I’m
reading a book that presents a clear and convicting picture of the church in
America today. Following are a few paraphrased quotes:
On raising
children-
“Every parent wants their child to be fully educated and prepared for the world
he is entering, but he is left to collect his religion on his own. The study of
Christianity has formed no part of his education, and any attachment he may
have to Christianity is merely the result of his place of birth and the church
membership of his parents. When such is the hereditary religion handed down
from generation to generation, it cannot surprise us to observe young men of
sense and spirit beginning to doubt altogether the truth of the system in which
they have been brought up, and ready to abandon a faith they are unable to
defend.”
On spiritual
knowledge-
“What is more important than our eternal destiny? When God, by grace, has
granted us such abundant means of instruction, how great must be the guilt and
how awful the punishment of voluntary ignorance! …Yet we expect to be
Christians without labor, study, or inquiry… And when finally summoned to the
judgment seat of God to give an account of our lives, what plea can we have in
our defense if we remain willingly and obstinately ignorant of the way which
leads to life?”
On human
corruption-
“Endeavoring to justify what he cannot deny, ‘Whatever I am,’ he contends, ‘I
am what my Creator made me. I inherited a nature depraved and prone to evil:
how then can I withstand the temptation to sin?’”
On self-evaluation- “It seems in
our days to be the common opinion that a man can admit in general terms the
truth of Christianity without knowing much of the details, and if he is not
habitually guilty of any of the grosser sins against others, we have no great
reason to question the validity of his claim to the name of Christian.”
On stewardship- “They assume religion
can claim only a stated proportion of their thoughts, and time, and fortune,
and influence… the rest is their own to do what they will with. They have paid
their tithes, the demands of the Church are satisfied, and they may surely be
permitted to enjoy the rest without molestation or interference.”
On
sanctification-
“Instead of keeping at a distance from all
sin, in which alone is our safety, they do not care how near they approach
what they believe to be the boundary line. If they have not actually passed it,
there is no harm done… They will of course be constantly, and almost
insensibly, pressing the limits and moving farther and farther toward forbidden
ground… ‘Mortify the flesh with its affections and lusts’ is the Christian principle, but a luxurious course of
habitual indulgence is the practice
of the bulk of modern Christians.”
On wasted time- “Life rolls
away with too many of us in a path of ‘shapeless idleness.’ Its recreations
constitute its chief business… amusements are multiplied… year after year wears
away in unprofitable vacancy… Meanwhile, knowing that we are not giving in to
any flagrant vice and are not neglecting the basics of religion, we persuade
ourselves that we need not be uneasy. We don’t fall below the general standard
of morals, so we therefore allow ourselves to glide down the stream without
realizing its consequences.”
I
think many will recognize these traits within our churches and perhaps in our
own lives. Now here’s the kicker—this was written by William Wilberforce in
England in 1798 under the title, A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Middle and Higher Classes in this Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. It illustrates the fact
that we must be highly intentional about preaching, teaching, and living out
the truths of Scripture. “Unless the affections of the soul be supremely fixed
on God; unless it be the leading and
governing desire and primary purpose to possess His favor and promote His
glory, we are considered as having transferred our fealty to a usurper, and as
being in fact revolters from our lawful Sovereign.”
It’s
not enough to go to church regularly or to bear the name of Christian if we are
not in fact seeking to follow Christ wholeheartedly. The enticements, distractions,
and habits of this world will surely cause us to drift away from our faith if
we are not actively working against them. May we not get complacent about the pursuit
of God and the path of life.
“Enter by the
narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to
destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the
way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14
ESV).
