Worshiping leaders is worshiping idols You shall have no other gods.” Exodus 20:3
The king said, “Can the LORD deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?” 2 Kings 18:35
Faith said, “It is right to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29
The Bible clearly states: “We know that we belong to God and that the whole world lies in the hand of the evil one; and we also know that the Son of God has come and has given us wisdom so that we may know the true One, and we are also in him who is true, that is, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:19-21 tells us clearly here The following points:
1. Christians are separated as holy by the world. Sovereignty rests with God, not earthly kings. “Peter and John said: Listening to you instead of God, whether it is reasonable or not before God, you should decide for yourselves! What we have seen and heard, we must say.” Acts 4:19-20
2. Spiritual The battle is going on until the return of Christ Jesus. We are called to be in the Lord and to engage in this fierce battle. “Put on the whole armor of God, and you will be able to resist the wiles of the devil. For we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, powers, rulers of this dark world, and spiritual demons in the heavenly places. ’” Ephesians 6:11-12
3. This war will focus on forcing idolatry and rejecting idolatry. It seems that the advantages are in the hands of the king of the world, but confidence says: the opposite is true. The Lord Jesus declared: “The prince of this world is coming, and he has nothing in me. all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” John 14:30, Matthew 28:18
4. If you know the true God, you will be able to overcome. The key to victory is to be careful and self-controlled, avoiding idols.
What are idols in a biblical context? It is all the people, things, and things that are artificially exalted and try to replace God.
Idols are not only pagan clay sculptures and wood sculptures, but also emperors of the empire, their own children, personal hobbies, money and power, literature and art, celebrities, etc. Everything that leads to worship and then replaces the honor of God may become an idol.
Behind it is the power of darkness, the demon who rules the dark world, and the spiritual energy of the sky. The evil one is manipulative, and all the unregenerate are under his power. People are not only like the walking dead but also like cruel and treacherous wolves. This is true whether it is the common people or the king and head of state. “You were dead in trespasses and sins, and He made you alive. Then you walked in it after the course of this world, after the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience. We once And among them they all indulged the lusts of the flesh, following the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest.” Ephesians 2:1-3
Other idols are often temptations and deceptions, but in empires alone, The tyrant will use naked coercion. Therefore, religion will compromise and exalt the king as a god. The monks in the Qing Dynasty flattered Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty as a Bodhisattva. Everyone has vanity, and those in high positions have even more inflated pride, so they are very happy when they hear it, and they are rewarded and given a special status.
True faith knows that only God is good, the human heart is deceitful above all things, and man cannot save himself from sin. Exalting people is tantamount to harming others, and touting the king is actually killing people.
It’s a pity that since ancient times, loyal words have been harsh to the ears, and the truth has always pierced the heart and offended pride. So, it is often the case that darkness rejects light. In peacetime, people will slander and say that the Gospel is narrow and extreme, and in times of persecution, they threaten prison, torture, or even death. This is a common thing. The Lord told us long ago: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world will love what belongs to itself; because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, and therefore the world hates you. Remember what I said to you before: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if you keep my word, Keep your word.” John 14:18-20
Who is God?
God is the Creator of all things, the everlasting Almighty; the source of all goodness and wisdom, the light of the world, and the merciful Savior. What we believe in is the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of faithfulness. His name is Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
If someone says that he is omnipotent, infallible, able to bring happiness to mankind, and omniscient, he is either a mentally ill patient or a tyrant. The former wants mercy and gives proper healing; the latter wants mercy and at the same time refuses to worship. In that way, if someone is about to commit suicide, you will send a large cup of poison. If he harmed the other party, he also had a part in his death. A tyrant is also a human being, fragile, small, lonely, and fearful. They are constantly deceived by the people around them, and at the same time they stretch out their hands to do evil. Instead of hating King Kim of Joseon, we should pity him and pray for him.
The Lord said: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and fabricate all kinds of evil things against you because of me. Rejoice and be happy, because you are in heaven. The reward is great. The prophets before you were persecuted in the same way.” Matthew 5:10-12
Because of ignorance, kings would lose control and force Christians to worship themselves. The first step is to guide brainwashing in terms of culture and education, and then use profit to lure and lead, the third step is to suppress threats to facilitate internal division, and finally, it is to persecute and persecute. At that time, it is an attempt to destroy physically and destroy spiritually. What they do is like kicking a thorn with their feet, which is of course difficult.
If people want to touch the people of Israel or the children of God, they want to touch the pupil of God’s eyes, and they are directly opposing God. “This is a clear proof of God’s righteous judgment, so that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you have suffered. Since God is just, He will repay tribulation to those who afflict you.” 2 Thessalonians 1: 5-6
Satan is a murderer from the beginning, facing the children of God, he will be as ferocious as a roaring lion. Because it has powerful resources on earth, including political power, and can kill people, the threat is real, and the persecution is cruel and long-lasting. But we need to know: “The Lord is faithful and will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 More than 2,500 years ago, the king of the Babylonian Empire, the superpower in the world at that time, was out of pride in his heart and for the sake
of Consolidate the regime and build a huge golden statue on the plain, ordering all people to worship the golden statue at the specified time. In order to show authority, it was decreed that whoever does not worship the golden statue will be thrown into the fiery kiln and burned to death. Three Jews who were captives in Babylon as children refused to worship the golden statue. King Nebuchadnezzar felt very ashamed, but because he liked the three young men, he gave them a chance, as long as they did not worship on purpose, they would not be executed, but now they had to worship the golden statue, or they would bear the consequences.
These three faithful servants of the Highest God were firm in their faith, strong and courageous, without fear. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego said to the king, Nebuchadnezzar, we need not answer you in this matter. Even so, the God we serve can deliver us from the fiery furnace. He will deliver us from your hand, O king; and if not, know that we will not serve your God, nor worship your golden image!” Dan 3:16-18
It is believed that there is no room for negotiation on the matter of not worshiping idols because there must be no compromise on matters of this nature. They believe that God has the power to keep them from dying and out of danger. The most touching thing is that they fear God and are willing to submit to His sovereignty. Even if God wants to take them back to their heavenly home immediately, they are willing to obey. Of course, it is far better to die and be with the Lord. The “if not” here is a great statement that makes Satanic powers tremble and fear.
Because the words had come first, the king had no choice but to order these three great men of faith to be thrown into the fiery furnace. The amazing thing is that they experienced the presence of the Lord in the fire without any damage. This miracle was a testimony of splendor and beauty, and it astonished the king greatly. Then, “Nebuchadnezzar said, Blessed, be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who sent his messengers to save his servants who trusted in him, who disobeyed the king’s command and gave themselves up, in the presence of their gods. He refused to serve or worship other gods. Now I decree that no matter where, what country, or what kind of people, whoever slanders the gods of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he will be cut down, and his house will be destroyed. become a dung heap, because no other god can save like this.” But in 3:28-29
we can see how wonderful it is that the king of Babylon, who believed in pagan gods, came to testify for God himself. Daniel and his three friends had no fear and love for nothing but God, and they worshiped only the true God. Such a beautiful aspiration is worthy of our imitation, and such a beautiful testimony should be spread.
