Blog

The hands of a king are the hands of a healer

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:51:42 -0500

What’s my problem? Have you ever asked yourself this? If you are like me, sometimes you avoid that question by turning on the television and immersing yourself in another glorious episode of “Lost.” I think deep down there is a haunting bassnote of dissatisfaction, guilt, filth, and shame that hangs over us. We point to 1,000’s of circumstances in a vain effort to blame someone or something for this feeling. However, circumstances change, relationships change, our age changes and that bassnote is still looming. At some point, we must admit there is something terribly wrong with ME. That problem is summed up by King David, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). Ouch, the ultimate issue is my sin within me.
    Sin complicates, distorts, and ruins everything it touches. And since it lies within all of us, it powerfully affects us all. Paul David Tripp’s fantastic book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands describes the results of sin in three categories. Perhaps this will explain just what is going on inside all of us. First of all, sin produces rebellion. We falsely believe we have the right to do what I want when I want to do it. There is no better place than college to feed this notion. You get to choose your schedule, your peers, your classes, your recreations, etc. Naturally, we believe the lie…I submit to no one but myself. When Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden (Genesis 3), it’s not that they quit believing in God. Adam and Eve had conversations with God! However, they refused to have God as their King. God was just fine being a pal and a counselor, but to submit to Him as King was just too restrictive. Sin produces the same rebellion in us, therefore refuse to recognize our Creator’s authority. Independence and self-sufficiency are the lies that are destroying us. Just as a car was made to run on gas, we were made to live according to our Creator’s design. Any and every time we go the way of self-sufficiency it is to our own destruction.
    Secondly, sin produces foolishness. Tripp says, “Foolishness convinces us that we are okay, and that our rebellious, irrational choices are right and best. Foolishness is a rejection of our basic nature as human beings. We were never created to be our own source of wisdom. We were designed to be revelation receivers, dependent on the truths God would teach us, and applying those truths to our lives.” Having a child has given me a fresh and tiring insight into this. Little Shelby is made to be dependent on Liza and me. As she grows, she must trust us and our interpretations on the world. Though, foolish as we are, it will be to her own folly to trust her young “wisdom” over against ours.   Will the stove look like a nice thing to touch? Of course, but she is to learn from us. In the same way, we are Children of God, designed to live according to His Wisdom contained in His Word. Yes, college tells us to find ourselves and believe in ourselves…the better question is this: Have you learned to distrust yourself in light of God’s Wisdom?”
    Thirdly, sin renders us incapable of doing what God has ordained us to do. Yes, this can be quite depressing. Our inability affects everything. I can’t pull of living according to God’s wisdom and standard even if I so desire. Paul explains this notion in Romans 7 when he says, “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.” We really are “moral quadriplegics, fundamentally unable to do what is right. Alas, not always the feel good picture we like to have of ourselves.
    What does all this mean? To quote Tripp, “our deepest problem is not experiential, biological, or relational; it is moral, and it alters everything.” Of course other factors impact us. The ruinous effects of sin means that being sinned against leaves enormous scars. However, the only way to the solution, the only way of redemption from this sin that is destroying us, is to recognize that the ultimate problem is within.
    But at this point, the good news of the Bible comes in. Once we finally discover the pervasiveness of sin, of our rebellion, and of our inability, we realize something truly beautiful. True redemption and change from this sin will not come from a system. No system, no list of do’s and do not’s, no 10 step guides, and no amount of changing our situations will fix us. While those things are genuinely needed and helpful, all those suggestions begin with me! And I am fundamentally foolish, rebellious and incapable.
    The Bible holds out clear hope of redemption. It unequivocally promises real redemption, real restoration. But the Bible does not point to a system, it points to something outside ourselves, it points to a person. We need someone to bring inward change, a change all the way down to our core. We need someone to die for our rebellion, obey God for us, replace our inability with ability, and change our foolishness into wisdom! We need to be restored to the King.

