Tag: Science

Understanding the human condition

One element of our human reality is our moral awareness. We are able, albeit imperfectly, to distinguish right from wrong. There is another more perturbing element of our reality, however: we are obliged to acknowledge at times a degree of “wrong” both in our conduct and in our inner feelings and desires. To face up to this reality is not a pleasant exercise – but it can be salutary.

The experience of well-known writer and Oxford don C.S. Lewis, when he was a young teacher at the university, shows exemplary honesty. He had a deep antagonism towards the Christian faith, but little by little he saw himself obliged to yield to the unremitting evidence of “Spirit” (as he called God at that time) and he discerned that God was coming closer and closer to him. He admits he was no more in search of God than a mouse was in search of a cat. But he was blessed with a conscientious spirit; where others would have shrugged their shoulders and carried on, he realised he must face reality and he needed a deep remedy. An important step came when, as he wrote in his biographical account, “For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there I found what appalled me; a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds.” Rare are those who have such insight to the depth of their human reality.

The fact is that all humans suffer from a strange dual reality: we are capable of great compassion and devotion to duty, pouring out our energies into assisting the sick, the needy, the dying. Yet we also feel at times such fury when our wills are crossed that we could seriously harm those who antagonise us. Our inner being is deeply self-centred, imperiously requiring the fulfilling of our selfish desires, claiming the freedom to do as we wish and ready to overcome anyone who stands in our way.

I have previously quoted Blaise Pascal’s brilliant analysis of this dual reality; he says it is dangerous to explain to man his beastliness without pointing out his greatness also. But he adds, “it is also dangerous to make too much of his greatness without his vileness. It is still more dangerous”, he concludes, “to leave him in ignorance of both, but it is most valuable to represent both to him” (Pensée §121/418). 

Maybe now is the time to consider this more personally. We are not, of course, obliged to deny the positive aspects of our reality. But we all need the honesty of a C.S. Lewis to admit how deep evil runs within our hearts. When we acknowledge this, we should know that we are not alone in this destabilising discovery; “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way”. This is the universal human condition, and we must understand it, humbling though it is. 

What makes us willing to face it, is knowing that there is a remedy – and there is! If we are “lost sheep”, we may know also that there is a “Good Shepherd” who gave his life to deliver his sheep from the horrors of their unfortunate condition.

Clive Every-Clayton

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Distinguishing good from evil

Some actions are obviously very evil; others are praise-worthy and clearly very good. But anyone who is serious about their behaviour wonders at times how good their conduct really is. Normally everyone thinks what they do is good. We go easy on our moral self-assessment because we don’t like feeling guilty. On some occasions, however, we have difficulty escaping the feeling that what we did was really wrong. But how can we know for sure? If there is no ultimate moral authority, can we just make up our own rules?

When writing about our conscience, I mentioned that it is fallible; we need further guidance. This is especially the case for those who decide to follow Jesus and who heed his call to repent. What exactly must we repent of? Who can tell us? Only God can see the deep motivation in one’s heart.

This is where the biblical revelation of God’s holiness becomes important. “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord”, the Bible tells us. Logically, it was God who implanted the notion of good in us, his creatures made in his image. But since we are neither perfectly instructed nor models of perfect behaviour, we have trouble assessing even our own motives, let alone other people’s.

We are driven, ultimately, to see our need of outside guidance, since human ideas are inevitably imperfect. We need a holy God to stipulate what is good and to declare what is reprehensible. A holy God alone could render such a service to humanity, and that is what God has done.

Those who hear and heed Jesus’ call to repent of sin may look to his teaching to get some clarification about good and evil. Firstly, he quoted with approval the Ten Commandments given by God in the Old Testament, which stand forever as wise guidelines for a good society. They condemn murder, theft, bearing false witness, blasphemy, adultery, idolatry, dishonouring parents, lust and coveting, but they also insist on giving God his rightful place as Lord to be obeyed. Jesus also listed sins to be rejected: “evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly” (Mark 7.21-22). You get the idea…

The apostle Paul wrote several lists in the New Testament as well. Here’s one decrying “the acts of sinful human nature”: “sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissention, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” He adds a warning that “those who live like that will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5.19-21). 