There is nothing new under the sun.
Dynasties have been changing, and emperors are constantly rotating. People’s hearts have never changed, and persecution has never been uncommon. Worshiping leaders, seemingly unimportant, is a kind of culture, and it is a last resort to “bow at the temple gate”. In fact, it is idolatry in the Eastern style. Because people will shout Long live, learn his thoughts every day, and think that the leader is absolutely right and unquestionable. And frenziedly crack down on those who refuse to worship and retain independent and free thinking. This is an inevitable social phenomenon in a crooked and perverted generation, and it is not surprising.
Christians must submit to those in authority. This obedience is reflected in acknowledging that their authority comes from God, treating them with respect and not seeking to overthrow a tyrannical government, and fulfilling their civic duties by paying taxes and paying taxes, rather than worshiping leaders as idols. To do so is to follow others in doing evil, and to oppose God. God cannot be underestimated. If killing the body cannot destroy the soul, there is no need to be afraid of him. Only God deserves all worship and praise, while humble humanity needs to be reminded and advised. Get ready and refuse to worship all visible and invisible idols.
The Lord said, “I am sending you as sheep among wolves; therefore be as wise as serpents, and as gentle as doves. Beware of men, for they will hand you over to the Sanhedrin and scourge you in their synagogues; and you You will be sent before princes and kings for my sake, to be a witness to them and to the Gentiles. When you are handed over, do not worry about how you will speak, or what words to say. At that time, you will be given what you have to say, because it is not What you speak yourselves, it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Matthew 10:16-20
几天前，美国德州大学奥斯汀校园的教授，97岁的约翰.古德诺夫（John B. Goodenough）成为2019年诺贝尔化学奖的三个得主之一。古德诺夫是可充电锂电池之父，是历史上最年长的诺贝尔获奖者。 当今世界，几乎所有便携式电子产品（如电动工具，医疗设备，智能手机，笔记本电脑等），都依赖轻巧可充电的锂电池。 可以说，古德诺夫发明的可充电锂电池，开启了便携式电子产品的新时代。
古德诺夫是一位公开的基督徒，在大环境敌对基督信仰的学术界，他毫不隐讳自己的基督信仰。 他的实验室里挂着一大幅“（耶稣）最后的晚餐”的挂毯，他的办公室里摆放着许多与基督信仰相关的饰物。约10年前，他还写了一本85页的自传《见证（上帝的）恩典》 （Witness to Grace），讲述上帝如何带领他的人生，包括他的童年，他参加二战，他去芝加哥大学转学物理，他又转向研究电池，等等。
Faith is the foundation of scientific research – Zhou Xiaoqin A few days ago, 97-year-old John B. Goodenough (John B. Goodenough, whose name means “good enough”), a professor at the Austin campus of the University of Texas in the United States, became one of the three winners of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Gudenov, the father of rechargeable lithium batteries, is the oldest Nobel laureate in history. In today’s world, almost all portable electronic products (such as power tools, medical equipment, smartphones, laptops, etc.) rely on lightweight and rechargeable lithium batteries. It can be said that the rechargeable lithium battery invented by Goodnov has opened a new era of portable electronic products.
Gudenov is an anomaly and a miracle in the scientific world. Einstein once said: “If a person has not made a great contribution to science before the age of thirty, this person is hopeless.” And Gudenov, after turning to work at Oxford University at the age of 54, began to turn to Research batteries. At the age of 64, when he was about to be forced to retire by Oxford University, he transferred to the University of Texas to continue his scientific research. At the University of Texas, he worked for more than 30 years. Goodnov is still working today! Until 3 years ago when he was 94 years old, he still arrived at the laboratory before 8:00 every morning to study new batteries and new energy sources together with his graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Goodnov is an open Christian. In an academic world that is hostile to Christianity, he makes no secret of his Christianity. A large “(Jesus) Last Supper” tapestry hangs in his laboratory, and many ornaments related to Christianity are placed in his office. He also wrote an 85-page autobiography, Witness to Grace, about 10 years ago, about how God led his life, including his childhood, his participation in World War II, and his going to the University of Chicago After switching to physics, he turned to research on batteries, and so on.
Gudenov is the second child in the family. When he was a child, his parents had a bad relationship with their husbands and wives. His mother was indifferent to him so he could not feel maternal love. He also had severe dyslexia since he was a child, sensitive and anxious. After going to Groton Christian residential school at the age of 12, Gudenow became more distant from his mother and had little contact. At Groton, he experienced God and understood that “God is love.” He said: “It was the first time I experienced this kind of love. I almost jumped out of bed. I was so excited.”
This cognition of being surrounded by God’s love has been with Gudnov for more than 80 years, which is the foundation of his research and development work. Goodnoff said using his gifts, and working with colleagues to develop innovations that protect the planet and improve human life, is an expression of his love for God and neighbor, the great biblical commandment.
The connection between scientific pursuits and the Christian faith was obvious to Goodenoff. He said: “If you believe in a Creator, you should show your admiration for the Creator by admiring His creation. Scientists show respect for the Creator by studying the planet we live on and how it works.” Appreciate, and use their discoveries to serve humanity.”
Before God, Gudenov has a gentle, humble, and sensitive heart, so he can use the eyes of his soul to see clearly the relationship between God, man, and other creatures, just like Christ who pioneered science in the early days Just like the giants of science. Such Christian giants as Newton, Pascal, Boyle, Kepler, Copernicus, Faraday, Joule, Maxwell, Galileo, Planck, Dalton, Pasteur, Mendel, Edison, etc. Newton said, “The thumb, if nothing else, would convince me of the existence of God.”
The testimonies of Goodnoff and Newton confirm the teaching of the Bible: “The things of God, which can be known by man, are revealed in the hearts of men because God has revealed them to them. Since the creation of the world, God’s eternal power and God’s Sex are clearly known, being invisible, yet it is understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20)
The peace that God bestows, which surpasses all understanding, will be found in Christ-Deering https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/RNTo79IWDiKo9Vy5hpoJtw
“Father of lithium batteries” Goodenough won the Nobel Prize. He was deeply troubled by dyslexia and parental relationship in his childhood. He changed his major repeatedly in university, took the master’s entrance examination twice, and finally decided on his research direction at the age of 54. “Is everything accidental? Why did these completely change my life? For me, all accidents are the manifestation of God’s love.” What he pursued all his life is actually walking with God.
