The Simple Complexity of Christianity

Anyone who’s done a study of religions knows they can be very complicated. They each have their own sets of principles and practices, rules and rituals. Anyone who says “All religions are basically the same” has never really given them a serious look.

 

The Bible states, “[God] has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The plethora of religions supports that statement, as humankind is always seeking – and even inventing – ways to know God and determine what happens after this life comes to an end.

 

Despite their many differences, a central premise of most religions can be described as “Do this, do that; don’t do this, don’t do that.” And if the adherents follow instructions, maybe they’ll go to heaven or wherever else the specific religion states its followers will spend eternity. But that’s not certain.

 

Unlike other religions, however, Christianity doesn’t say we must do and not do certain things to gain God’s acceptance and be assured eternal life. Instead of “Do,” the most foundational principle of Christianity says “Done.” That is, Jesus Christ has already done everything necessary for us to experience a growing, eternal relationship with God.

 

In fact, Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Two-thousand years ago, when Jesus died on a lonely cross on a hideous hill called Golgotha, He became the atoning sacrifice for all humankind. The Bible uses the Greek term, “tetelestai,” to state that our sin debt is “paid in full” or as Jesus said in His final breath, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Amazingly, He even died for sins we wouldn’t commit until centuries later.

 

It's as simple as that. But at the same time, we’re confronted with what I’d call the simple complexity of Christianity. The Scriptures repeatedly teach that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor and be assured of eternal life. For instance:

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

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

 

Salvation, as followers of Jesus understand, is by grace alone. We can do nothing to earn God’s favor and love. Grace – receiving what we don’t deserve, and mercy – not receiving what we do deserve, are freely given.

 

Where the complexity enters in, however, is that we must respond. That is, just as a Christmas or birthday gift is of no value unless it’s received, we too must receive the Lord’s gift of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life. John 1:12 expresses it this way: “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right be become children of God.” 

 

Later in the gospel Jesus makes the famous declaration, “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 gift is free to all who believe, but we must receive it.

 

Speaking to religious leader Nicodemus, who was trying to figure out exactly who Jesus was, He said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again…no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:3-5).

 

The apostle Peter elaborated in one of his letters, explaining, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). Again, this is not of our doing – it’s the sovereign work of God alone.

 

You’ve probably heard of someone being referred to as a “born-again Christian,” as if there are other kinds of Christians. In reality, referring to someone as a born-again Christian is equivalent to referring to a pet as a feline cat or a canine dog. You can’t be one without being the other.

 

At its heart, a key distinctive of Christianity from all other faith traditions is that of spiritual transformation. As Galatians 2:20 asserts, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

 

When we receive Christ and accept the gift freely given to us by the Father, a life-changing transformation occurs. As a similar verse tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

 

So, for us, it’s simple: All we must “do” is believe and receive the gift the Lord offers. The complexity comes in with the wonderful work of God making us into new creations, freeing us from the bondage of sin and enabling us to d become the people He has always intended for us to be. The question we each must answer is, ‘Have I truly received by faith this gift God has offered?’

 

If we have, then when Jesus says, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23), to obey can become as easy as breathing.

Golden Anniversaries Don’t Come Along Every Day

Fifty years. Half a century. That’s a long time – for anything. Working at the same job. Living in one place. Operating a business. And especially these days, staying married. 

Most weddings start with excitement and optimism: Promising to love and cherish, in sickness and in health, in times of prosperity and times of want, as long as life lasts. But soon the business of marriage sets in, novelty in the relationship wears off, and solemn vows are forgotten. Half of all marriages end in divorce, statistics tell us. The sappy “happily ever after” promises of fairy tales and Hallmark movies vanish like vapors.

 

So, forgive my self-indulgence by announcing that in a couple of days my wife and I will celebrate a milestone event: our golden wedding anniversary. Wow! 