What is best for us human beings is to live a good life, which Paul characterised in the same passage as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5.22-23). We know that the bad things we do disturb our peace of mind, lead to breakdown in relationships, and stir within our hearts unpleasant emotions that do us more harm than good. On the other hand, when we habitually do what God describes as good, we experience positive self-esteem and inner peace. This is the right way to human flourishing.

The Bible emphasises virtues like love for people, being caring and forgiving; Jesus’ disciples are to become like him, good, upright, helpful, holy, pure, decent, reliable, true and faithful. When someone is considering following Jesus, that is the kind of life he is to aim for. And Jesus’ Holy Spirit miraculously can come into believers’ hearts to enable them to progressively become more like him.

Clive Every-Clayton

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A new direction

Another way of speaking about repenting, is to see it as an about turn. Instead of carrying on in the wrong direction, you turn around and go the right way. 

In the Bible, God himself uses that very word, “turn”: “Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations” (Ezekiel 14.6). “Turn away from evil,” is the counsel of Proverbs 3.7. “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live! Why will you die?” (Ezekiel 18.31, 32). There is a turning away – from all that God disapproves, from our evil ways. 

Then, positively, there is a turning towards the Lord himself. He calls out: “Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God and there is none other” (Isaiah 45.22). It was said of the early Christians, when they heard the good news about Jesus, that they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1.9).

The essence of human wrong-doing is summed up as exchanging the truth about God for a lie (Romans 1.25); so the way to put right our human condition is to relinquish the lies we have been tricked into, and embrace the truth that God in his wisdom and kindness has revealed by his Son and in his word, the Bible.

As we listen to Jesus and realise who he is, we can verify if we have been ill-informed about God, about our Creator, about the true purpose of life that the Creator had in mind for us. As we read the Bible, we see why Jesus came – not only to teach us truth – vital though that is – but to bring us to see and know God as he really is: kind, loving, holy yet forgiving, merciful and wise, desiring to lead us in the good way.

We are wise when we recognise that God is truly good, and he has the right to our obedience; it is a “good riddance” to turn away from all evil. It is an edifying challenge to decide to live a new life following Jesus as Lord and Master, learning from him, seeking to resemble him in his love, purity and holiness. To be called to be a follower of Jesus is a high calling – an immense privilege. And Jesus accompanies his disciples, calling them his friends. His ears are open to our prayers; his presence as the risen Christ gives us confidence and courage. He promises he will never leave us or forsake us: in whatever situation we may be, we can count on his help. If we fail and repent again, he will forgive and comfort us. If we face tough challenges, he promises us renewed strength.

The Christian is thus called to a life-long positive relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As we repent and believe, he takes us on as his followers and he stays with us through both the good days and the tough times, ever present to encourage us, lift us up, strengthen us in doing what is right and making us a blessing to others. A whole new life opens up to the one who commits to following him in trust and obedience.

Clive Every-Clayton

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The big rethink

When we look for authentic answers to our deep existential questions, we normally rely on our wits: we read books, we follow lectures, we discuss with those more informed than ourselves, and we think it all through. We seldom pause to realise that all this happens on a purely human level; we probably weren’t looking for divine in-put anyway.

When we open the New Testament, however, and start seeking there for potential answers, we may well be struck by an unusual word, a challenging call. Whether it is Jesus (Matthew 4.17), or John the Baptiser (Matthew 3.2), or the apostle Peter (Acts 2.38) or the apostle Paul (Acts 20.21) – the same challenge rings out: it is the call to “repent”. Jesus is radical: “Unless you repent,” he affirms, “you will perish” (Luke 13.3, 5). 

This call has a double meaning, requiring a double dose of humility. Firstly, Jesus calls his followers to have a big re-think. It’s as if he knows that whatever anyone thinks (about the big questions), they’ve got it wrong! Another way of saying it is that Jesus brings the true answers that everyone needs to listen to. By nature we do not have the correct grasp of things – we are ever seeking, often very conscious of how far we are from getting good answers. If you’re in that frame of mind, be happy! You’re on the right track. You need light from the One who said, “I am the Light of the world” (John 8.12). As you rethink and put faith in the true answers that Jesus brought, you will be wisely led: as Jesus said, “he who seeks, finds” (Luke 11.9).

