious promises…partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the present world through lust.” (1:4)

Wow! Take off your shoes! This is holy ground for sure. With concepts that could only have been prompted by the Holy Spirit, the fisherman turned apostle—the same fisherman-apostle who one time denied even knowing Jesus—is taking us to the vestibule of heaven, we who have been called to glory and virtue. (v3)

Then, Peter quickly plants our feet back onto terra firma by admonishing us to “add to our faith,” this “precious faith,” a list of seven ideals which should characterize those who are equipped with “all things that pertain unto life and godliness,” through His divine power.

Add to your faith. First, there must be faith! This is the foundation of our Christian life. Faith is the “substance of things hoped for.” (Hebrews 11:1). Paul says we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope…but if we hope for that we seeth not, then we do with patience wait for it.” (Rom. 8:24,25)

What are you hoping for now? (1) The revelation of Jesus Christ: “…we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.” (I John 3:2) (2) The reception into heaven: “Come up hither.” (Rev. 4:1) “With a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thess. 4:16,17) (3) The reward: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only but unto all them also that love His appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:8) (4) The recognition: “…now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I am known.” (I Cor. 13:12) (5) The release. “O wretched man that I am: who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 7:24,25)  (6) The redemption. “…but ourselves also…waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Rom. 8:23)

So, the foundation consists of that which is the “substance of things hoped for,” but also, “the evidence of things not seen.” I have never yet seen God with the “naked eye,” nor His Spirit; nor have I seen any literally resurrected body such as Lazarus after he was raised from the dead; I have not seen heaven such as did Paul when he was caught up into paradise where he heard things of which he could not speak; but I believe in each of the above, by faith, as surely as if I had literally, physically seen them. I have never seen electricity, by the way; nor have I personally “seen” wind, or heat, or many other physical entities; but I believe in them. For the unbeliever there are no answers; for the believer there are no questions. The unbelieving mind would not be convinced by “proof;” the believing mind needs no further proof.

So, the question is, “Do you have this precious faith?” If so, you can build upon it and you can make of your life a temple, not a tomb. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Without faith it is impossible to please God. He that cometh to God must first believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him. (Heb.11:6) Seek. Believe. Add to your foundation of faith that which will make a life worth living.

Stay tuned for future installments of “Add to Your Faith.”

“For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 1:8)

Violinist Yehudi Menuhin, a British violinist and conductor who is considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20^th century, was invited at the age of 13 to perform with the British Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. He played some of the most difficult works of Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms masterfully. The response was electrifying, and when the concert ended, the authorities struggled to manage the almost out-of-control crowd. One member of the audience was Albert Einstein, who had listened in rapt attention to the prodigy perform and who, at the concert’s conclusion, ran around and through the authorities to the youngster’s dressing room. Upon finding him, Einstein exclaimed as he embraced the surprised youth, “Now I know there is a God in heaven!”

Belief that there is, and has always been, a God in heaven did not come hard for most of us. All it took for us to know was that at some time we read, “In the beginning God….” (Gen. 1:1) We can identify with Abraham Lincoln’s observation when he said at the age of 19: “I never behold the stars that I do not feel that I am looking into the face of God. I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.”

In 18^th-century in Britain, two eminent lawyers set out to deal a deathblow to Christianity. George Lyttleton, a member of Parliament, was going to discredit the account of the conversion of the Apostle Paul, while at the same time poet Gilbert West would attempt to disprove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After diligently considering all the information they could assemble, the two men met to compare their findings. Each had written a book on what they discovered. West’s book affirmed the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, and Lyttelton’s supported the accounts of the miraculous conversion of the Apostle Paul. They failed in discrediting their original skeptical theses—and when they met, they greeted each other as fellow believers in the claims of Christianity.

More recently, there is the case of Antony Flew, once considered one of the most influential atheist philosophers in the world. His arguments against the existence of God permeated the pages of many anthologies and textbooks. Then Flew read a book by Michael Behe, Darwin’s Black Box, a book that argues that “the minimal and cellular and biochemical requirements for life display an ‘irreducible complexity’ that cannot be random but must have been designed.” Mr. Flew, having dialogued with a philosophy professor at Liberty University, Gary Habermas, confided to him that he had come to believe that “there is a God.” He subsequently co-authored a book titled There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. (Lifesite.net, Nov. 2, 2007)