Fifty years ago, in 1974, Richard M. Nixon, then Gerald Ford, were President. Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. Stephen King published his debut horror novel, “Carrie.” The Sears Tower in Chicago became the world’s tallest building. There was the largest tornado outbreak in history. The Alaskan oil pipeline was started. Elton John recorded “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” was a box office smash. “Happy Days” and “the Fonz” became all-time TV favorites.

 

At our wedding, the idea of being married for 50 years never crossed our minds. Like all newlyweds, our focus was on the present, maybe a month or two down the road. Not the distant future.

 

Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” That’s me, although it took a while for me to realize this. In every good marriage, husbands typically say they’ve got the best wife ever. God indeed has blessed me with the best wife – at least the best one for me. Who else could have put up with me for five decades?

 

I can honestly say the love we felt back in 1974 pales in comparison to the love that’s grown in our hearts over the years since. We’ve enjoyed health, but also have dealt with sickness and disease. We’ve faced financial challenges, family crises, highs and lows of many kinds. But by the grace of God – and I don’t say that lightly – He’s enabled us to endure and thrive.

 

Ours isn’t a perfect marriage. Not even close. But it’s grown stronger over time. We don’t have a ‘secret’ to marital longevity, but if I were to point to one singular asset, I’d have to say it’s been our faith and trust in the Lord and the truths and principles of His Word.

 

Sally and I met in a church. After some difficulties early on, we reconciled in the same church. And through the transforming power of Jesus Christ, we’ve learned how to truly love and cherish one another. But in this world where “love” can mean so many different things, I think what we understand love to be can best be defined by a passage commonly (and perhaps casually) included in wedding ceremonies – 1 Corinthians 13:4-6.

 

If we seriously ponder this passage, we learn it’s counter-cultural in our predominantly self-centered society. It declares, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

 

Applying this teaching to my own life, I must admit these virtues don’t come easily to me, especially things like patience, kindness, and not being easily angered. Entering adulthood, they weren’t “default settings.” I’ve grown in each area, but it hasn’t been of my doing. 

 

Two Bible verses explain my ‘progress.’ In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we’re told, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The other is Galatians 2:20, which says of all genuine followers of Jesus, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

 

If someone were to ask how to enjoy an enduring marriage that honors God, I’d have to say, “You can’t.” Our flesh – what the Bible calls our “sinful nature” – is too weak. But as the apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengths me” (Philippians 4:13). He can empower us to do what we can’t in our own strength and effort. Our trust, hope, persevering during tough times – only possible through Him.

 

My wife is my hero. She’s endured the proverbial thick and thin, putting up with a very flawed man who loves her more every day. Sally’s a devoted wife, wonderful mother and grandma, and gives so much of herself without expecting anything in return. In many ways she reminds me of the woman described in the book of Proverbs, who “watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her…” (Proverbs 31:27-28).

 

Ultimately, I must give all the credit and glory to God. Some have wisely said the best marriages consist of three persons, not two: husband, wife, and Jesus Christ. If you envision this as a triangle, with Christ at the top, as husband and wife grow closer to Him, they grow closer to each other. Imperfect as our marriage is, I believe this is an accurate picture of us.

‘Why Do I Do What I Don’t Want to Do – and Not Do What I Want to Do?’

Over the years many passages of the Bible have intrigued me, but few have struck me more profoundly than Romans 7, in which the apostle Paul candidly confesses his personal struggles.

 

The verses that stand out most are Romans 7:15-17, in which he seems to complain, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.” 

 

There’s more to this sorrowful confession, but consider: These were the words of the apostle Paul. Not tempestuous, vindictive King Saul of Israel. Or Samson, who had a decided weakness for the ladies. Or King David, who was a murderer and adulterer despite being described as a man with “a heart after God.” Or even Judas Iscariot, whose greed and ambition caused him to become the greatest betrayer in history.

 

No, it was Paul, who became a new person with a new name after his dramatic, transforming encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. He was a pillar of the early Church, the fellow God inspired to write nearly half of the New Testament. This man of God felt it important to devote nearly an entire chapter to the question, “Why do I do what I don’t want to do – and why don’t I do what I want to do?” 