Secondly – and this is even more humbling – we have to re-think the way we are living. To repent means to turn away from all that is wrong, to reject sin in all its many forms, and to commit to learning how to live what Jesus would call a good life. This can be quite radical – depending on how deep one may have gone into various ungodly life-styles. But it is absolutely beneficial! Jesus’ answers to our existential questions are not merely theoretical: they demand to be heeded and to be translated into how we live. He teaches us what true fulfilment really is – how human beings find the deep happiness we long for (not the frothy gaiety that always leaves a hang-over, a deeper emptiness, an aching void). Jesus came, he said, “that people might have life – abundant life” (John 10.10). He speaks of joy and peace that he gives. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11.28). “If anyone is thirsty,” he cries out using another metaphor, “let him come to me and drink”; “the one who drinks the water that I give him will never thirst – it will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 7.37, 4.14). Great promises! And Jesus honours them!

So his call is both to believe in him and to repent. This double commitment may take but a moment, but it leads to the most fulfilling life possible for a human being. Obviously it needs to be nourished, informed by the reading of Jesus’ teachings, but here is the key to the kind of life that we all, deep down, long for but cannot find. 

Clive Every-Clayton

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God calls people

When God comes to call us, he doesn’t softly say, “Do you mind if…? Rather, he comes as the sovereign Lord that he is, rightful supreme master of the universe with all the weight of his glory… yet, for all his rightful power, he does come asking a question. This is specially his approach when he comes to a person who has sinned: “Adam, where are you? … Have you eaten of the forbidden fruit?” (Genesis 3.9-11). God doesn’t ask such questions to get information, of course. Rather it is his way of gently inviting a response of humble admission of sin.

When a woman taken in the very act of adultery was dragged by the Jews before Jesus, he first deals with the accusers, and when they leave, duly humbled, his first words to her are, “Woman, where are they? Has no-one condemned you?” Then he sets her free: “neither do I condemn you” (John 8.3-11).

When God “arrested” the fiery aggressive persecutor Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road, yet again he asks a question: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9.4).

Isn’t that astonishing? How would you expect God would come and speak to you? You may be afraid of his almighty judgment; you may expect him to come down on you like a ton of bricks and condemn your moral failings. But no: he would ask you a question. Like: “How are you doing?” If God asked you that, it would make you think, wouldn’t it? Well, how are you behaving? Do you need God’s forgiveness? Would you like God to wipe away those things you have on your conscience from the inglorious days of your past?

Jesus actually asked people, “What would you like me to do for you?” So maybe God would ask, “Would you like the forgiveness, the peace, and the joy that I would like to give you?” Or again, “Are you finding life tough going?” Or, “would you like to know the way to real human fulfilment?”

After giving us pause for thought by posing questions like those that make us conscious of our need of God’s mercy, then he would come with his imperious advice – which is more of a command than a suggestion!

Maybe God is coming to you right now, saying: “The time is ripe: mercy is available. I love you in spite of how you have behaved: turn right around, ‘come to me and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11.28) – the inner rest and peace you’ve always longed for. You’ve been looking in the wrong place. I will welcome you if you repent and turn to me. I will make you anew”.

Clive Every-Clayton

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What is faith?

Faith is essentially very simple, though it is deeply profound. We all have faith in people every day – we have faith in the bus driver, in our teacher, in our doctor, in the lady down the road who passes on the latest gossip, though we may sometimes doubt her.

The young couple about to get married have faith in the love and faithfulness of each other, so they make their commitment “until God shall separate them by death”. 

The scientist has faith that the world runs – and will continue to run – according to consistent order; he has faith in the scientific research papers he reads, without knowing how truthful the academic who wrote them really is.

Even the atheist has faith in his ideas – for his atheism is a “faith system” according to one-time atheist Alister McGrath.

Whatever religion people may have, they have faith in it. The question is: is that faith well placed? How do they know that what is proposed is reliably true? People who always ask that question can end up totally sceptical, because it is not easy to find a basis for our trust that is 100% watertight. In fact, the only basis that qualifies for that degree of truth would be a God of absolute truth.

I have set forth that basis as we looked at Jesus, who affirmed, “I am the truth” (John 14.6) and that he “came down from heaven” to “teach just what God the Father had taught” him to say; so “whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say,” and his “word is truth” (see John 6.38; 8.28 and 40; 12.50; 17.17).

As we listen carefully to Jesus’ words, and consider the purity of his life and the wisdom of his teaching, we are led to believe that he could indeed be the unique incarnation of God and the Saviour of the world. As we consider what he taught about salvation and forgiveness through his death for us, and examine the evidence for his resurrection from the dead, we are logically led to the conclusion that he must indeed be who he said he was. This is the first step of faith.

