Articles

Is There More to (Your) Life?

March 15, 2021 By Jan Blonk Leave a Comment

Do you agree that every person is on a never-ending quest for satisfaction? It starts at the moment of one’s birth, crying for milk and comfort. As we become older, that quest takes on a different form. While food is still a necessary reality to daily satisfy our stomach, nourishing our body, we move on from a pacifier to other instant and long-term pursuits to satisfy our heart’s desires.

Without question, the quest for satisfaction is endless, whether in relation to our physical bodies, mental health, emotional well-being, or interpersonal relationships. Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs has the following order:

Physiological needs (food, water, warmth, rest)
Safety needs (security, safety)
Love/Belonging (intimate relationships, friends)
Esteem (prestige and feeling of accomplishment)
Self-actualization (achieving one’s full potential)

While this order may not necessarily pinpoint everyone perfectly, they are general truths that, in some form or another, are the reality of everyone’s life, especially the basic and psychological needs. Simply put: you and I want to be deeply satisfied, however that pursuit is expressed.

The Hamster Wheel and Rat Race

For many, though, the pursuit for deep, genuine, and lasting satisfaction is like a never-ending hamster wheel or a competitive rat race. We fiercely pursue the latest “cheese,” only to find out we’ve lost the race or need more “cheese.” More, more, more is often not only a driving force but also a taskmaster. Contentment seems to be an archaic word.

Obviously, there are times when we do feel satisfied, having captured the latest “cheese” or embarking on a new season in life, in contrast to the routinely mundane. That satisfaction, though, gradually wears off until the “new” becomes the “normal.”

Most of these pursuits are part of everyday life and are, what we consider, common. Yet, there are also millions who abuse, extort, steal, and even kill in order to satisfy their lust for control, power, possessions, and revenge. What about life-controlling addictions? Often, it goes from worse to far worse.

A Void and a Filler

God’s word addresses our need for deep, and genuine satisfaction. It has been stated that God has created us with a void that only He can fulfill. Whatever your perception of God, consider these verses:

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David (Isaiah 55:1-3).

God is entirely pro-satisfaction! When we think of sin, we often only think of major ones like lying, stealing, cursing, adultery, murder, etc. The literal meaning of sin, though, means “to miss the mark,” to miss the goal for why we exist. In these three verses, God offers deep, genuine, and lasting satisfaction to “everyone who thirsts,” to everyone who wants to be genuinely satisfied but seeks it in all the wrong places.

He offers such satisfaction as a free gift. It’s “without money and without price.” You simply have to come to Him and “listen diligently” to who and what He has graciously given to you. Obviously, a gift must be received in order to enjoy the benefits.

Living Water

About 700 years after God’s words through Isaiah, we read about Jesus who said to someone, who had gone from one relationship, to another relationship, to another relationship, to another relationship, to another relationship, and to another relationship in order to find satisfaction: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10, 16-18).

A few verses later, while referring to the well where He was resting, He said: “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14).

Jesus used the most basic, physical necessity of life—water—in relation to our most basic desire as a human being: to be deeply, genuinely, lastingly satisfied. He’s able and more than willing to freely give you such “living water,” which far supersedes anyone and anything in this world, to say the least.

Knowing God

Later on, Jesus would define this kind of life, this “living water,” as follows: “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). If God truly exists, would you not agree that, apart from Him, everything is a missing-of-the-true-goal in life?

While we can define life as “physical entities that have biological processes” (Wikipedia), I assume you agree that life is much more than just the temporal reality of such impersonal, random, without design and purpose, biological processes. Your very soul has eternity stamped on it: “He has put eternity into man’s heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). You’ve been created for so much more than a never-ending hamster wheel or a competitive rat race.

If God is truly infinite, which He is, you will never come to the end of finding a deep, genuine, and lasting satisfaction in Him, not just in this world but throughout endless ages: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). That verse is in sharp contrast to: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12), which refers to a life and an eternity without God, your creator.

That’s why God’s word refers to sin as “deceitful desires” (Ephesians 4:22), for it promises satisfaction but, sooner or later, will leave you empty, disillusioned, and full of regret. On the other hand, when you have Jesus, you have everything, including when weakness and weariness will set in: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26). Is He also your eternal portion, or will you end up empty-handed?