On October 9, John B. Goodenough, affectionately known as “Good Enough” Grandpa, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. After winning the award, his legendary life quickly spread widely in the Chinese circle.
The old man was troubled by dyslexia when he was a child, and the relationship between his parents was tense when he was a child. He changed his major repeatedly during college. He majored in classical literature when he entered the school and transferred to the philosophy department in the middle. The postgraduate exam was taken twice before being admitted. It was not until the age of 54 that he started to enter the battery field, and he was called the “father of lithium batteries”. At the age of 97, he is still struggling in the front line of scientific research until recently he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with two other experts in this field. Today, the mobile phones, computers, cameras, and electric cars we use are becoming lighter and safer, thanks in large part to him.
In an interview with the media, he said: “I seem to be very happy, but I don’t care about these things at my age. I will go to the laboratory every day, otherwise, I will retire and wait to die. I won’t do that.”
Many look to Goodenough as an inspirational role model for the latest version of a late bloomer. But how does he see his own life? In an autobiography published a decade ago, Goodenough sees his life as a “Witness to Grace.”
the crying child in the corner Goodenough’s grandfather was a devout Christian, and his father was influenced by his grandfather to study theology and prepare to serve in the church. However, when my father entered Harvard Divinity School, he was influenced by the liberal theology at that time. When he followed the academic circle to “discover the Christ in history”, it directly led to the wavering of his faith. Later, my father even accepted Freud’s theory, believing that belief is just a psychological projection of people, and he gradually moved away from the faith, although he once taught at Harvard Divinity School.
Goodenough was born in 1922 as the second boy in the family, three years older than him. Gudinough’s greatest joy in childhood was exploring the meadows and woods near his home. But the tense relationship between his parents troubled him a lot. Their marriage seemed to be a disaster, but because divorce was not so popular at the time, their parents’ marriage was like a wrecked ship, and it was going forward.
Possibly affected by this, Gudinough Jr. felt extremely insecure. At night, when he was lying alone in bed, he began to worry that he would be abandoned by his parents. Sometimes, when he heard a train whizzing by outside the window, he would quietly get out of bed and go to his parent’s bedroom to make sure they were still there. Once, after Mom and Dad drove away, Goodenough was so convinced he had been abandoned that he sat in a corner sobbing until his parents returned. That was the closest he’d come to a nervous breakdown.
From the age of seven, he suffered from dyslexia. His mechanical reading was unable to make sense of the words, a problem that persisted through college.
In 1934, at the age of 12, Goodenough entered the boarding school Groton School. Near the center of the campus is a chapel, funded by Rockefeller, that serves as the center of school activity. Every Sunday, students wear their blue school uniforms for morning and evening worship. Goodenough was taken into the choir, much to his surprise. Because he thought he was tone deaf since he was a child, even his elder brother satirized him and said, “Do you have to sing?” The experience in the choir made Gudinav very happy.
Groton Middle School Chapel：Behind the Hound, a Life-Changing Awakening
Singing in the choir introduced Goodenough to the Christian faith. Despite his family’s religious tradition, his knowledge of Christianity was extremely poor. He found that the principal came to pray for the school very early before breakfast every day. He often heard the principal pray, “Oh, Lord, help us to live with dignity and for the benefit of others.”
By his third year, Goodenough noticed something in the school’s prayer book that he didn’t understand. It read Leviticus 19:2, “You shall be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy.” He checked the dictionary to find out what “holy” meant, but there was no one in the dictionary. An answer that satisfies him. “Holiness must be more than keeping the law! I realized that holiness is a word that cannot be defined; holiness must be an experience. I also realized that without this experience, whether it is a biblical story or a worship service. They are separated from me by a layer of veil.”
That year, he read the story of Moses. Moses saw the bush burn and not be destroyed. “The image didn’t shock me, as the setting sun could have created the illusion of burning bushes. What really surprised me was the answer Moses got when he asked God’s name: ‘I am who I am… …that I AM has sent me to you’. These words struck my imagination, and I felt as if it were the key to my doubts.” Goodenough decided to be baptized, he hoped Through baptism, he completely lifted the veil covering his rationality.
Baptism had brought him into a community, but he still felt like a layman. Then he thought again, Maybe I’ll understand after Communion. “It turned out that my confusion was still unresolved. There must be something I had overlooked!” Goodenough said.
In the fifth school year, Goodenough took an English poetry appreciation class, which was quite a challenge for him who was dyslexic. He thought the only way to learn to read poetry was to try to write it himself, and in the process of writing it, he finally understood the metaphor. One day in February, the homework assigned by the teacher was “Hounds of Heaven”, a poem about how the author was conquered by God’s love. During the Easter break, Goodenough and his father discussed the topic of faith. His father, who was a professor of religious history at Yale University at the time, told him that human beings generally have a religious appeal, and showed him the images of various gods drawn by the ancients.
Perhaps it was the stimulation of the professional class his father gave him, although it failed to reduce the confusion in his heart, that night, he had a dream, in which the images he had seen during the day flashed before his eyes one by one, each When the secondary image appeared, he shouted: “This is not God.” Finally, the head of a hound appeared in front of him. Goodenough still said, “This is not God.” Suddenly the Hound smiled, and behind the smile, there was a gentle light. Goodenough cried out in his dream: “God is love!” He woke up excitedly from the dream, jumped out of bed, and his heart was full of joy.
The next morning, Goodenough told his father about his dream, but his father advised him not to take it too seriously. His father had no idea what the dream meant to Goodenough. “It was an awakening that changed my life,” Gudinough recalled.
After returning to school, the principal noticed a change in Goodenough’s mind. One day, the principal suggested that he study theology and serve the church. But Goodenough said he wanted to evangelize as a layman. In fact, he was still afraid of public speaking. He felt that he could not be a good preacher and that he was not worthy to represent Jesus. At that time he did not understand the power of grace to make him a new creature.
While dyslexia and insecurities haven’t gone away, Goodenough is generally happy with his studies and life at Groton. His grades continued to improve, from a B to an A to an A+ before graduating summa cum laude.
A Weather Forecaster Standing Outside the Doors of Physics
In his final year at Groton, Dad finally decided to separate from Mom and start another marriage with his research assistant. Rejected by his new mother, he decided not to accept money from his parents and left home with $35 in hand to attend Yale. Although college life was tight, fortunately, he survived by being a tutor to rich kids.
Difficulties in life were not his biggest challenge at Yale. Goodenough believed that there is a universal moral code that governs human behavior, just as there are universal laws in the physical world. But Yale’s philosophy professors teach that all moral and aesthetic judgments are relative. The professors spoke convincingly but never doubted that what they said was also relative.