On that basis, we must go further, because real faith goes beyond simple belief in facts; it must lead us to trust. Faith as trust is essential in every human relationship, and so it is in our relationship with God. When Jesus calls people to follow him, he makes promises, and invites us to trust him to fulfil them. His promises are recorded in the Gospels and are open to “whoever believes in him” (John 3.16). 

Even if we’re not fully convinced that he came from God, as we pay attention to his words, faith and trust grow in our hearts. Jesus promises rest of soul, spiritual new birth, forgiveness of sins, abundant life and eternal life – the full, true meaningful life we deeply long for. All this and more is included in the restoring of a harmonious loving relationship between the forgiven sinner and God our gracious Saviour. This is – I keep repeating – the human fulfilment in life that we were created for, and we come to experience it as our faith expresses itself in trust.  In a prayer of commitment, we receive Jesus as our Saviour, to forgive our sins; we acknowledge him as our Master whose teaching we will believe and follow, and we commit ourselves to him as our Lord whom we will learn to love obey from now on.

Have you expressed your faith in that kind of prayer? 

Clive Every-Clayton

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Faith is personal commitment

I am currently reading an academic book in which professor of science Jane Plant seeks to convince readers to give up milk products as a means of diminishing both prostate cancer and breast cancer. To get us to make such a commitment, she amasses statistics, quotes much research and shares her personal experience, until an average reader would conclude she must be right. That first faith is a necessary step to a further commitment to stop all consumption of milk products. Those who believe will give them up, on the basis of her evidence.

There is a parallel here with Christian faith. Just as Professor Plant, setting forth her evidence, leads people to believe her thesis and to make a commitment that they will honour, so the Christian evangelist sets out the facts of Jesus’ amazing divine life, his death, his resurrection and his promises of forgiveness, so that the evidence leads seekers to faith. They thus believe that Jesus was the unique incarnation of the Son of God and trust in him as the saviour they need. When a person is sufficiently convinced by the evidence, faith leads to a personal commitment to Christ. 

Faith is thus a commitment to the person of Christ (comparable to a marriage commitment because it leads to a life-long relationship with him). It is based on an intelligent grasp of evidence that is found to be convincing. Contrary to what some atheists would have us believe, “faith” is not irrational. People just do not believe something unless is appears true. Checking out the evidence can persuade people that what is proposed is indeed true. We assess it, we think it through; we consider whether we agree, and if we do, we decide to believe it. To believe is to take as true, and act in consequence. 

Christianity is an evidence-based faith: Professor Carl R. Trueman, renowned theologian and historian, insists that “Christians… take history seriously. We have a faith rooted in historical claims,” he writes, “supremely the incarnation of Jesus Christ and the events and actions of his life”. As we read the historic accounts of Jesus in the Gospels, we see he constantly called people to believe in him, and to those who believe he promised not only full forgiveness, but “life abundant”, “eternal life”, which means entering into an eternal relationship with the God who loves you very, very much. This is the true purpose of human life: this alone gives true fulfilment. This is what we were created in God’s image for, in God’s brilliant plan. If you miss this, you are understandably bewildered, enshrouded in a cloud of uncertainty about the big questions of life. Jesus – and he alone – gives us authentic hope for real answers.

So being informed about Jesus is the first step to faith. As you consider him, you decide whether you are going to believe in him or not.

It’s all the more vital because we suffer from the “deadly cancer” of sin, and Jesus alone can grant full forgiveness and justification. From our general faith in the historic record of Christ, we need to become convinced that he brought the remedy of our spiritual cancer. Jesus offers deep spiritual healing, but his promises need to be believed, laid hold of personally. The Bible clearly asserts that those who believe are “justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2.16). The apostles’ message was, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” (Acts 16.31). When we make a personal commitment to Christ, that is the faith that saves us. Then, and then only, are we “justified by faith in Christ”.

Clive Every-Clayton

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Justified by faith

My recent posts have emphasised God’s amazing grace both in sending his Son to bear the just penalty of our sin, in our place, on the cross, and – on that basis – offering full, total, and free forgiveness of all our misdeeds, however awful they may have been. I explained that the divine forgiveness God grants takes the fuller form of “justifying” us. That means, he declares us officially not guilty and free from all condemnation.