Once again, Paul Tripp, “The good news confronts us with the reality that heart-changing help will…only be found in the Man, Christ Jesus. We must not offer people a system of redemption, a set of insights and principles. We offer people a Redeemer…But our inclination to replace the King with a things does not die easily, It rears its ugly head even when we search for answers in Scripture. We approach the Bible with a “where can I find a verse on ___” mentality. We forget that the only hope the principles offer rests on the Person, Jesus Christ. And we forget that the Bible is not an encyclopedia, but a story of God’s plan to rescue hopeless and helpless humanity. It’s a story about people who are rescued from their own self-sufficiency and wisdom and transported to a kingdom where Jesus is central and true hope is alive.
We cannot treat the bible as a collection of therapeutic insights. To do so distorts its message and will not lead to lasting change. If a system could give us what we need, Jesus would never have come. But he came because what was wrong with us could not be fixed any other way. He is the only answer, so we must never offer a message that is less than the good news. We don’t offer people a system; we point them to a Redeemer. He is hope.

The book has certainly been convicting for me and how often I just look for and/or give advice. It’s opening my eyes once again to so many of the conversations I have with college students over lunch. Too often, much like myself, you are looking for some simple advice to help you change a little bit. What can I do to make this situation better? How do I need to understand this problem? All those questions have their place, but fundamentally, we need a Redeemer, we need a person! He is where change happens. He has taken the promise of change on His shoulders and promises to restore us from the sin that so plagues us. Have you seen the Redeemer that comes to rescue you from yourself? Are you pointing others to the Redeemer? Let the new bassnote of your life be the famous Lord of the Rings phrase: “The hands of a king are the hands of a healer.”

Are You Tired?

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:05:14 -0400

I love how the hobbits fondly remember the shire throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy. They are always looking at each other, reminiscing about how they miss the shire and they can't wait to get back. For Frodo, Sam, Pip, and the rest of the hobbits, the shire is a picture of the way things are supposed to be.

Genesis 1 and 2 give us a picture of man and woman in paradise. It's a picture of the way things were supposed to be. Chapter 2 ends with these words "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." That nakedness meant they were completely exposed. Everything about them was exposed, down to the deepest recesses of their hearts, and yet there was no guilt or shame. There was a complete resting with who they were.

We quickly find in chapter 3 that sin enters the world through Adam's disobedience and that rest is lost. I've been doing campus ministry at Millsaps for 3 years now and have loved it. One thing I have noticed through the years is that Millsaps, much like most other universities and colleges I'm sure, is a very tired campus. Not so much physical weariness, though there is plenty to go around, but a deep weariness. A weariness that goes all the way back to Genesis 3. It's a weariness that comes from trying to convince the world, God, and ourselves that we are ok, that we are not ashamed.

We do it in 100's of different ways, but from the time we wake up until the time we hit our pillows at night we are trying to prove our worth to the world. As a result, making a "C" in a class is crippling, we act one way around one group of people and completely different around another group, we immediately defend ourselves at any notion of criticism, or some of us just go to every religious activity. Why do we do these things? I think many times we are trying to cover our nakedness, to cover our guilt and shame that we know is there. Because if we can just convince others that we are ok by giving them a projection of ourselves, then just maybe we will be ok.

We need what Eric Liddell so famously found in Chariots of Fire. Pastor Tim Keller was helpful in bringing these two truths together for me. If you remember from the move, there are 2 main characters. Both are runners and both are driven. When Harold Abrams is asked why he runs, he responds with: "I am running the 100 yard dash because when that gun goes off I have 10 seconds to justify my existence." Abrams runs to prove his worth to himself and others. And the film producers do a great job of cinematically displaying the weariness that comes from this motivation. Eric Liddell, on the other hand, is asked generally the same question but responds differently. "God made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure."

Think about it, there are two people doing the same activity. However, Abrams is always working even when he is resting. Yet, Liddell is resting even when he is running. What is the rest that Eric found? He found his worth and acceptance in the only eyes that mattered.

Eric knew a Savior that went to the cross. And on that cross, Jesus was stripped naked. He was the only man since Adam that could be naked and unashamed due to his perfect life. However, he was forsaken on the cross, not accepted. Then, as his life is expiring, he cries out, "It is finished." Why did Jesus say, "It is finished?" It's the same reason Jesus could look at people and say, "Come to me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."

Only when you admit the shame of your nakedness and see the God of this universe stripped for you, so that you could be clothed in His perfect righteousness will you find rest. Only in Jesus will there be nothing for you to prove to others. You will find acceptance and pleasure in the only eyes that matter. That acceptance which comes from the finished work of Jesus brings true rest. Are you tired?