 

Perhaps you’ve asked this question of yourself. You have a bad habit or a ‘besetting’ sin you’ve wrestled with for a long time. You’ve resolved to stop it. But then you do it again. Or there’s something you know you should be doing, and with the best of intentions determine to follow through on it. But you don’t.

 

What’s the deal? Why do we, like Paul, find ourselves doing what we don’t want to do – and not doing what we want to do?

 

It’s a complex question, but I think Paul addresses the solution in the preceding chapter of his letter to the believers in Rome. Paul assures them, “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4). 

 

Verses later he adds, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Other translations, instead of ‘count,’ use the words ‘consider’ or ‘reckon.’ We’re to regard ourselves as dead to sin – no longer enslaved to it – but alive to God in Christ.

 

Some other verses that relate to this truth and help us to gain a fuller understanding include:

“I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

 

Looking at these passages together, it seems there’s a choice we must make. We have been given new spiritual life by being “born again,” meaning the Spirit of Christ now lives in us, giving us a new nature. However, for whatever reason, God does not remove our “sinful nature” (also translated “the flesh"). We can either choose to appropriate the life and power of Jesus Christ in us, or we can continue to operate according to our corrupted, sinful natures.

 

In my admittedly limited understanding of technology, it’s like having a corrupted, malfunctioning operating system on a computer and installing a new, perfectly functional operating system. But instead of removing the old system, it remains and we must consciously choose which to use – the one that works as intended, or the one that keeps messing up.

 

Sadly, many believers don’t seem to realize they have a choice. They excuse their sinful stumbling as “Well, I’m only human” or “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” But if we believe the Scriptures, we aren’t ‘only human.’ We’ve been given a new spiritual life. And we’re redefined not as ‘sinners saved by grace’ but as “saints in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 1:1 and many other places) who can still sin. A saint, by biblical definition, is one who has been sanctified or set apart by God.

 

This is just scratching the tip of a ton of theology, but the reality for Christ followers is that while we can and will still sin, we don’t have to sin. It’s no longer, to use another computer term, our “default setting.” As Paul wrote in the passage above, “it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.”

 

This reminds me of a powerful statement from the Old Testament, in which Joshua was giving his final speech to the people of Israel. He admonished them, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Once we understand that God – through His Spirit that dwells within us – has given us the capacity for faithfully serving Him, we too must choose whether to serve Him, or to continue yielding to our old habits and sinful ways. At times the flesh will prevail resulting in sin, but through the power of Christ in us, we won’t be able to say, “The devil made me do it.” 

Time of Year for Making Old Things New

Did you know spring is like Christmas? In their own ways, they’re both a “most wonderful time of the year.” Springtime brings warmer temperatures; flowers are starting to burst forth; and nature as a whole is emerging from its winter slumbers. It’s a time for renewal, reinvigoration, even rebirth.

 

Before long we’ll be seeing those creatures both curious and wonderful – caterpillars – crawly little critters aspiring to become something bigger, brighter and definitely more beautiful: Butterflies. What an amazing thing: a fuzzy creature slinking slowly along the ground that somehow knows how to build a rebirthing chamber called a chrysalis, only to emerge within a few short weeks as something totally different, newly equipped with delicate, colorful wings for flitting from place to place. 

 

This is more than a scientific marvel. It’s a miracle, a profound example of God’s creative capacities. It’s also a glorious metaphor for spiritual truth – God’s grand desire to turn each of us into something totally new, unstained by sin and its consequences. In fact, 2 Corinthians 5:17 puts it this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 

 

Sounds like that one-time caterpillar that has wrestled out of its chrysalis, doesn’t it? The difference is, our own transformation spiritually is all God’s doing. We respond to Him by faith, but He’s the change agent. As Jesus Christ told Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). We can’t do that ourselves.