His Open Invitation

While God’s word has much to say about the reality of sin and the inevitable consequences, it has much more to say about the reality of His good news about redemption, reconciliation, and restoration, no matter who you are. For example, we read: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).

Centuries later, Jesus basically echoed those words when He said: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29) Will you accept His invitation and receive His free gift?

For more information about Jesus and God’s Inexpressible Gift to You, click this link for YOUR FREE BOOK.

Mr. Jan Blonk
www.thecauseofchrist.com

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Are You a Partaker of God’s Temporal or Everlasting Love?

December 28, 2019 By Jan Blonk Leave a Comment

This article was triggered by a friend who shared how he encouraged his daughter to believe in God’s love for her. More specifically, that God accepts her just the way she is, without having to meet any condition.

Without question, that’s unquestionably true. God expressed His unconditional love to everyone, as stated in the most famous Bible verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Yet, such encouragement can also be completely deceptive, having dreadful consequences in this age and the age to come.

The alternate translation of John 3:16 is helpful to understand the distinction between God’s temporal and everlasting love: “For this is how God love the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God expressed His unconditional love in a certain, definite, and particular way, one that excludes all other ways.

A Vital Illustration

Let me give you an illustration that will make the distinction between God’s temporal and everlasting love crystal clear. What if you had an insurmountable debt, about to be evicted from your home? A month before the eviction date, you receive a letter from the town’s billionaire who offers to pay anyone’s debt for free—no strings attached—because of his genuine love for the town and its citizens.

Since you are a citizen, you automatically qualify for his tremendous offer. The one thing you have to do is go to his home and receive his check that will cover your full debt, which is clearly outlined in the letter.

To say that you’re excited may be one of the greatest understatements ever. You call your family and friends and share about the town’s billionaire and his amazing offer. “His love is truly amazing,” you share with everyone who comes across your path. Tragically, to say the least, you never went to his house and became a true partaker of his expressed love.

God’s Particular Love

Yes, God expressed His love to you in an unconditional manner, but it was in such a way that you must receive something in order to make you acceptable to Him—the very righteousness of His own Son. That’s why Jesus said: “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The Father won’t accept anyone who isn’t perfectly righteous in all his thoughts, feelings, motives, words, and actions. The tiniest sin demands His eternal, full, and just displeasure: “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong” (Hab. 1:13). As such, His love is expressed to you in the giving of His Son, but can only be truly experienced when you actually receive His Son by faith.

Unless you wholly bank of His Son’s perfect, blameless, flawless, righteous life for your temporal and eternal acceptance with the Father, you will be able to say that God loves you, but you won’t be able to partake of His everlasting love. He will not accept you for who you are in yourself, both in this age and in the age to come, no matter how good, innocent, moral, or righteous you may seem to appear or think you are.

How Many Live in God’s Temporal Love?

That’s a vital question. Paul wrote that many have a zeal for God, “but not according to knowledge” (Rom. 10:2). The same can be said about many who have a passion for God’s love and even share that passion. We must be particular about the only way God will accept us, lest we deceive ourselves and others.

The “not according to knowledge” is in relation to the very righteousness of God’s Son: “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness” (Rom. 10:3), which is none other than Jesus’ perfect, blameless, flawless, righteous life.

The only way to truly enjoy the Father’s love—relate to and receive from Him—is through His own Son. Ultimately, through the love and acceptance He has for His own Son as the Son of Man. Any other ground is an illusion that will cause a rude awakening: “And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Phil. 3:9).

A Needful Admonition

God’s expressed love in the giving of His Son will be temporal to you if you don’t reject any and all of your own supposed “right” living. The only way to approach the Father, relate to Him, and receive from Him is through the perfect righteousness of His Son.

You do a great disservice to anyone when you share God’s love—having received the billionaire’s letter—without urging someone to embrace the very righteousness of His Son as the only ground of acceptance with the Father.

Actually, you will be considered as those who are “incensed against him,” as God stated through Isaiah: “By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To my every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance’” (Isa. 45:23).

What does it mean that “every tongue shall confess to God”? He made that clear: “Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him,” which is a reference to everyone who didn’t submit to the very righteousness of His own Son as the only way to and the only acceptance with the Father. Any other message about God’s love will fail the test of eternity.