How Can I Know God?

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:38:58 -0400

The following is an article from Rev. Timothy Keller--a PCA pastor in NYC. How Can I Know God?

What Does It Mean to Know God?
What is Christianity? Some say it is a philosophy, others say it is an ethical stance, while still others claim it is an actual experience. None of these things really gets to the heart of the matter, however. Each is something a Christian has, but not one gets to the heart of what a Christian is. Christianity has at its core a transaction between a person and God. A person who becomes a Christian moves from knowing about God distantly to knowing about him directly and intimately. Christianity is knowing God.

Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3)

Why Do I Need to Know God?
Our desire for personal knowledge of God is strong, but we usually fail to recognize that desire for what it is. When we first fall in love, when we first marry, when we finally break into our chosen field, when we at last get that weekend house these breakthroughs arouse in us an anticipation of something which, as it turns out, never occurs. We eventually discover that our desire for that precious something is a longing no lover or career or achievement, even the best possible ones, can ever satisfy. The satisfaction fades even as we close our fingers around our goal. Nothing delivers the joy it seemed to promise. Many of use avoid the yawning emptiness through busyness or denial, but at best there is just postponement. Nothing tastes, said Marie Antoinette. There are several ways to respond to this:

By blaming the things themselves by finding fault in everyone and everything around you. You believe that a better spouse, a better career, a better boss or salary would finally yield the elusive joy. Many of the most successful people in the world are like this bored, discontented, running from new thing to new thing, often changing counselors, mates, partners, settings.

By blaming the universe itself by giving up seeking fulfillment at all. This is the person who says, Yes, when young you are idealistic, but at my age I have stopped howling at the moon. This makes you become cynical; you decide to repress that part of you which once wanted fulfillment and joy. But you become hard and you can feel yourself losing your humanity, compassion and joy.

By blaming and recognizing your separation from God by establishing a personal relationship with Him.

The Christian says,
"Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exist. A baby feels hunger; well, there is such a thing as food. Men feel sexual desire; well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was meant for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not mean that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing."
--C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

How Can I Know God?
In order to form a personal relationship with God, you must know three things:

1. Who we are:

Gods creation. God created us and built us for a relationship with Him. We belong to Him, and we owe Him gratitude for every breath, every moment, everything. Because humans were built to live for Him (to worship), we will always try to worship something if not God we will choose some other object of ultimate devotion of give our lives meaning

Sinners. We have all chosen (and re-affirm that choice daily) to reject God and make our own joy and happiness our highest priority. We do not want to worship God and surrender our self-mastery, yet we were built to worship so we cling to idols, centering our lives on things that promise to give us meaning: success, relationships, influence, love, comfort, and so on.

In spiritual bondage. To live for anything else but God leads to breakdown and decay. When a fish leaves water, which he was built for, he is not free, but dead. Worshiping other things besides God leads to a loss of meaning. If we achieve these things, they cannot deliver satisfaction, because they were never meant to be gods. They were never meant to replace God. Worshiping other things besides God also leads to self-image problems. We end up defining ourselves in terms of our achievement in these things. We must have them or all is lost; so they drive us to work too hard, or they fill us with terror if they are jeopardized.

2. Who God is:

Love and Justice. His active concern is for our joy and well-being. Most people love those who love them, yet God seeks the good even of people who are His enemies. But because God is good and loving, He cannot tolerate evil. The opposite of love is not anger but indifference. The more you love your son, the more you hate in him the liar, the drunkard, the traitor. (E. Gifford). To imagine God's situation, imagine a judge who also is a father, who sits at the trial of his guilty son. A judge knows that he cannot let his son go, for without justice no society can survive. How much less can a loving God merely ignore or suspend justice for us who are loved, yet guilty of rebellion against His loving authority?

Jesus Christ. Jesus is God Himself come to Earth. He first lived a perfect life, loving God with all His heart, soul and mind, fulfilling all human obligation to God. He lived the life you owed a perfect record. Then, instead of receiving his deserved reward (eternal life), Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins, taking the punishment and death each of us owed. When we believe in Him:

Our sins are paid for by his death, and His perfect record is transferred to our account. So God accepts and regards us as if we have done all Christ has done.