 

It’s a profound mystery, but true nonetheless, that as Galatians 2:16-20 describes it, “…So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law…. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

 

Why is this comparison of the lowly caterpillar and humans so important? Because it provides a common but compelling example of how God has worked from the very beginning, first speaking substance out of nothingness, as well as taking the old and broken and restoring it in ways that no longer resemble what was before. In Isaiah 43:18-19 God declares, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing? Now it sprints up; do you not perceive it?” 

 

One doesn’t need to look too hard or too far to observe the sorry, sickly state into which our society has descended. In vain we look for manmade cures. The very best that government or business or philosophy can conjure fall way short of fixing the seemingly unfixable. New laws, innovations and human reasoning seem little more than a Band-Aid for problems that require major surgery for spiritual heart disease.

 

Should we give up in frustration and despair? Not at all, and that’s one reason I believe God created the caterpillar-butterfly metamorphosis. It’s a visible depiction of how He intends to work in each of our lives, if we let Him. 

 

Near the close of the Book of all books, the Lord says, “I am making everything new!... Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true…. It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life” (Revelation 21:5-6).

 

The “new thing” God spoke about thousands of years ago, as recorded by the prophet Isaiah? He’s still doing it. Current residents of a world overwhelmed by so much pain and sorrow, we have the promise of a new world like nothing we’ve known: 

“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

Any time you’re feeling down in the dumpster, fearing our world is going the wrong place in the proverbial handbasket, just look at a butterfly for a reminder: New things, they are a-comin’! 

Fixing Flaws to the Masterpiece as Only the Creator Can

Imagine being a renowned artist who has just finished a painting for a major art exhibit. After examining it with pride, he believes it might be his best work yet. About the time the artist is putting his signature to the painting, one of his grandchildren, four-year-old Eva, arrives with her mom and dad. Excited about their visit, the painter leaves the artwork to greet them. 

While they’re engaged in conversation, Eva slips away, enters the artist’s studio, and decides to try her own creative skills. Following the example observed while watching granddad at work, she goes to the paint palette, its oils still fresh, picks up a brush and happily starts dabbing paint on the lower corners within her reach.

 

Her grandfather, noticing she has disappeared from sight, tracks her down and instantly sees the damage Susan innocently has inflicted on his masterpiece. Because he loves his granddaughter, the master artist stifles an urge to cry out in dismay. He guides Eva away from the painting as calmly as possible, places the palette far out of reach, and immediately starts contemplating how to fix his now-flawed creation.

 

If the painter resolves to repair the artwork, do you think he would he ask little Susan to do it? Of course not. He would do it himself, since as its creator, he’s the only one capable of restoring it to its former beauty.

 

Even as I describe this imagined scene, I can’t help cringing, thinking about how I might react if I were in his shoes. The paramount work of a lifetime, painstakingly created and completed, seriously marred by careless hands. Do you just take a “mulligan” or a start-over?

 

In the most profound sense, this is exactly the story we find unfolding throughout the Bible, starting with its opening words, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), followed by its description of the creation account. That first chapter closes with these words: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…” (verse 31). By “very good,” I don’t think He was saying, “Not too shabby” or “it’s okay.” It was the greatest “Ta-Dah!” of all time.

 

But we know the story didn’t end there. The first humans, whom the Bible identifies as Adam and Eve, wrecked the Lord’s perfect, idyllic work. Committing what is commonly referred to as the original sin, they defied His command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A singular but devastating act of disobedience and rebellion, with tragic ripples that we experience to this day.

 

One term for those ripples is our “sin nature.” Adam and Eve didn’t keep their wayward ways to themselves. Throughout history, men, women and children have been carrying on their sinful “DNA.” As Romans 3:10 declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one…,” and Romans 3:23 adds, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” From the moment we’re born, we arrive with something inside that seems intent on continuing to taint the Lord’s masterpiece.

 

Toward the end of the 7^th chapter of the book, the apostle Paul – having confessed his own struggles with right and wrong – bemoans, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death” (Romans 7:24). Great question, one most of us have asked ourselves, probably more than once.