Jan Blonk was born and raised in the Netherlands (“yawn” is the Dutch equivalent for John). He permanently moved to the U.S. in 2001 and is the author of It’s All about Jesus: The Bible’s Grand Testimony, a one-year devotional about the person and work of Jesus Christ. All his books are used as a fundraiser for the spread of the gospel through reputable ministries: www.thecauseofchrist.com

The Exclusive Claims of Jesus Christ

December 23, 2019 By Jan Blonk Leave a Comment

About a month ago, I felt like I was in a spiritual depressing tailspin. Whether it was my more-than-two-week sickness, a constant feeling of exhaustion, my wired-personality, spiritual warfare, or some of all of the above, life looked dark and gloomy.

As I went to bed, I decided to browse the internet—not always a good thing—starting with articles on spiritual depression. I came across megachurch pastor Jarrid Wilson, who committed suicide over three months ago after having struggled with depression for many years.

Since the internet is a never-ending “pit” of articles, from the good, the bad, and the ugly, I certainly had my share of reading, including a variety of opinions about Joshua Harris’ recent deconversion from Christianity.

The spectrum of Christianity ranges from the ultra-conservative to the ultra-liberal. No wonder that outsiders may not be able to see the forest for the trees—to see the gospel for what it truly is. As I pondered all the various opinions, I had to see everything in light of the claims of Jesus Christ in order to keep my sanity.

Jesus’ Three Claims

One of Jesus’ most controversial statements is: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Without any vagueness, He claimed that He is the way. What does that mean?

It means that Jesus is the only way to the Father. All men’s own ways to reach and relate to God are entirely futile, even though they may feel good and right. His exclusive claim excludes any other way, including God’s own law, morality, conservatism, good works, other religions, etc.

He also claimed that He is “the truth.” Apart from Jesus, there is only deception and delusion. If you were to throw away your winning one hundred million dollar lottery ticket, you would be left with zero dollars. The same is true with rejecting Jesus as “the truth.” You are then left with what isn’t true.

Jesus ended His three claims with “I am . . . the life.” As God, Jesus has life within Himself (John 1:4). He’s eternally self-existing. Everyone and everything derives life from Him, whether natural or spiritual. The fact that He is “the life” means there’s no spiritual, eternal life apart from Him.

At the end of His three claims, Jesus summarized them with these words: “No one comes to the Father except through me.” His exclusive claims exclude all other imaginary ways to the Father. There’s certainly no uncertainty about what Jesus claimed for Himself.

The Three Possibilities

While I’m not sure who first expressed this trilemma, there are basically three possibilities when it comes to Jesus’ exclusive claims. He is either an incredible liar, a delusional lunatic, or the Lord who He claims to be.

If He was a liar, Christianity is by far the greatest deception that mankind has ever experienced. The far-reaching consequences of Jesus as a liar are incomprehensible. Additionally, if He was a delusional lunatic, there’s simply no comparison with others who’ve had delusional conceptions of who they were. Or, He truly is who He claims to be: “The way, and the truth, and the life.”

The Bible expresses that one’s acceptance or rejection of Jesus’ claims isn’t so much an intellectual issue, but a moral one: “The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). It’s an innate love affair with the darkness.

The apostle Paul wrote that man, by nature, prefers to “suppress the truth” that he knows about God, “because God has shown it to them” (Rom. 1:18-19). Man prefers to exchange “the glory of the immortal God” for anything and everything else (Rom. 1:23)—emptiness over substance.

A Bigoted, Narrow-Minded Conviction

There are millions who reject any authentic expression of Christianity as bigoted, narrow-minded, racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, unloving, etc. That would certainly be true if Jesus was a liar or a lunatic.

What if He truly is “the way, and the truth, and the life,” as He claims to be? What if He truly is the only way to the Father—the only way to eternal bliss? The Bible is either God’s infallible word or it is not. If it is, this is the God of the Bible to whom Jesus is the only way: “In your presence there is fullness of Joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11).

I’m fine if you consider me a bigot, narrow-minded, racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, or any other derogatory name, but you cannot claim that I’m unloving if I believe Jesus’ claims and Him as your only hope of salvation.