3. What you must do:

Repent. There first must be an admission that you have been living as your own master, worshipping the wrong things, violating Gods loving laws. Repentance means you ask forgiveness and turn from that stance with a willingness to live for and center on Him.

Believe. Faith is transferring trust from your own efforts to the efforts of Christ. You were relying on other things to make you acceptable, but now you consciously rely on what Jesus did for your acceptance with God. All you need is nothing. If you think God owes me something for all my efforts, you are still on the outside.

Pray after this fashion: I see I am more flawed and sinful than I ever dared to believe, but that I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I turn from my old life of living for myself. I have nothing to merit you're approval, but I now rest in what Jesus did and I ask to be accepted into God's family for His sake."

When you make this transaction, two things happen at once:
Your accounts are cleared; your sins are wiped out permanently, you are adopted legally into God's family, and
The Holy Spirit enters your heart and begins to change you into the character of Jesus.

Follow through. Tell a Christian friend about your commitment. Get yourself in training in basic Christian disciplines of prayer, worship, Bible study, and fellowship with other Christians. You can contact our church office at 415-346-6994, and we will connect you with someone who is gladly willing to help you grow as a Christian.

Consider reading: Go For It, by John Guest, or The Fight, by John White. Both are good books for developing a new Christian life.

Why Should I Seek to Know God?
On one hand, you may feel that you "need" him. Even though you may recognize that you have needs that only God can meet, you must not try to use him to achieve your own ends. It is not possible to bargain with God. ("I'll do this if you do that.") That is not Christianity at all, but a form of magic or paganism in which you attempt to "appease" the cranky deity in exchange for a favor. Are you getting into Christianity to serve God, or to get God to serve you? Those are two opposite motives and they result in two different religions. You must come to God because
You owe it to Him to give Him your life (because He is your creator), and
You are deeply grateful to Him for sacrificing His son (because He is your redeemer).

On the other hand, you may feel no need or interest to know God at all. This does not mean that you should stay uncommitted. If you were created by God then you owe Him your life, whether you like it or not. You are obligated to seek Him and ask Him to soften your heart, open your eyes, and enlighten you. If you say "I have no faith" that is no excuse either. You need only doubt your doubts. No one can ever doubt everything at once you must believe in something to doubt something else. For example, do you believe you are competent to run your own life? Where is the evidence of that? Why doubt everything but your doubts about God and your faith in yourself? Is that fair? You owe it to God to seek Him. Do so.

What If I Am Not Ready to Proceed?
Make a list of the issues that you perceive to be a barrier to your crossing the line into faith. Here is a possible set of headings:

Content Issues. Do you understand the basics of the Christian message--sin, Jesus as God, sacrifice, faith?

Coherence Issues. Are there intellectual problems that you have with Christianity? Objections to the Christian faith that you cannot resolve in your own mind?

Cost Issues. Do you perceive that a move into full Christian faith will cost you dearly? What fears do you have about commitment?

Now talk to a Christian friend until these issues are resolved. Or call our church office and we will be happy to connect you with someone you could talk to about these matters.

Consider reading:
Hope Has its Reasons, by Rebecca Pipert (Harper & Rowe)
Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis (MacMillan)
Basic Christianity, by John Stott (IVP)

By Dr. Timothy Keller, © 1991

The Cost Of Christianity

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:37:54 -0400

The cost of Christianity has been on my mind lately. For one, I think I’ve been trying to figure out what indeed Christianity has cost me. A hard verse for me to read is when Jesus says ”if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” It’s hard for me to read because life as a Christian seems way too easy. I mean, I have a hard time confronting people because I'm scared it will cost me "how much they like me."

Let every reader of this paper think seriously, whether his religion costs him anything at present. Very likely it neither costs you trouble, nor time, nor thought, nor care, nor pains, nor reading, nor praying, nor self-denial, nor conflict, nor working, nor labour of any kind. Now mark what I say. Such a religion as this will never save your soul. It will never give you peace while you live, nor hope while you die. It will not support you in the day of affliction, nor cheer you in the hour of death. A religion which costs nothing is worth nothing.