 

Hymn writer and former slave owner John Newton himself faced this dilemma, wrestling with his dismal past, but arrived at this joyous conclusion as he wrote, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

 

This wasn’t rationalization on Newton’s part. He had discovered and embraced this truth from reading the Scriptures after being dramatically transformed by Jesus Christ. He read passages like Romans 7:25-8:2, in which Paul celebrated, after having asked who would rescue him:

“Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Adam and Eve, and every human ever born since, set about ruining God’s perfect creation, but He instituted a better plan, one that will ultimately dispense with the devastation completely. The Bible teaches this in many places, but one of the great passages explaining what the Lord has done – and continues to do – is 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.

 

It begins by revisiting God’s creative powers: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ…” Then we find the incredible declaration that we, even in our current imperfect state, have the privilege of being participants in this redemptive process:

“…And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made [Jesus Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

 

As an old preacher said, “If that doesn’t light your fire, your wood’s wet!”

 

Maybe the imagined master painter we met above didn’t enlist little Eva to help him in restoring his masterpiece; but amazingly by His grace – as Newton recognized – God has chosen not only to reconcile us to Himself through His Son, Jesus, but also wants us to serve as His agents in seeing others restored in relationship to Him as well. Praise the Lord!

Taking a Deep Breath and Making a Fresh Start

We’re still in the nascent moments of the new year, so it feels like all things are possible. Those things we planned to do last year? Maybe we can accomplish them this year. That troublesome habit we wrestled with last year? We can overcome it this year. That rut we seemed to be stuck in last year? This can be the year we finally extricate ourselves from it and start making some important changes in our lives.

 

In actuality, the transition from 2021 to 2022 was a simple turn of the page on our calendars, but it does seem new, doesn’t it? Kind like starting a new job or moving to a new town. Everything seems fresh and exciting, bubbling over with potential.

 

Experience has taught us, however, the “new car smell” of the new year wears off quickly, so if we plan to make changes, or move forward with the pursuit of long-cherished hopes and dreams, now would be a great time to get started. We don’t need to get it accomplished all at once, but as someone has said, a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.

Among many important and meaningful things about a growing spiritual life is the assurance that we don’t need to spend a lot of time clearing away old messes. God isn’t telling us, “Clean up your act first, and then maybe I can do something with you.” In fact, it’s just the opposite. When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ and submit to His authority, He promises to give us a fresh start: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

 

This passage, as simple as it sounds, can be hard to accept. Even if we have received the gift of eternal life, forgiveness, and redemption through Christ, it often seems like we’re still the same old folks we were before we met Him. After discovering this verse, I remember thinking to myself, ‘How can I be a new creation when I seem like the same old knucklehead I’ve always been?’ This is where it’s important to act according to faith and not feelings. Over time I learned it’s necessary to live on the basis of God’s promises, not our own shortcomings.

 

Another verse I’ve cited before affirms this truth: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Even though there are times when it doesn’t seem like the Spirit of Jesus Christ is living in me, I need to trust that this is true and act accordingly – allowing Him to express His life in me and through me.

 

The Bible affirms that our Creator God is all about making things new, even today. Both the Old and New testaments make this abundantly clear. In one of the prophetic books, He declared, “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you” (Isaiah 42:9).

 

In the next chapter the Lord declares, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs us; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19), and later in the same book He announces, “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17). God specializes in restoration and regeneration.

 

One of the psalms opens with, “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him…. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel, all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God” (Psalm 98:1-3).

 

And in one of the closing chapters of the Scriptures we read, “He who was seated on the throne [God] said, ‘I am making everything new! Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’” (Revelation 21:5).

 

When the Bible opens, we see God doing a new thing – creating the heavens and the earth, and everything in them. At the end of His Word we see He is still busy doing the same thing, making all things new. He’s never stopped doing that.

So, as we ponder the possibilities and potential for this new year, hoping to make a fresh start, perhaps with some dramatic changes, we can trust we don’t have to do it alone. The One who makes all things new has promised to work in us and through us to empower us to do the same. 