My only “crime” is seeking your temporal and eternal well-being, even if I Jesus’ claims were entirely untrue. I do agree that such “crimes” can be expressed with either know-it-all-pride or broken-hearted humility.

Certainly, I don’t want to force you into some Christian straightjacket that seemingly robs you of all your supposed freedom. Rather, if the claims of Jesus Christ are true, He’s the only possible freedom you can have: “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

The Bottom Line

Undoubtedly, the bottom line is simple: Jesus’s exclusive claims or either true or false. While it may seem like circular reasoning, the determining factor is His resurrection. If He indeed rose from the dead, all His claims are true. On the other hand, if He didn’t rise from the dead, Christianity is the greatest hoax ever.

The apostle Paul expressed that with these words: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:17-19).

Throughout His ministry, Jesus certainly had His controversies, causing major divisions. For example, we read: “There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, ‘He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?’ Others said, ‘These are not the words of one who is possessed by a demon’” (John 10:19-21).

What do you believe about Him? Please don’t say He was a good teacher, advocating love and morality. His exclusive claims exclude that option. He claimed to be the only way to God, the Father, which He either is or isn’t. There are no grey areas when it comes His exclusive claims.

Jan Blonk was born and raised in the Netherlands (“yawn” is the Dutch equivalent for John). He permanently moved to the U.S. in 2001 and is the author of It’s All about Jesus: The Bible’s Grand Testimony, a one-year devotional about the person and work of Jesus Christ. All his books are used as a fundraiser for the spread of the gospel through reputable ministries: www.thecauseofchrist.com

When You Feel Useless

November 7, 2019 By Jan Blonk Leave a Comment

There are days when the dark clouds of affliction hinder my experience of the Son’s warmth. Whether it’s my personality, the seemingly never-ending reality of struggle, spiritual warfare, or a mix of all the above, at those times a sense of depression sets in. The dark clouds define my outlook on life.

Today has been one of those days. My gloominess increases during a time of sickness, when my energy level is around zero degrees Celsius (I’ve been living in the U.S. for over 18 years but can never make the switch to Fahrenheit).

As I’m recuperating after a few days of not being able to eat, I decided to eat something and go to the beach—a view of the vast Atlantic Ocean always benefits my mental stability. Seeing a “boundless” ocean helps me see things in a more proper perspective.

A Sense of Uselessness

While I felt useless, having no energy to do much of anything, the thought hit me that my usefulness or uselessness is ultimately not determined by what I do or not do. Rather, it’s entirely based on being a part of Christ’s body.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I’m part of His body. Charles Spurgeon would emphasize how no one who has been born again can lose his salvation because it would make Christ’s body incomplete. Isn’t that an awesome truth (see John 10:28-29)?

No matter who you are as a Christian, whether you’re a strong leader, able to move mountains by faith, or are a struggling Christian, regularly sinking in the waters of doubt and fear, Jesus paid the price for you and you are His—you’re an essential part of His body. That makes all the difference.

You’re Indispensable

Incredibly, Paul wrote: “The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Cor. 12:22). Whether you feel greatly used or useless, if you have received Jesus by faith, you are a necessary part of Christ’s body. God has set it up in such a way that Jesus’ body would not be complete without you.

Your indispensability is wholly grounded in God’s everlasting love and His faithfulness: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jer. 31:3). Your salvation is “to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6).

Being “in the Beloved” is the whole of your temporal and eternal reality, whether or not the clouds of affliction may hide that truth at times. Jesus’ finished work on your behalf infinitely outweighs everything else. That’s certainly good news on days when the Son is hidden behind the clouds.

Together for the Gospel!?

November 1, 2019 By Jan Blonk 2 Comments

While I’m using the name of an annual conference with both an exclamation and question mark, this article isn’t addressed to the organizers, speakers, or participants of Together for the Gospel.

Rather, it’s much broader in nature. It addresses each Christian and in particular one’s attitude toward those who are in the faith—those who are part of God’s family—who don’t necessarily fit within your theological persuasion.

In today’s social media, there are many attitudes and actions that seem to be more so dividing than uniting believers in Jesus Christ. Many communicate “the truth” without seemingly much if any sense of love, respect, or desire to have fellowship with the ones they address.