“Are our ideas of holiness arbitrary or inherent in human nature? Are we going to the battlefield to fight Hitler and Tojo? Are we going to fight the barbarism of Stalin? Although different people are loyal to different ideals, we have to choose which ones to follow in these extreme situations. Sadly, we too often succumb to immediate self-interest, allowing the fleeting to lure us away from our ultimate goal, often with disastrous results.” Gudiner’s Husband began to think about the direction of life.
He recalled: “I began to understand that the meaning of life is not the approval of others, but the importance of the object we serve. Do we serve ourselves, the family, the nation, or the country as the highest object of service? I want to find my calling Zhao, maybe it’s in the field of science. In my second year of university, I decided to study philosophy of science.”
After Pearl Harbor, the United States officially entered the war. Goodenough was called up with his classmates, and he accepted the advice of his mathematics professor to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a weather forecaster. In 1945, the war in Europe is coming to an end. While eating in the cafeteria, Goodenough saw a pastor bow his head in thanks for his meal. This simple gesture brought his thoughts on faith back to him. He felt that he should read the Bible again and let the Bible speak to him. The environment at that time did not allow him to read the scriptures regularly, and the military environment often made him distracted.
After World War II, Goodenough was already a captain. Although he had the opportunity to stay in the army and do meteorological work, Gudinough did not think this was his calling in peacetime. In 1946, he came to Washington and, with the help of his former mathematics professor, got a chance to study at the University of Chicago.
On the way from Washington to Chicago, Goodenough suddenly remembered that he had hoped to study physics after the war during his service, so he immediately decided to transfer to study physics after entering the University of Chicago. When he registered, a professor poured cold water on him, “At your age, those physics masters are already honored.”
Erin later became his wife-The brave make a choice, but the coward still hesitates As a novice in physics, Gudinav encountered a big bottleneck in his research and was admitted after taking the postgraduate exam twice. Fortunately, his mentor was Zener, the inventor of the “Zener diode”. The mentor said to him: “Now you are facing two problems: one is to find a problem, and the other is to solve it.” This sentence benefited him a lot.
Another question Goodenough had was about Christianity. He found that there were some problems with the ideas of his father, who had enlightened him in faith, and the old headmaster of Groton. The old headmaster believed that faith was mainly about morality; his father used reason to criticize all religions. Goodenough also believes in the scientific method and finds and solves problems through scientific methods, but he finds that there is another dimension beyond rationality besides science, and people should keep an open attitude to this dimension.
To that end, Goodenough joined a Christian youth group at school. Although the group members have a harmonious relationship with each other, perhaps because everyone has similar educational backgrounds, it feels very arrogant and limited, which is not conducive to real dialogue. Goodenough wanted to find someone who could both be biblical and help him discover the true meaning behind the words of the Bible.
This person really showed up. In the fall of 1949, Irene Wiseman (Irene Wiseman) came to the University of Chicago. Her father was a pastor, and Irene inherited her father’s faith. She is a gifted teacher who combines cultural sensitivity with biblical understanding and insight. She knows how to listen and have a conversation, and always makes the conversation fruitful.
Encouraged by Goodenough, Erin organized a Bible study group. In the group, Goodenough and another law student often got into heated arguments. The other Christian girls used to sit there and watch the two of them speak their minds and fight each other. In the blink of an eye, the spring of 1950 came, and it was time for Goodenough and the law school boys to make a decision. The law students retreated, and Goodenough found himself completely free of doubts about Jesus’ coming to reconcile the world with God, no longer refusing to publicly admit that Jesus was the Christ.
“A Catholic once said to me, ‘Faith is a private matter,'” Goodenough said. “No! Faith is a personal matter, but we are called to bear witness to what we see so that others may too. See. Of course, our understanding today is still vague, but we should still talk to people, open the eyes of the blind, and lead the prisoner out of prison, but first, we ourselves must allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. Jesus said ‘If we do not No one can come to the Father through me’, and if we don’t see Jesus, we can’t find the way to Heaven.”
A line of poetry echoed in Goodenough’s head: “The moment of decision has come, the brave make the choice, the coward still hesitates.” This sentence has often been in his mind since he appeared in the church at Groton Middle School and emerges from it until today when he finally professes his faith and commits himself to his witness to Christ.
“My son turned out to be a damn ‘puritan'” When Goodenough told the news of his conversion to the Lord to his classmates at the University of Chicago, everyone’s reactions were mixed. Some people are condescending and disapproving, while others think he is committing suicide rationally. Another student of Professor Zener seized on Goodenough’s beliefs to gain a competitive advantage over the professor — because being a Christian in academia always feels shaky.
When he told his mother the news, her mother was furious. It was okay to show up at church and serve occasionally, but it was embarrassing for her to testify like an evangelist. The father’s attitude was even more disappointing. He said directly to a friend: “I really don’t understand why one of my sons turned out to be a damned Puritan.”
Although his parents still plagued Goodenough’s life as much as he did when he was a child, they no longer bothered him. In 1950, Goodenough ushered in the happiest time in his life, and he and Irene entered the marriage hall. At the same time, he entered the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where he focused on research related to solid magnetism, which later became computer memory.
However, Goodenough’s project had to be terminated in 1969 when funding was cut because the lab was receiving funding from the Air Force. He lost his job. However, it was this unemployment that made him turn his attention to energy materials. Later, he accepted the invitation to Oxford University and was on the road to becoming the “father of lithium batteries”. In order to avoid Oxford’s retirement system, Goodenough, 64, moved back to the United States to continue his research work at the University of Texas.
After winning the Nobel Prize, he said: “Now my team is working hard to make batteries safer and longer-lasting. I know this is a fickle society and people don’t want things to last a long time, but I like to make things that can last a long time. .” The 97-year-old Mr. Good Enough still goes to the laboratory every day, but he is not a workaholic who idolizes his career. He is well aware of the limitations of science.
As he wrote in his autobiography, “Science is the ability to break through human limitations and change destiny, but also to suppress, threaten and destroy human beings. Science can only answer ‘why things are the way they are?’ and ‘how to use them. Does knowledge achieve its goals?’ but does not help us to make a moral assessment of human goals. To do that, we need to look elsewhere.”
Goodenough continued: “The term ‘human purpose’ itself implies a premise that our lives have meaning. This is a basic premise of philosophers, artists, and religious believers. Besides, They also believe that there is a fixed and universal moral law that governs our relationship with ourselves, other people, nature, and human nature and that this moral law can be understood by man.” In his view, people should follow what Jesus said Find meaning in life.