I don’t really have much to add to J.C. Ryle’s quote. When Jesus says ”if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” He assumes that our following Christ means it will come with a cost. I don’t know about you, but for me, I sometimes wonder how much Christianity has really cost me. I’ve grown up in the “Christian” friendly south. I’ve always been surrounded by Christian friends, and have even been working for a campus ministry for the past 4 years.” But alas, Jesus did not say, Christianity will cost you something….unless you are from Mississippi.

Nope, I dare say the reason Christianity costs us so little is because we fear man more than we fear God. In Mark 6, King Herod stands at a crossroads. He can either have John the Baptist beheaded, thus pleasing his adulterous wife, daughter in law, and rich friends, or he can refuse to murder John the Baptist and forfeit the favor of his colleagues. King Herod sadly fears the dislike of his friends more than God and therefore executes John the Baptist.

What’s our answer? We look to the cross and see what it cost our Savior to bring salvation to His loved ones. Jesus, the Son of God, who was, is and always will be in perfect communion with Trinity, took on a body and walked the earth 2000 years ago. He became his own creation! Was rejected and despised by even his own people. Then horrifically suffered torture and then a slaves death on the cross, took the full, unmitigated wrath of God upon himself, and died. Why? All to pay the debts of his people and secure our complete redemption. When we look at the cross we see that Christ paid the ultimate cost, so that we might have life with him eternal.

Ryle asserts that Christianity will cost us our self-righteousness, our easy life, and the favor of the world. But when you compare the cost…it’s no comparison….because we get Jesus. Marrying Liza (my wife for those of you who don’t know) meant things had to change in my life, but it’s all worth it because I have Liza. And following Christ means emptying my wallet, confronting my friends about hard things, not being selfish with my time, and yes much, much more. But “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul (Mark 8:36).” As Ryle concludes

We shall marvel that we made so much of our cross, and thought so little of our crown. We shall marvel that in “counting the cost” we could ever doubt on which side the balance of profit lay. Let us take courage. We are not far from home. IT MAY COST MUCH TO BE A TRUE CHRISTIAN AND A CONSISTENT HOLY MAN; BUT IT PAYS.

Does Marriage Matter? Who Needs The Piece Of Paper?

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:36:58 -0400

The following is from Dr. Albert Mohler's blog (president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY).

The "My Turn" column in each week's issue of Newsweek is always one of the most interesting features in the magazine, and it is often the first page I read. The January 14, 2008 edition featured a column that demands attention -- and has attracted plenty.

In her article, "Yes to Love, No to Marriage," Bonnie Eslinger writes of choosing love but insists that she has absolutely no need of marriage. "I am a 42-year-old woman who has lived life mostly on my own terms," she explains. "I have never sought a husband and have still experienced intense, affirming love. I have explored the world and myself and sought understanding, knowledge and a sense of how I can best contribute. Ten years ago I left a New York career to return to California and pursue a writer's life."

She also became a foster mom to a teenage girl . . . and then she met Jeff. As she recalls, "Meeting Jeff--an intelligent, creative, thoughtful man--became the icing on the rich cake of a life not wasted cruising singles bars and pining over lost loves."

As the relationship moved forward, Jeff thought of marriage and then asked Bonnie to marry him. Here is how she tells the story:

Last year Jeff asked me to marry him, and I willingly gave my heart to the intent of his question. We are committed to spending our future together, pursuing our dreams and facing life's challenges in partnership.

Yet I do not need a piece of paper from the state to strengthen my commitment to Jeff. I do not believe in a religion that says romantic, committed love is moral only if couples pledge joint allegiance to God.

Bonnie Eslinger willingly gave her heart "the intent of his question," she insists, but not to marriage. Her explanation is straightforward -- she has no need of "a piece of paper from the state" and is not a believer in any religion that would demand that romance, sex, and "committed love" be restricted to marriage -- a couple's "joint allegiance to God."

In one sense, the column is not shocking. Rates of heterosexual cohabitation are growing annually. Marriage has been subverted by easy divorce, pummeled in the mass culture and in entertainment, confused through debates over same-sex relationships, and sidelined by a generation that is extending adolescence past age thirty.

In another sense, Bonnie Eslinger's column is surely noteworthy for its candor -- and its evasions.