Who Says Walking by Faith Isn’t Fun?

Some years ago, action was taken by pro football officials to eliminate excessive celebrations in the end zone after touchdowns. Players were going overboard in their revelry. As a result, some critics said the NFL suddenly stood for “No Fun League.” 

 

What brings this to mind is there’s a similar opinion some hold that if people commit their lives to following Jesus Christ, they can’t have any fun anymore – that in becoming part of God’s family, they’d also be joining a “no fun league.”

 

It probably starts with how one defines “fun.” It’s true that after a life-changing encounter with Jesus, sometimes things that captivated us and commanded our attention lose their appeal. That’s why 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

 

For instance, before I became a follower of Jesus, I avidly read horror novels. The thrills, twists and turns of the stories fascinated me. But over time I realized those story lines and plots were detrimental, pointing me away from Christ, rather than toward Him. I determined that if I were to succeed in following the admonition of Acts 17:28, “For in him we live and move and have our being,” that treasured pastime was one of the “old things” that needed to pass away.

 

My reasoning: Why focus on evil – there’s so much of it in the world already – when I can concentrate on “renewing my mind,” as Romans 12:2-3 puts it, by thinking and meditating on what’s good, being “able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” 

 

It’s been said many times, “if sin wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t want to do it.” We’re never tempted to eat food we don’t like. But if you’re on a diet, a juicy cheeseburger or thick milkshake can seem almost irresistible. The “original sin” in the Bible was like that. God had given Adam and Eve freedom to partake of anything in the garden of Eden, except for one thing – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Rather than trusting the Lord’s one restriction and abiding by it, they were enticed to sample from it anyway. This goes down as perhaps the worst decision in history.

 

Similarly, I’ve known men who found themselves consumed with pornography. They knew it was wrong, that it was not only unhealthy emotionally and spiritually, but also detrimental to their relationships with their wives. But because of the “fun,” their struggles continued.

 

Addressing this, the Bible tells how sin, so very enticing, can lead to disastrous consequences we never imagined. "For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword" (Proverbs 15:3-4).

 

There are no simple answers or solutions for what are often called “besetting sins.” But a good place to start would be to follow an admonition from Israel’s King David, learned through experience: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word…. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalms 119:9-11). If God’s truth is stored in our hearts, we have a powerful weapon to ward off temptation.

 

Equally important is recognizing that God is not a divine spoilsport, making rules to keep us from having fun. Being our Creator, our Father who knows best, His commands and statutes were established for our good. This is why Jesus could boldly tell His followers, “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly (to the full)” (John 10:10).

 

“Abundant life,” if we believe the messages TV shows and movies, commercials and advertising provide, is very different from what we see in the Scriptures. Much of what the media present to us appeals to our egos, sensuality and self-gratification, but that is not God’s way. 

 

The real path to a full, abundant, rewarding life is not by receiving and consuming, but by giving of ourselves. Jesus explained, “If anyone would come after me, he must take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). He also said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), another principle we rarely hear from our secularized world.

 

I can attest that for more than 40 years, after Jesus invaded my life and began His lifelong process of transforming me into that “new creation” referred to above, it’s surpassed fun – an adventure filled with more surprises and more joy than I could have ever imagined. I never would have even hoped for the opportunities the Lord has presented to me. 

 

And it’s the same for anyone genuinely committed to serving Him. That’s why Jim Elliot, a missionary who died at the hands of the primitive Aucas in Ecuador in 1956, could write with great conviction, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

 

When we give our hearts and lives to Jesus, it may mean that our personal definitions of “fun” changes, perhaps drastically. But if we had the choice of returning to the life we had before Christ, most of us would shout, “No way!” Because time has taught us that indeed, the Lord is “able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask of imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). And that’s where the fun is!

Major Improvement, Or Absolute Transformation?

Have you ever watched any of those home improvement shows lately? I occasionally join my wife in viewing some of them. Besides the “drama” of these so-called reality shows, there’s actually a lot you can learn from them.