Goodenough is well-qualified to display his reason and intelligence, but he honestly admits: “Our existence is not the result of nature alone, but has a mysterious origin.” The proud man cannot pray, because He cannot admit that there is a being higher than himself. Goodenough, a practitioner of prayer, said: “Prayer is the acknowledgment of a mysterious Being, whom you may call the Father or the Source of Life. Prayer is the acknowledgment of His sovereignty, with whom He walks. The purpose of prayer is not to carry out our will, but to enable us to understand and practice God’s will so that the Holy Spirit can use this to change ourselves and our culture. The ultimate meaning of life is actually to walk with the eternal God .”
Is life just a series of coincidences superimposed? “When I look back on my life,” said the ninety-year-old, “I can’t help but think that my life was guided by invisible hands. I stole, I lied, I drank, I gambled, I indulged myself as a child. Why do I think this is bad?” Goodenough, who had been taught by his parents to behave and be honest, had more than once seen his father steal a cigarette while his grandfather was visiting. “I don’t believe my childhood conscience came from my upbringing, on the contrary, we have an innate sense of fairness, justice, honor.”
How can a child who suffered from dyslexia from an early age graduate with honors and finally win a Nobel Prize? “Is this just a coincidence, or is God’s grace behind the scenes?” Goodenough asked, “When I read the story of Moses, I somehow tried to figure out what ‘holy’ meant; when I dreamed When I saw the love of God in the smile of the hound, was it all just subconscious? If so, why did these experiences completely change my life?”
“Why did I meet the banker Mr. Peabody to help me when I was facing financial pressure in college? Why did I, a student who started with classics, take the path of physics after the war? It just so happened that the math professor suggested that I not join the Marine Corps and become a weathered soldier. When my math professor knew that there was a plan for further education for veterans, was it really just a coincidence? Meeting Erin was just an accident Is it?” Goodenough obviously does not see his life as a superposition of coincidences one after another, and he does not want people to see him on the Nobel Prize podium as just an inspiration to encourage children. The story, “For me, all the accidents in my life are expressions of God’s love.”
The female passenger shouted the Lord’s name and saved the entire flight. Yesterday, a video flooded many Christian WeChat groups, which attracted a lot of attention.
The video shows a woman in yellow shouting on a flight, shouting words such as “Jesus” and “Hallelujah” in her mouth. In the second half of the video, a scene of a plane catching fire on the runway and passengers evacuating urgently appeared.
According to the publisher, the incident took place on a flight from Dubai to Jamaica, UAE. It was the woman’s “Holy Spirit Upper Body” that caused the flight to be delayed by two hours.
Soon, the captain noticed that there was a problem with the aircraft engine, and sparks appeared, which soon ignited a raging fire. He quickly informed the crew and organized the orderly evacuation of passengers, saving their lives and avoiding a disaster.
Afterward, the captain admitted that the woman had been sent by the Lord to rescue the crew and passengers, so he thanked the Lord for his wonderful guidance.
This “miracle” quickly attracted the attention of brothers and sisters, and they forwarded it to share this great message with everyone.
However, some believers pointed out that there is a problem with the description of this video, and there is no saying in the belief that the “Holy Spirit is on the body”, which only appears in the folk séance. This video should be made by extreme charismatics.
Some brothers further pointed out that now that network technology is so developed, editing videos is not difficult, and many people have this skill.
So the author took a screenshot of the scene of the evacuation of the passengers in the video, and used Baidu, 360, etc. to identify the picture to find the source of the incident, thus proving that the second half of the video was edited.
http://news.carnoc.com/list/375/375179.html (from a screenshot of the “miracle” video transmitted online).
Almost the same picture, such a naked transplant?
According to major media reports: “On October 28, 2016, an American Airlines passenger plane caught fire while taking off from Chicago on the 28th local time, causing many injuries. Fortunately, the captain landed on the passenger plane without any deaths, and none of the 169 people on board died. ”
Dubai did have a similar accident in 2016, but on August 3 of that year, an Emirates passenger plane made an emergency landing at Dubai Airport, resulting in the death of a firefighter and the unmanned death of 300 people on board. This event is also completely different from what the video depicts.
It can be seen that the incident happened in Chicago, not Dubai as the video suggests, and the problem of this forgery is obvious.
At present, some heretical cults go to great lengths to spread their fallacies, and editing videos and fabricating miracles are their usual methods. Such as “angels appear in the sky”, “churches surrounded by rainbows” and so on, all belong to their tricks.
They took advantage of the psychology of many Christians who attach importance to miracles, and by transferring flowers and trees, they combined the two videos into one, and attached introductions, so that people who did not know what they were in were fooled and accepted their false propaganda.
The reason why some believers fall into the quagmire of mistakes is actually related to the false testimonies and false miracles forged by heretical cults. After seeing these wonderful deeds, they do not distinguish the truth from the fake, but blindly believe and enthusiastically forward. When you are credulous about heretical things, as long as they hint at you a little, and misguide, you will fall into their trap step by step.
Therefore, the various videos we see may not be true, especially all kinds of signs and wonders, and we should be more cautious. When the majority of believers see the miracle video, it is best to calm down and think, do not blindly believe, let alone forward, but find a way to verify the reliability of the video. Just like this video, as long as the screenshot is recognized, the accurate source can be found, thereby debunking this lie.
Most importantly, our faith is not a fantastic sign and wonder but is based on the Word of Jesus Christ, who is always righteous, merciful, humble, and walks with the Lord every day. Only in this way can we have the insight to distinguish between true and false, be able to debunk all kinds of fake videos, and refute the falsehood of false testimonies and false miracles.
People are bustling in church, and Jesus is knocking outside. We like to speak beautifully and do pompousness, and when the circumstances are difficult and we cannot cover up our inner poverty through ministry, and you and I who are obsessed with language are asked to live, we panic. Which Lord do we follow? It turned out to be such a fluke, there is no wind and frost on the skin of the face, and there are no nail marks on the back of the hand. Do not seek the blueprint of life, do not seek the illumination of the whole process, but be faithful to Him every day.
In fact, there are so many myths in modern society! Every day, the media keeps telling us that maintaining a certain social order will make people safe; Only by establishing a certain system can the country have a future; With a certain commodity, talent is happy; By changing a certain attitude, people can break through themselves and achieve success. Can these promises make people more authentic to the world, more creative about their future, and more compassionate about our unfortunate people? Or can it only be used to satisfy human greed, heroism, and self-centeredness? Are they apotheizing the present system? Or completely deny the world and evade social responsibility?
In ordinary days, the longer a person stays in the church, the more difficult it is to realize that Jesus is the lord of the church, and he thinks that so and so is the master of the church. And in times of trial, it’s easy to think that earthly powers have the power to make the church live or die. But the book of Revelation forbids us to live defeatists, even when the crowd has bowed to Caesar, the hungry lion of the Colosseum is roaring, the sword of the Roman soldier has been unsheathed, and we need to relearn the “mystery of the golden lampstand”: it is not a person or force who owns the church, but Jesus who walks in the middle of the golden lampstand and holds the seven stars.
