Healthy plants have deep roots and strong pillars have solid foundations. If we are to be Christians who are deeply rooted in Christ and built on the solid Rock, then we need more than mere sound bites. One means that the Lord has used throughout church history to strengthen His people’s faith and witness is reading good books. This book review series is identifying books that can serve as shovels that help you dig deeper in your Christian life.
Book: Surviving Religion 101 – Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College - Michael J. Kruger
Some people stop believing Christianity not so much because they think it’s false but because they think it doesn’t work for them. They look around and other groups seem to offer better community, a deeper purpose, a more compelling vision for the world. On top of this, others appear to be having more fun. What should you do if you are tempted to turn away from Christ because you are enticed by other things more than Jesus? Michael Kruger offers a few helpful thoughts in his postscript to Surviving Religion 101.
1) Nothing but the Truth
The first thing we must remember is that Christianity is worthy of our belief not because it always feels better – or appears to work better – but because it is true. If Jesus is really the Son of God, if He really rose from the dead, if there really is eternal life only through Him, then that is enough to make Him worthy of following. That doesn’t change if the Christian life proves more difficult than other alternatives. After all, there are false beliefs that may temporarily give a greater level of emotional satisfaction. Think for example of the rich fool’s philosophy – “take your ease; eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19). In the short run, this approach to life feels good; but it ends in eternal misery (Luke 12:20).
So, here’s the point: We don’t follow Christianity merely because it makes us feel good or because it is emotionally satisfying but because it is true.
To be clear, there are often many practical and emotional benefits of Christianity, but we have to get the order right. If we begin to think that truth is determined by whatever works for us, then we run into serious problems. First, this approach would force us to conclude that just about any worldview were “true” as long as someone somewhere found that it worked for him. Second, if we begin on this path then we will find ourselves always chasing the next great thing that comes along. Our life will be marked by an endless quest for personal fulfillment, frantically hopping from idea to idea.
But even more to the point, the Bible explicitly teaches that following Christ is often accompanied by increased suffering, persecution and tribulation. Sometimes Christianity doesn’t make you feel good. Sometimes it makes life harder, not easier. This is why Jesus calls us to count the cost on the front end (Luke 14:28).
2) Meaningful Meaning
Once we understand that the truth of Christianity is foundational, we can look at how it really does provide a satisfying vision for life. In simple terms, it really does “work.” Since God is real, and He made all things, then we shouldn’t be surprised to find that following Him leads to a blessed life.
The first way Christianity does this is by providing our lives with real meaning and purpose. Everyone wants to know that they exist for some reason and that their efforts and labours are significant in the end. This is why so many young people want “to make a difference.” But in a world without God, there is no inherent meaning in anything we do. In a meaningless universe we need to assign our own meaning. This might sound appealing, but in the end it leads to futility. Without God, there’s no reason to think humans matter anymore than cockroaches or squirrels. Without God, nothing has eternal significance.
This is precisely why the Christian worldview is so satisfying. We have a clear purpose: to know God, glorify Him, and expand His kingdom. Moreover, helping other people really matters because they are eternal beings made in God’s image and they have dignity and worth. On top of this, everything we do for God has everlasting value because we serve an eternal Being who sees all that we do (Matthew 10:42).
3) Hope in the Midst of Suffering
One of the biggest tests of any system of belief is whether it can provide real hope in the midst of a dark, broken world. Many secular approaches to life desperately look for hope; but the problem is that such hope is usually found inside the very world that contains all the suffering. For example, people turn to money and creature comforts, or to sex and alcohol, or to therapy and meditation. They might offer some temporary relief, but they are Band-Aids that provide no permanent solution to the deepest wounds.
What is needed is a solution to suffering that transcends this broken world. A solution that comes from the outside. This is the promise offered in the Christian worldview. Not only is there a measure of peace that Christians enjoy now through Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 16:33), but there is a deep hope that someday their heavenly Father will set all things right in eternity. Someday there will be a new world, in which the old order of things has passed away and a new order has come.
If God doesn’t exist, then this life is all there is. Death is the end. There is no making things right. There is no justice for the wicked. There is no accountability for all the wrongs done. All evil and suffering is left forever unaddressed. Living with this outlook, it is no wonder that hope is hard to come by!
The distinctive hope offered by Christianity explains why Christians have been able to endure incredible suffering throughout the history of the church. Christians persevered because they had an eternal hope. As Jesus promised, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
4) What about When Christianity Doesn’t Work?
There are many other things that could be said about what makes Christianity compelling. We could explore how it provides the power for real change, both personally and in society. We could talk about how it offers a wise road map for work, relationships, handling conflict, and understanding ourselves. But in the midst of these truths, we have to acknowledge another one: the Christianity we encounter in the real world doesn’t always embody these ideals. Sometimes the Christianity we see doesn’t seem very Christian!
What do we do when we are faced with the reality of a flawed, fallen Christian experience? First, such problems remind us of why Jesus came in the first place. He didn’t come to save perfect people; He came to save deep, awful sinners. And even after sinners are saved, they don’t become different people overnight. Change by the Holy Spirit is a slow process that takes time. In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul gives voice to the internal struggle that all Christians face as they continue to do what they don’t want to do. This means that Christianity has an explanation for why it doesn’t always work. It anticipates that Christians will fail to follow Jesus as they ought, so we shouldn’t be surprised when it happens.
Second, we have to distinguish the core values and beliefs of the Christian worldview from the way it is lived out by those who profess to follow it. Christianity is true, even if its adherents make a mess of it. We make this distinction in other areas of life. If you purchase a product and fail to follow the instruction manual about how to use it, you don’t blame the manufacturer that it doesn’t “work.” So, it is with the Christian worldview. When things go wrong, the problem isn’t Christianity; the problem is us.
5) Are You Following A Person or an Idea?
The ultimate reason why we press ahead in the Christian life is the person of Jesus Christ. While we will often be disappointed with Christians and the church (and ourselves!), we will not be disappointed with Jesus. He is more than enough to satisfy our souls. He is always compassionate, always just, always righteous – the good Shepherd who loves His sheep, cares for His sheep, and willingly lays down His life for His sheep.
So, here’s the key to a fulfilled, blessed life: fix your eyes on Jesus, and make Him your great hope and reward (Hebrews 11:24-27). This doesn’t mean your life will be perfect or pain-free. But it means you can have true joy and peace, even in the midst of trouble (John 14:27). This means we must not be Christians so that we can simply be part of a cause. We are invited and called to come and know a Person: Jesus Christ. And the Spirit who draws us to Christ at the start of the Christian life, is the One who rekindles our affection and adoration for Christ so that we stay faithful to the end.
To enforce this point, think about the difference between Judas and Mary. Judas’s approach to following Jesus was impersonal. It was all about the ministry, not about the Person. So, when Mary poured perfume on Christ’s feet, Judas wanted nothing to do with it (Mark 14:5). When it became clear that Jesus was calling His disciples to a life of suffering, Judas looked for the exists. Without true love for Jesus, the cause was not enough.
But Mary was the opposite. She embodied a deep, lavish affections for Jesus. So real was her love for Christ that she was willing to make an enormous sacrifice to worship Him. She did what we all must do. She beheld the beauty and greatness of Jesus and realized that He was worth everything!
In the midst of all the challenges of life and competing worldviews, the amazing good news is that Jesus is worth it. He is glorious enough, wonderful enough, and worthy enough to spend your entire life on. He is where abundant life is found. As Jesus Himself declared, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
Surviving Religion 101 – Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College by Michael J. Kruger. Published by Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois, 2021. Softcover, 262 pages.