 

If you’ve never struggled with being envious or coveting, but have wondered what those vices are like, I highly recommend catching one of these shows. Invariably, the designers and craftspeople do things with home renovations and remodeling that make you think, “Wow, I wish our house looked like that!”

 If you’ve been praying, “Lord, lead me not into temptation,” maybe it would be best if you don’t watch. But if you feel confident it wouldn’t do much harm to your personal contentment scale, you might want to give it a try. The open floor plans with stunning hardwoods, immaculate “en suite” bathrooms, state-of-the-art kitchens and elaborate man-caves are wonders to behold.

 

The thing I like best about these shows is how they illustrate something God does every day: taking broken things and turning them into things of beauty. Recently we viewed a show in which the client wanted the craftsman/designer couple to refurbish his late father’s old, rundown cabin. 

 

Since I’ll never be mistaken for a handyman, seeing the mess the fellow wanted them to bring back to life, I was skeptical. If they’d asked me which tool to start the project with, I would have suggested a bulldozer. Or a wrecking ball. Of course, they chose neither of those options. Instead, they turned the rickety, broken structure, practically rubble, into a cozy, safe, beautiful testament to the fine art of home renovation.

 

Similarly – but in a far more profound sense – God does this every day. Genesis 1 tells us about His work of creation; the rest of the Bible recounts the Lord’s continual work of re-creating. Taking broken, sinful individuals and turning them into “new creations,” as 2 Corinthians 5:17 states. This is hardly rare. I’ve met thousands of men and women whose lives have been changed for all of eternity after their encounters with Jesus Christ.

 

They range from the battle-scarred Marine, who now devotes his life to helping military vets struggling with PTSD and other issues, to the business executive whose life’s passion once was profits but now is pointing others to purpose and meaning through the Lord. 

 

The Scriptures are filled with examples of miraculously changed lives, including Abraham, whom God promised would become the father of many nations; David, who rose from a caretaker of sheep to the king of Israel; Nehemiah, a king’s cupbearer who directed the rebuilding of Jerusalem; impetuous Peter, becoming one of the primary leaders of the first-century Church; and Paul, who transformed from persecutor of Christians to a fearless preacher of the Gospel.

 

One difference, however, between the HGTV-style productions and God’s work is that instead of trying to fix and improve upon the original, the Lord starts all over, building new creations from scratch spiritually. Romans 6:4 declares that as we receive Christ and identify with His atoning sacrifice on the cross, “just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” 

 

Several verses later, the apostle Paul, writer of the letter to the church in Rome, says, “The death [Jesus] died, he died to sin once and for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:10-11). God’s call on our lives is not to work harder and try to do better, but to live out the new life graciously given to us through Christ.

 

New and absolutely transformed – these are God’s specialties. Even in the Old Testament, God said, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

 

His work of transformation, replacing the old and broken, continues throughout the Bible, including its last book, Revelation: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband…. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4). Sounds like a whole lot more than a home makeover! 

Good Ole Song for a Good (or Not So Good) Old Year

Do you know who old Lang is? You know, the person whose sign they always sing about on New Year’s Eve? Old Lang’s sign?

All right, it’s actually Auld Lang Syne, but what’s that mean, anyway? In case you were wondering – and we’re told inquiring minds want to know – I looked it up. It comes from the title and key phrase of a 1788 Scots poem by Robert Burns. Traditionally sung on New Year’s Eve in many parts of the world, “auld lang syne” literally translates to “old long since.” Basically, “days gone by.” 

I remember years ago hearing bandleader Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians orchestra playing this bittersweet reverie leading up to the moment when past and future intersect, as “Father Time” passes the torch for the coming year:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o’ auld lang syne.

If nothing else, the song gives people a reason for toasting with their favorite beverages in remembrance of days gone by and looking forward to days yet born. I don’t think the tune is sung or performed at any other time of year. Christmas carols are heard for weeks (okay, months) before they’re instantly turned off on Dec. 26, but “Auld Lang Syne” gets only a one-night stand.