Get rid of your fascination with language When the environment is difficult, people naturally want more comfort and encouragement. Therefore, when trials come, people often have a passion for listening and preaching. But trials are rarely tests of whether we have the fervor to hear and preach, but rather whether we are serious about the Word we believe, even if our interests and lives are damaged. This seriousness cannot be expressed by listening to sermons or praises, and its challenge to Chinese believers is to let go of their fascination with high words and wisdom and put themselves into practice.
John begins by saying, “Blessed are those who read the prophecies of this book and those who hear and obey what is written therein” (Rev. 1:3). As if foreseeing that the Book of Revelation might be used by posterity as a talking point to satisfy curiosity and speculate about future events, John points out that prophecy is not just talking, but also carries a strong demand for earthly orientation and action.
The attachment to language and concepts is Chinese ethnic, and we believe that words and entities always have some metaphysical connection. Coupled with the increasingly rational tradition of Christianity since the Reformation, the mysteries experienced by the early church through worship, praise, prayer, and sacraments were slowly replaced by preaching and listening, and our emphasis on words and language has reached an unreasonable level.
As more and more literate intellectuals and urban middle classes enter the church, language has a certain redemptive function for middle-class believers, even to the point where it has replaced the urgency of physical practice and the necessity of obedience, and we think that by listening, understanding, dialecticalizing, and then acknowledging, we have fulfilled the requirements of revelation for man. For other things, it is enough to support others to do them, such as mission, where we give money and rarely think about the possibility of being missionaries ourselves.
The professional training of believers and preachers from this background accustomed him to understanding man and God from a logical and rational perspective. An orthodox spiritual religious language becomes their instrument of salvation—a new believer who can describe his spiritual experience inappropriate words is more easily accepted as a born-again saved person; If he did not have the proper language, he would attend make-up classes in catechumen, which often became an occasion for learning to use spiritual words.
To say the right word is to enter that realm, to fulfill that responsibility, to reach that state of life. The church also often doubts whether people who do not use traditional spiritual discourse are truly saved, and from time to time we see people rejecting an article on the grounds that “there is no mention of the cross, sin, and forgiveness.” Not mentioning is nothing, and in his mind, salvation is accomplished by words.
The hardest thing for intellectuals and middle-class believers to confront is James’s exhortation, “But walk the way, and do not deceive yourselves by listening to it alone” (James 1:22). Their educational qualifications and living standards are achieved by half their lives, comfort, safety, warmth and dignity. To truly implement the teachings of the Bible, many times it will disturb this small world and challenge its lifestyle, which is intolerable.
John’s situation is by no means easier than that of any contemporary oppressed believer, and his prospects are no brighter than anyone else’s. Christ or Caesar is no longer the subject of rational debate, but the choice of life and death; Faith ceases to be a proposition and becomes an extremely acute reality. Circumstances do not allow us to replace entities with words and the first level of obedience with a second level of responsibility. The days of peril are an opportunity for us to fulfill our spiritual words, and blessed are believers who do not use words as a medium of salvation.
With love, no matter how bitter it is, it is easy to survive When the weather is good, it is both possible and universal to be a so-so Christian, even to serve two masters at the same time. It’s completely different when the environment is urgent. You are so-so, the times do not allow you, and you yourself will find it boring. Why be a Christian in a name? Think about it, if you are just a nominal Mrs. Wang and have no real husband and wife relationship with Mr. Wang, how painful it would be! What about being a nominal rich man? Anything that is nominal is painful.
Ephesian believers suffer from a common spiritual symptom of replacing love for God with work and loving others with guardianship of God. This is the “Ephesus syndrome.” Their problem is not that there is no ministry, or that there is not enough work on the outside, but that the work inside is not good enough. The common mistake of Christianity is to cover up its problems with more external services, and when someone points out something inappropriate, it likes to use many theories to refute it, confuse the truth, and cover up the truth.
Jesus’ advice to the church in Ephesus is not to defend yourself, but to reflect on where the mind fell, repent immediately, and act immediately. On a practical level, no matter how hard the church tries, it may not be able to change the general climate outside the church, but if the church is willing to truly love God and love people, it can witness God and create people. With love, more difficult moments are easy to get through. The power of the testimony of love cannot be underestimated.
The more empty and unbearable a person’s heart is, the more he likes to cover up emptiness and loneliness with dense work and entertainment, as is the case with individuals and as well as in the church. If circumstances change and we do not have the conditions to carry out external ministry, how can we be sure that we are still disciples of Jesus?
Chinese believers like to read the biographies of saints, and the more tragic the saints’ suffering, the more we like and inspire. But we rarely wonder, will one day we also want this way of the cross? Fear and withdrawal are natural, but we cannot let natural reactions make decisions for us. In times of fear and withdrawal, listen to the Lord: I am the first, I am the last, let’s try to walk together. The Lord’s sovereignty over all of us is most real and precious in times of adversity, not embellished by casual talk on days of peace and happiness.
When we suffer for God, we often feel more reason to ask the Lord for salvation, and all we have in mind is God’s promise of salvation in the Old Testament. If things don’t go your way, it’s easy to get discouraged and give up. In Jesus’ letter to the church of Priesthood, we see that He only warns of greater trials ahead, but does not mean to reduce them. His answer to the suffering believer was, “Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10).
Some leaders are accustomed to playing the role of messianic strongmen. If we insist that only large scenes that consume a lot of human and material resources are the only effective ministry of the church when conditions do not allow, the role of the Messianic strongman cannot find the stage. Believers who follow such leaders believe that without changing the social structure, all problems of suffering and injustice cannot be solved and that the most effective way to change society is to promote the adjustment of the power structure. But this is not the only reaction that faith communities can have, and we can stop treating those in power as targets of exhaustion, and instead serve those who lack support and have nowhere to run.
This is precisely the role of Jesus’ suffering servant. The church understood what it meant to be a “suffering servant,” and it had no more effective role in difficult times. Can we only make salt in a stable bottle, and not in a bland tasteless, and desperate state?
Where did you compromise and relax? There is a strange custom among modern Christians that they are afraid that they are too much like Christians, for fear that those who do not believe will dare not approach him. Does an unbeliever attract an unbeliever? What makes unbelievers from curiosity to believe is not a truth, but the outpouring of life temperament. People often like to quote Paul, “To whatever kind of man, be what kind of man,” but forget that Paul’s purpose in saying this phrase is to “save some people no matter what,” not out of man’s natural instinct to cover himself. So Paul likewise, “Come out of them and separate from them.” ”
In this day and age, when different streams merge and keep the Word in the name of the Lord, we cannot hope to please everyone. If we are in conflict with others for the sake of truth, ask God to tell us to stay the course. The more urgent the times, the easier it is for people to get confused and focus on the gains and losses in front of them. If we only compete for the day, the day and night of the troubled world is to become a king today and defeat tomorrow, and it is easy to disappoint people. At this time, everyone fought for his right to speak, saying that he was for justice. Christians are to learn to listen calmly and discern what is the clamor of the crowd and what is the demand of Christ, and the crowd will crucify the truth. Those who are leaders should not only curry favor with the masses, and those who are believers should not just follow the brigade.