Lately, the church in Laodicea has been convicting me, not so much their lukewarmness, but the fact that Jesus desired to have genuine, personal fellowship with these believers in this Christ-less church.

Yes, He strongly reproved and disciplined them, but it was out of deep love that longed to have fellowship with them. He sought them out, which is an expression of His grace.

Obviously, there’s nothing new under the sun and “what has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done” (Eccl. 1:9), including current churches where Jesus Christ isn’t truly the focus at all—where He stands at their door and knocks to come in.

While I’m not advocating any togetherness for the gospel without definite gospel boundaries—embracing the historic tenets of the Christian faith—I am advocating that Christians, including myself, should examine their heart and assess if there’s genuine love for each of God’s children, especially toward those who don’t fit within our theological framework?

Paul wrote: “Let love be genuine” (Rom. 12:9). He also wrote that if there’s no such love toward God’s children, whatever our correct understanding of doctrine, we’re like “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). We may then be like the one who “looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like” (James 1:24).

What is the gospel?

Sometimes, we have to take a few steps back in order to move forward. As such, let’s start with the very basics. The apostle Paul gave us a classic definition:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

At the core, “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) is Jesus’ righteous life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection for those who don’t deserve anything from God. Additionally, we can add His victorious ascension, effectual intercession, and consummating second coming, which are also an essential part of His saving work.

Since the person and work of Jesus Christ is the whole of our salvation, we have perfect common ground in Christ with every other Christian, including giving one another “the right hand of fellowship” (Gal. 2:9). As long as anyone has received Jesus by faith as God’s inexpressible gift, we are united with every other Christian, whatever one’s nationality, religious or secular background, societal position, or any particular theological distinctive.

Paul’s words are always true, no matter what the secondary issues are: “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3). It’s certainly much easier to believe in the doctrines of grace, for example, than to express such graciousness to those who don’t hold to them. It’s much easier to be right in doctrine than right in love, right?

Who Is a Christian?

If a person has been born from above, whether one holds to faith preceding spiritual birth or spiritual birth preceding faith, he or she is a brother and sister in Christ and should be treated as such. The apostle John made an undeniable statement: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14).

Undoubtedly, John didn’t refer to “the brothers” as those who exactly hold to the same theological convictions. He referred to everyone who has been born again. Before anything, you should ask yourself this question: is he or she a brother or sister in Christ?

If so, any other distinctive is secondary to that reality. If God has brought someone forth “by the word of truth” (James 1:18), that’s a decisive, irreversible, eternal reality that outweighs everything else, including theological differences.

What about the Distinctives?

There are almost as many distinctives as there are Christians. While that’s an exaggeration, it does address the main point. It’s foolish to deny these differences—there are too many to list. Should we just ignore them? Should we make them less important than we believe they are?

We should be diligent students of God’s word: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Yet, we must do so with absolute graciousness, realizing that any correct understanding of God’s word is a gracious gift. A few verses later, Paul wrote: “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone” (2 Tim. 2:24).

As an authoritative apostle, God called Paul to write many admonishing and correcting statements. Yet, the root of everything he communicated was his realization of God’s grace toward him: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Rom. 12:3). His awareness of God’s grace to him was so deep that he referred to himself as “the very least of all the saints” (Eph. 3:8).

For a Christian, God’s grace is the sole root of anything that’s pleasing in our lives, effectually worked within us through Jesus Christ (Heb. 13:20-21). It cuts off any self-exaltation, looking down on others. We don’t have any boast except in His grace, which is the only fertile ground for humility. How we refer and relate to other believers is a strong indicator in what measure we live in the nature and reality of His grace toward us.

Conclusion

While Paul specifically addressed the Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome, it’s applicable to every Christian: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Rom. 15:7). Christ’s welcome of you was, is, and will be entirely based on His grace, which is for the glory of God. Even so, we must “welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.”

To be passionate about the glory of God is synonymous with embracing every other believer with genuine love and sincere graciousness that doesn’t ignore secondary issues, but that primarily relates to one as having been born from above—as one having been welcomed by Jesus Christ Himself, “for the glory of God.”