It seems fitting to pause and reflect on old acquaintances and key events of the past year before charging into the new one. Many of us have good friends and loved ones who left this life during 2018. They are missed. We’ve got happy times and achievements to remember with joy; and there are the moments (or extended periods) during the year for which we now can say, “Good riddance!”

From a spiritual perspective, it’s good to remember what the Lord has done over the past year. In one of his psalms, King David was going through a time of intense opposition and needed a reminder of God’s faithfulness. “So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land…. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:4-8).

Perhaps that sounds like you as we prepare to close out one calendar year and turn the page to the next. It does help to recall great things God has done in the past, for us and others, trusting He remains faithful and will do similar things in the coming days. 

At the same time, we’re admonished not to get stuck in the past and let it darken our expectations for the future. In Isaiah 43:18-19, the prophet wrote what God had spoken to him: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

In some ways the beginning of a new year doesn’t necessarily mean a totally fresh start. Projects unfinished over the past 12 months will need to be continued even as we flip calendars. For most of us, the job we had on Dec. 31 will be the same one we report to on Jan. 2; strained relationships at the close of the old year will still require attention – and hopefully, healing – in the new.

Nevertheless, the onset of a new year still gives us reason for renewed hope. We can start afresh, trying again with strengthened resolve and determination. Best of all, we have the promise of 2 Corinthians 5:17 that applies to our everyday lives: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!”

So the next time someone asks, “What’s new?” we can answer, “Me!”

Time to Hit the Reset Button?

With the relentless advance of our technological society, what would we ever do without the reset button?

Computers have a reset (or “restart”) button, handy for whenever they start acting erratically or decide to freeze up. In most cases we can “reset” and the computer’s running smoothly again. Twice a year, for Daylight Savings Time and Daylight Losing Time (better known as Standard Time), most of us reset our digital clocks, moving an hour forward or backward as the calendar ordains. And if you ever have to replace your car battery, it’s necessary to reset the programmed “presets” on the radio for your preferred stations. In each case, it’s like starting over.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a reset button for life?

I was reminded of this while listening to a commentary on the prodigal son, a parable Jesus told in Luke 15. You might recall the story about a son demanding his inheritance from his father even though “dad” was still very much alive. Adding insult to injury, the son squandered his premature fortune on riotous, irresponsible living, ending up in his own personal “bay of pigs” long before anyone had ever heard of Cuba or a missile crisis.

Finally coming to his senses, the still-young man decided to return home, realizing he couldn’t possibly expect to be restored to his family. But even taking on the role of a household servant would be a vast improvement over wallowing with the hogs.

Jesus’ story takes an unexpected turn, however, when instead of being angry or vindictive, the father runs – ignoring the social norm of the day – and welcomes his long-lost son, forgiving his previous ingratitude and disrespect. He even declared an impromptu party for celebrating the prodigal’s return. In a lavish demonstration of unconditional, undeserved love, the father was letting his son hit the “reset” button of his life.

Have you ever wished you could hit “reset” for wherever you are in your own life – to make a fresh start and repair a damaged relationship, redirect a struggling or unfulfilling career, undo unwise financial investments, or revisit poor personal choices that proved disastrous?

The amazing thing about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is He does just that. He provide the way to reset our lives, being able to make a fresh start. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

This doesn’t mean our past is erased. Sometimes the consequences of bad decisions remain. But we’re given the opportunity to experience a new and very different present and future if we desire that. It’s a wonderful truth and promise, even though it takes a lifetime to grasp it fully and experience it by faith.

We see this assurance repeatedly in the Scriptures, both Old Testament and New. In Isaiah 43:18-19, God declares, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

So the next time you find yourself wishing you could hit the “reset” button in your life, reflect on these and other assurances of new life in Christ we find in the Bible. As another translation of 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Old things have disappeared, and – look! – all things have become new!”

What if we really believed this – and acted upon it? What difference could it make? Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out?