To live in the here and now with a sense of history is to demand that you be able to account for everything you do every day before Christ’s seat; That is, when you see a little light, you trust Him to go on; We do not seek the blueprint of life, do not seek the illumination of the whole process, but only ask Him to make us forever faithful to Him, to every day, to every opportunity. Instead of stammering and not knowing how to explain to Christ, today is like living in front of the judgment seat, which is what I mean by a sense of history.
The believer is in the hands of God as the bow and arrow are in the hands of an archer. The bow and arrow are only in a state of reserve in the bow and quiver, and when the time comes, the archer will snap the arrow on the string, and the bow will be full, aiming at the target, just as God aimed at his goal with us. Do we know the goal? Most of the time it is not known, but He still pulls and makes us unbearable, we struggle and cry, and He seems to ignore it. When the time came, He shot us. Where are faith and patience needed when the wind is fine and the goal is accurate? In times of uncertain prospects and difficult lives, faith is needed like the believers of Thiathyla.
It is a fact that there are erroneous ideas in the church, both ancient and modern, and the church allows it to grow, but it has a unshirkable responsibility. Our problem is not that freedom is used to preach things that are untrue, and if this freedom is taken away, greater evil will emerge; Our problem is that too few people use his freedom to stand up and show Jesus what is right and what is wrong. We allow the teachings of Balaam, the Nigollahs, and Jezebel to pass unimpeded in the church.
The crisis facing the Church of Sadie is that this church, which has a good reputation before men, actually exists in name only, and nothing is complete before the Lord, and it does not know it. But “In Thadde, there are several of you who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, for they deserve it.” (Revelation 3:4) Deserving does not mean what they have done to earn salvation, but refers to believers who are excluded and suffer from their faith and whom the Lord considers worthy of walking with the Lord.
A life worthy of is a life that is before God and pleasing to God, not before man. Do not say that you do not know how to distinguish between what God means and what man means; Don’t use another question to escape the real problem. Know for yourself that you must compare with your inner voice with the opinions of others and the measure of pros and cons, and disturb your heart with skeptical voices and debating attitudes.
There is a joke that sounds absurd at first glance, but it goes deeper it speaks of the blood and tears of the church and even the personal depravity – a rich American businessman goes to see the Pope. They walked and talked in the garden, followed by the cardinal. The cardinal only heard the rich merchant say, “How about a million?” The Pope shook his head and said, “No.” “Five million, then!” Rich businessmen speak with hope. “Still can’t.” The Pope said stubbornly. The cardinal began to frown. “The last price, 10 million is fine!” The rich businessman looked anxious. The Pope still firmly replied: “Not really!” The rich merchant looked disappointed and left sadly.
Then the cardinal stepped forward: “Why are you so stubborn? Ten million we can do a lot of things, how many poor people can be helped? What exactly is he asking you to do? The Pope replied quietly: “He asked me to pray in front of the crowd in the future, and I would say last: pray in the name of Coca-Cola, Amen.” ”
Have you ever heard of churches and institutions doing degrading things to others in order to raise money? The phenomenon in Christian circles is often more absurd than this joke. There are always people who think that the church is his, and he can do it as he wants. Whenever we replace the ideal of Christ with the ideal of man and the standard of the Bible with the standard of the world, the church and institutions will inevitably fall into the state of existence in name only. When we can be alerted that we are in the hands of Christ, the One who observes subtlety and has abundant grace, we feel the severity of His grace and immediately turn around and come back to life.
Think back to yourself, where you went wrong, where you compromised and relaxed, these are only known to you. When you think back and know, you have to honestly repent, and this is how the road back takes the first step.
Listen, He is knocking outside the door One of the harsh realities of living in this generation is that principled people inevitably suffer. One of the most astonishing visions of Revelation is that it is the slain lamb who gets the throne. One day when believers appear before the throne of the Lamb to pay for their lives, the slain lamb will also be amazed, how can we live our lives with flesh and skin? Which Lord do we follow? Can it be such a “fluke”? How come there is no wind and frost on the skin and no nail marks on the back of the hand?
This does not mean that we Christians have to “find death” ourselves, but that we must have a life that will be born after death, a life that is no longer afraid of killing the body and cannot kill the soul, a life that is covered by the power of the resurrection so that the church can be established in the most unlikely places and change society.
The sin of the Laodicean church is not indifference, lack of spiritual heat, or indifference to Christ. From their boast that “there is no shortage of everything”, it can be seen that this church should be quite good in the eyes of people, and it is unlikely that it will be completely inactive in religion. Just like the problem of Laodicea is not that there is no water, but that the temperature of the water drops after the groundwater flows here, it can not be regarded as a healing hot spring, and because the cooling is not enough, there are too many impurities to drink, and their religious activities are useless. People were making noise in the church, but Jesus was knocking outside the door. The spiritual function of the Laodicean church has suffered from severe “atrophy.”
In the face of a radically changing society, what can people expect from the church to do for them? The church should have a passion for helpless people in society, just as Jesus had mercy on people when he saw them like sheep without shepherds. We must learn to ask the question: What would Jesus do if He came into our society and faced the same people? Will He reduce all problems to spiritual problems?
In the case of spiritual problems, are all spiritual problems gospel problems? Why didn’t the Lord Jesus solve the problem of juvenile officials with a gospel plan, and if he used the gospel plan to solve his problems, instead of forcing him to sell everything and give it to the poor, which is obviously not a typical gospel plan, wouldn’t we have a happy ending? Why didn’t He first criticize Zacchaeus for being greedy and harming others, as the crowd did, before accepting him?
He touches living people, and their problems become His problems. As a newborn king, he accepted all the problems of life that represented the old powers, and the way to fight them was not only the transmission of the gospel ideas, but practical solutions: the confused gave him heavenly guidance, the hungry gave him food, and the sick healed him. This is the passion he has in the face of those afflicted by the old forces, and the passion that will eventually cause him to suffer and be crucified. The newborn king never defended his rights in any way, and in his only “yes,” he intervened fully, confronted and overcame in the face of death and those tormented by the fear of death.
Seriously, what was the church at that time? In the face of the Roman Empire, they were just a group of small people with no power and no influence. If you ask, “What’s the use of this?” I asked, “Where is the mighty Roman Empire today?” “The weak church has become a community that history cannot ignore, and many people have tried to erase it, but none of them succeeded.