Her candor is bracing at points. Consider this section:

I don't need a white dress to feel pretty, and I have no desire to pretend I'm virginal. I don't need to have Jeff propose to me as if he's chosen me. I don't need a ring as a daily reminder to myself or others that I am loved. And I don't need Jeff to say publicly that he loves me, because he says it privately, not just in words but in daily actions.

Few paragraphs offer such eloquent testimony to the absolute victory of personal autonomy as an ideal. The first-person pronoun appears no less than eleven times in that short paragraph.

Where is Jeff? Bonnie Eslinger argues that she responded positively to "the intent of his question" when he proposed marriage. But, if marriage was his question, how can his "intent" be so easily reduced to cohabitation?

Marriage is not primarily about what we as individuals think we want or need. It is about a central public commitment that the society needs, that couples need, that children need, and yes, that the spouses need. Marriage is a public institution, not merely a private commitment. It identifies the couple as a pair committed to lifelong marriage and thus to be respected in this commitment. The fact that our society has weakened marriage offers only further incentive to get it right and to strengthen this vital institution.

The traditions of the wedding ceremony are important as a part of solemnizing and recognizing this covenanted relationship -- but the traditions are expendable. Marriage is not. There is a universe of difference between a private promise and a public pledge. Marriage is about a public vow made by the man to the woman and the woman to the man whereby they become now husband and wife.

Bonnie Eslinger's column has sparked controversy on both sides of the cultural divide. Ironically, one interesting piece of testimony to the enduring power of marriage is the fact that, even in 2008, this column has met resistance as well as agreement. There are things we really cannot not know, and one of these truths is that marriage really does matter.

Mother Theresa and Her Crisis of Faith

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:34:09 -0400

The following is from Dr. Albert Mohler: President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

What are we to make of Mother Teresa's crisis of faith? That is a question I have been repeatedly asked in recent days. This week's TIME cover story by David van Biema caught the attention of millions around the world, and it raises some of the most important questions about the Christian faith.

In a new book, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, previously undisclosed letters raise basic questions about her understanding of the Gospel. David van Biema's article, "Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith," brings many questions to light.

I have written a column on these questions at "On Faith," the project of The Washington Post and Newsweek magazine. Here is the main portion of my article:

The recent revelations of Mother Teresa's spiritual struggle should remind all believing Christians that our faith is in Christ -- not in our feelings.

The disclosure of previous secret letters from Mother Teresa indicates that she was deeply troubled by doubts and a sense of Christ's absence. The fact is that many Christians struggle with doubt. Indeed, the most thoughtful believers are most likely of all to understand what is at stake, and thus to suffer pangs and seasons of doubt.

Doubt can be healthy. It can drive believers to a deeper knowledge of what we believe and a deeper embrace of the truth of the Gospel. It can deepen our trust in God and mature our faith. At the same time, doubt can be a form of sin . . . a refusal to trust God and his promises.

This can also be the root of depression, especially spiritual depression. I would not presume to read Mother Teresa'a heart or soul, but I can reflect on the questions raised by her experience.

The Christian Gospel is the good news that God saves sinners through the atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ -- his cross and resurrection. Salvation comes to those who believe in Christ -- it is by grace we are saved through faith.

But the faith that saves is not faith in faith, nor faith in our ability to maintain faith, but faith in Christ. Our confidence is in Christ, not in ourselves.

There is a sweet and genuine emotional aspect to the Christian faith, and God made us emotional and feeling creatures. But we cannot trust our feelings. Our faith is not anchored in our feelings, but in the facts of the Gospel.

As an evangelical Christian, I have to be concerned that part of Mother Teresa's struggle was that she did not consider herself worthy of salvation. She was certainly not worthy of salvation. Nor am I. Nor is any sinner. The essence of the Gospel is that none is worthy of salvation. That is what makes salvation all about grace. As the Apostle Paul taught us, the wonder of God's grace is that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.

Our confidence is in Christ, not in ourselves. We are weak; He is strong. We fluctuate; He is constant. We cannot trust our feelings nor our emotional state. We trust in Christ. Those who come to Christ by faith are not kept unto him by our faith, but by his faithfulness.

I possess no ability to read Mother Teresa's heart, but I do sincerely hope that her faith was in Christ, and not in her own faithfulness.