One supposed atheist came to reckon with his unbelief in a rather dramatic way. Mordecai Ham (1877-1961) was a Jewish believer in Christ and a southern evangelist. He once heard of an infidel who, when he saw Ham approaching, went into hiding. The evangelist began to hunt his prey, and when he heard suspicious sounds under a corn shock, he pulled the fellow out. “What are you going to do with me,” the atheist quivered. Ham said, “I’m going to ask God to kill you! You don’t believe God exists. If there is no God, then my prayers can’t hurt you. But if there is a God, you deserve to die because you are making atheists out of your children and grandchildren.” As the infidel begged him not to pray that way, Ham said, “Very well, then, I shall ask God to save you.” He was saved, and before the revival meeting was over, all of that infidel’s family was baptized—40 of them! (Note: I copied this story out of some Christian publication years ago and am not sure to whom it should be attributed; but knowing of some of the antics of the old-time evangelists, it is believable!)

“In the beginning, God.” That’s how the Bible begins, and that’s good enough for me! Modern science has found that in every living cell—36 trillion of them in a typical human body—there is information that could not possibly have occurred randomly. DNA has discredited evolution, and also unbelief in a creator God. To embrace atheism today flies into the face of all that is credible. There never has been, nor is there now, any reason—any excuse—for claiming to believe that there is no God.

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”(Psalm 14:1)

James, author of the New Testament epistle of the book that bears his name, writing to first-century saints, identifies some problems that have plagued every Christian community—then and now. He also offers some sure solutions that worked then and will work now. Follow the discourse of this “half-brother” of Jesus in James 4:1-10:

The prevalent problems

1. The problem of wars, fightings, v. 1. These were both “among you” and “in your members.” They were the kinds of conflicts that would destroy a business, an office, a home, or a church. They were both external (among you) and internal (in your members). Jesus warned that a house divided against itself could not stand.
2. The problem of unfulfilled desires or unsatisfied lusts, v. 2a. Lust for ambition, for material gain, for more knowledge, for sexual gratification, for power, etc.
3. The problem of prayerlessness, v.2b. They had no time to pray and no desire to pray, nor did they have an understanding of what prayer is. They simply had a “wish list” that was personal and selfish.
4. The problem of self-centeredness, v.3. Misdirected prayer that was offered up to God for selfish gain. Prayer that was “amiss,” uttered to advance one’s own personal interests.
5. The problem of worldliness, v.4. The Christian community at large was so immersed in the world and it allurements, engaged in an intense “friendship” with the world, that there was no heart for God nor for the things of God.
6. The problem of envy, v. 5. Envy put Jesus on the cross (Matt. 27:18) and it has sidelined many a believer from serving God. “Bitter envying and strife in your hearts” will cause one to lie against the truth. (James 3:14) This will block every effort to serve God and advance His kingdom.
7. The problem of pride, v. 6. God resists the proud. The pride of those to whom James
   directed these remarks was demonstrated by their catering to wealthy people who
   attended their meetings, while neglecting those who were poor. (James 2:1-6)

The sure solutions

1. Submit to God, v. 7. Get down on your knees and confess your sins, acknowledging your transgressions; repent of your disobedience.
2. Resist the Devil, v. 7b. Equip yourself with the Sword of the Spirit; put on the whole armor of God. (Eph.6)
3. Draw nigh to God. Get your heart and hands washed as Jesus instructed the 12: “Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3)
4. Be afflicted, mourn, weep, v.9. Grieve over sin and its consequences.
5. Humble yourself in God’s sight, v.10. Surrender your expectations, yield your authority.

Every Christian community has been plagued from time to time with some, if not all, of the above problems. Jesus warned us that in the world we would have tribulations. Trouble is common to every house, and the household of God is not exempt.

We can react to problems by blaming them on the world, that system of thought and life that is out of harmony with God and the people of God. And as long as we are in the world, the world will be an ever-present force with which to be reckoned.

We can blame the Devil—and he is surely our enemy, seeking as a roaring lion to devour every believer. (I Peter 5:8)

We can—and, at times, should—blame ourselves when we violate God’s precepts and principles. No one has escaped the personal pitfalls and perils that await believers as we advance daily on our pilgrim progress.

James knew that the churches, being in the world and consisting of people from all walks of life, would be beset with problems. In James 4:1-10, he isolates some of the problems common to the Christian community and sets forth some sure solutions.

Nothing has changed from then to now. We are people with the same nature, and the same world is presided over by the god of this world. (2 Cor. 4:4) But by the indwelling Holy Spirit we can have victory, (I John 5:4) and we can deal rightly with every problem. Let us hear and heed God’s counsel through James, and let us be doers of the Word.

“Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)