Jesus’ seven epistles to the church end with His own knocking at the door, and we should also listen quietly to His knocking, the door of our hearts, the door of the city in which we live, the door of our nation. Those inside the door can celebrate with complacency and great events so that they cannot hear knocks; People inside the door can also be depressed and self-pitying because of suffering, so they cannot hear knocking. Living in this age, it is our duty to listen to His voice and to believe that the knocker is the triumphant King, and whoever hears and opens the door will sit with Him on the throne.
When it comes to the so-called “assurance of salvation,” I always feel that this is an extremely serious and even terrible proposition, and if I don’t pay attention to it, it will usurp God’s sovereignty. But in reality, too many people treat it casually. There is a class of people who are always anxiously looking for every detail of life, or getting answers from other people’s mouths; contempt together with cultivating life), and take it for granted that they must be saved, Christians. In any case, it is dangerous to get too entangled or to be too hasty. The assurance is in no one’s hands but God’s. Of course, I always believe that our inner conscience (never feeling) and the Trinity God will give the answer in unison. This article attempts to break the superficial shell and give an inner explanation.
“How do I know I’m really a Christian?”
I asked this question to a spiritual elder when I was young. “What’s there to worry about?” the other party replied. His answer was reassuring and plausible, but in fact, it was wildly misleading. Although I forget the exact content of that conversation, his main point was clear: “If you’re afraid of hell and want to be a Christian, isn’t the evidence clear enough?”
He seems to be right. So I stopped worrying, convinced that heaven was a sure thing for me. Could it be another result? After all, I love Jesus and fear hell.
Of course, this “assurance” was extremely dangerous because I was not a Christian then.
In fact, arbitrarily judging a person’s salvation is dangerous no matter what. Because having a Christian lifestyle doesn’t mean you’re saved. It is entirely possible for lost people to imitate Christian habits and develop similar religious feelings.
I am very aware of this. I was once a theology graduate, active preacher, and devoted gospel worker. However, I am not a Christian.
I am afraid many are in a similar false assurance. They grew up in a Christian family, formed certain “Christian” habits, and accepted certain “Christian” ideas-but they didn’t know the narrow road that led to eternal life. Many people believe that having a Christian lifestyle is enough to guarantee salvation. This kind of self-deception is dangerous—it is perhaps the most dangerous kind of deception.
Eight Deadly False Assurances
There are eight deadly false assurances that make those who have no true faith in Christ look, feel, or act like Christians.
First, I prayed a prayer of resolution.
We all know that a formulaic prayer does not save people. However, there will always be people who regard certain types of prayer as the primary evidence of salvation. They always equate prayer with faith. But no matter how memorable a prayer, a person is truly saved only when he repents and trusts Christ with all his heart (Acts 20:21).
Second, I repent of sin.
Believers in Jesus or not, God’s law is written in our hearts. Therefore, we feel guilty when we sin (Romans 2:15). Even Esau, who was greedy for the world, would cry out for the consequences of his sin (Hebrews 12:17). Unbelievers also repent of their sins from time to time, but they have not repented, trusted God, and therefore cannot remove their guilt (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Third, I feel very close to God.
In today’s age, the thing that deceives us the most is our feelings. We will be eager to elevate feeling and equate it with the truth. The truth is this: We can feel a lot, and not all of them are true to reality.
Fourth, I became godly.
This is my most common mistake: When I see that I am more Christlike (more humble!) than most people, I am sure I am saved. The apostle Paul probably felt the same way before he became a Christian. In Philippians 3, he says, “If anyone thinks he can trust in his own righteousness, much more can I trust.” In fact, as far as “righteousness according to the law” is concerned, he has “nothing to rely on.” accusing” (Philippians 3:6). By today’s standards, Paul was very “godly” when he was young, but he was not a believer at that time.
Fifth, I pray, read the Bible, and go to church.
Prayer, reading the Bible, and going to church are essential channels of grace in Christian life. However, there are also unsaved people in the church (Matthew 13:24-30). There are also people in the church who have tasted the good deeds but have not really known God (Hebrews 6:4-9). Hypocrites also pray anytime and anywhere (Matthew 6:5).
Sixth, God has given me a happy life.
God gives sunshine and rain to believers as well as unbelievers (Matthew 5:45), and many other daily blessings (James 1:17). His common grace pervades all areas of our lives. While we should thank God for this, we cannot equate His common grace with His saving grace.
Seventh, I have served the Lord.
Matthew 7:22-23 tells us very clearly that some people who have done a lot of service for Jesus will be excluded from the kingdom of heaven. No matter how many fellowships you have led, how many ministries you have been in, or how much evangelism you have preached, it will not guarantee that you will actually be saved. Many who think they have served much will hear the terrible words of the Savior: “I never knew you, go away from me!” (Matthew 7:23)
Eighth, I believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
This is by far the most misunderstood spiritual fruit. Belief in the truth of the gospel is not the same as salvation and true faith. Come to think of it, demons have more theological understanding than any of us, yet none of them are saved (James 2:19). Unless our head knowledge is translated into real trust, it is not biblical Christianity.
stay away from these false assurances
I had all of the above false assurances when I was not a true Christian. I looked, felt, and acted like a Christian, and it blinded me (and everyone who knew me) for decades. Don’t be surprised, however, that same lifestyle is now evidence of my true salvation.
Before I truly believed in the Lord, I lived under the burden of keeping the law. I ask myself to do what a Christian should do—and I do my best to do it. For years, I tried to act like a Christian.
Finally one day, God showed me my sin—the day I really understood what it meant to be separated from a holy God. It was on that day that I turned away from my sins (including my own “false godliness”) and accepted by faith the forgiveness of sins that Jesus had done for me on the cross. From that moment on, the assurance of my salvation is no longer my works, abilities, and wills, but the salvation that Christ has accomplished. I turned to Christ and had no other security than Him.
And here lies the irony: When I stop trying to look like a Christian, I become a true Christian (1 John 2:3-6). When we trust in Christ alone, a Christ-like life naturally arises.
For those who are in Christ, godly habits, ideas, and affections do not come from the observance of Christian liturgical norms. Evidence of this kind is insufficient. It is the Holy Spirit who turns our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26) through Christ’s word of forgiveness (Acts 10:42-43) so that we can bear spiritual fruit.
Once we fix our eyes on Christ alone, the assurance of “true godliness” becomes a cause for joy! When we understand that salvation is only in Christ, a life of devout prayer, full of faith, and enthusiastic reading of the Bible becomes beautiful evidence of God’s work.
It is not enough to look like a Christian. Only being in Christ is enough. Then we can—and should—have real assurance of salvation.
