Dear obnoxious Christian

Dear obnoxious Christian, how clear is your conscience? How beaten down are you for upholding truth? How is it that you rest so easy knowing others despise you? Could it be that you understand the only opinion you care about is that of the uncreated One? Do you truly realize the thoughts of those who care nothing for you and long to tear you down are like chaff in the wheat; floating around in the wind with their childish passions and boyish desires. Let them play with their toys and their games. Leave them with their silly imagination! Oh, if they realized how little our puny little lives are! Was James not correct when he calls us humans a mist that will vanish? We are not promised tomorrow and at the very moment of reading this letter, you may perish, only to be mourned for a while, thrown into the earth from whence you came, forgotten about by men. If more men were reminded of their inevitable death and that they would be forgotten by all, the status of manhood would still be longed for. The idea of meaningless hobbies becomes forgotten when man remembers death. So, my beloved lover of truth, remember death. 

           Dear friend, How do you use your time which is so short? What matters in the life of man? How are we to live our lives?  What is our purpose on earth? The Westminster Larger Catechism’s first question for the believer is “What is the chief and highest end of man?” The divines answered this question by stating “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever”. Is man’s purpose to glorify God? Well of course it is! Does the preacher not say in Ecclesiastes that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep his commandments?  Throughout the preacher’s book, we see that he had so much given to him and every experience known to man! He searched for pleasure to satisfy his insatiable lust, and could find nothing but turmoil, as Proverbs warned. The only satisfaction we can find is through God and obeying His good and right commands. 

Throughout the entirety of the New Testament, there is one command that is repeatedly mentioned.  This command is to uphold sound doctrine. Paul tells Titus that He must “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine”. Why is it that this verse and so many others become neglected by those who long to serve in ministry and by lay people? My dear Christian, I can not offer a full explanation as to why we neglect God’s word besides the work of the devil in modern evangelicalism. Now let us use the time we have been given, which is so short, to learn about the God of all. If the only thing that can satisfy our souls is Christ, then let us run to the true biblical Christ. Desire to know everything you possibly can about your Messiah. Why would you not? Grow up and understand that in your life you are commanded to have good doctrine. Do not forsake this command lest you be sinful. Let your whole life be infatuated with the Word. Let it master you. With everything in your life, always ask this same question.’ How does this align with scripture?” Learn in the knowledge of truth. This is the sole thing that matters: That Christ is glorified in our lives. How does one know how to glorify God except from the scriptures? He does not. Whether you know it or not, you are a theologian, my friend. The real question is whether you are a bad one or a good one. We cannot and will not divorce our lives from the Bible. For you should be willing to die for the truth. Continue to ignore those who mock you. Those who, for the sake of a false love and a false sense of unity, ignore the truth -ignore these fools. Let them call you names. Let them make false accusations of you. For they bear no weight on your soul. Their feeble opinions do not matter. Do not stop fighting for truth. Let the pen be your sword. Use logic, reason, and scripture to defeat your opponents.  Rely not on insults and emotionalism lest you become like the enemy you are fighting. 

Lastly, to those who hold such a low view of scripture, those who think doctrine is not important: Do you even know the God you claim to serve? Can you truly spread the Gospel when you will not state the obvious and defend the most central truth to our belief? You may respond with.” That’s not loving!” Please tell me how it is loving to lie to the very same people you claim to love! You tell them God loves them and listens to them, but you are afraid of telling the truth. You will not tell them Christ is the way, truth, and the life! Why do you do this? Repent of this, for you will answer to God for your false truths. Beloved do not be like this. Do not be lukewarm. Do not sway from that Good Book. Love your brothers and sisters and love your opponents for they will only stay in their foolish ways if you tell the truth harshly. Be obnoxious, fellow Christian.