This is a weighty theme, and one that is not as well-known and understood as it deserves, so I will clarify it here once more. It is the answer to a really profound question, formulated by theologian R.C. Sproul as “what may be the deepest existential problem a human being can ever face: how can a sinner, an unjust person, ever withstand the judgment of a holy and just God?” If we are all moral failures, it would seem we cannot survive in such a judgment. BUT… this is where justification comes in.

It helps to consider how God manages to justify the guilty sinners that we are – under three aspects that are expressed in the Bible. First, sinners such as me and you can be “justified by grace” (Titus 3.7); that means God grants this status, this salvation, purely out of his heart of love to the undeserving. We don’t have to earn it – indeed, we cannot. It is a gift freely given; that is the meaning of grace. This fact gives hope to the most awful of sinners. 

Secondly, we are justified on account of Jesus’ death, through the “redemption” accomplished through the shedding of his blood, (Romans 3.24-25, and 5.9), whereby he made a full atonement for our sins. This is unique in all the world’s religions – a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world has been accomplished by the only one who ever could accomplish it – Jesus, the incarnate Son of God. Without that, the Just Judge of all the earth could not pardon a sinner without violating the requirements of Justice. That’s why God can justify us through Jesus’ work, for he alone fully paid for our sins in our place.

I have dealt with those two bases in past posts, but I have not yet mentioned how this full total pardon can be yours. If God is so eager to forgive – and he is – what do you have to do to be justified? The Bible’s answer is that we are “justified by faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2.16, Romans 5.1). That means we are totally forgiven and justified by God when we place our trust in the Lord Jesus and in the atoning work he did for us. This is the authentic and radically marvellous message of Christianity: the apostles made it clear in their early proclamation of the Gospel – for example, “All the prophets bear witness to Jesus, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10.43). And again, “Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him all who believe are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law” (Acts 13.38-39).
So we who are guilty before God can be exonerated, acquitted, justified –

1. By God’s gracious kindness

2. Because Jesus died for sinners, and 

3. When we repent and put our trust in the Lord Jesus, calling on his name to save us.

It is this last faith commitment that clears away the barrier between us and God so that we experience his reality, his love and his transforming power. 

Clive Every-Clayton

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God’s radical, total forgiveness

In one of his stories – that we call parables – Jesus used a powerful word to speak of God’s forgiveness. In the temple, a self-righteous worshipper was praying, thanking God as he enumerated the good things he did, comparing himself favourably with those he considered worse than himself. In a corner of the same temple, a broken-hearted outsider beat his breast as he pleaded with God for mercy for his sinful behaviour. This second man, said Jesus, was heard rather than the proud religionist, and he returned home “justified” (Luke 18.9-14).

To be “justified” is to be more than merely forgiven. It means he obtained the status of a man right with God, considered righteous in God’s eyes so as to be accepted as guiltless in the final judgment. This is God’s radical, total forgiveness and it assures the penitent that he has “no condemnation” to fear on the Day of Judgment.

In 1517 AD, Martin Luther hit on this glorious revelation, famously revalorising how God justifies sinners. In his day, religion taught that you had to earn your way to heaven. He had tried his best to do that but ended in despair because sin was deep in his psyche, even as a religious monk. Then he discovered in the New Testament that God was so kind and gracious that he promised to “justify” the sinner who turned away from all wrong and trusted Christ, the Saviour of sinners, to forgive him totally. Luther had grasped the biblical revelation that we are “justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Romans 3.28). By a radical faith commitment, a person could be totally forgiven and made clean in God’s sight. And this was possible only because Jesus, on the cross, had borne the sinners’ punishment in our place, out of love for us. This work of atonement satisfied the demands of Justice, allowing the righteous Father to grant full and free forgiveness to those who came to trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

That radical faith commitment is referred to in the Bible as “conversion”, or being “called” by God, or also being “born again”. It is a double decision: first, to abandon all evil conduct, turning away from all that God calls sin so as to start a new life in obedience to God. Secondly, to ask the Lord Jesus Christ, in faith, both to forgive and to clean up one’s life and to enter in, to dwell within, by his Holy Spirit, to enable that radical transformation to take place.

Now this step of commitment is how a person enters into the harmonious relationship with God, for the Father gladly accepts the repentant sinner and grants both his full forgiveness and the status of being justified.

Those who make that commitment can affirm with Luther and the apostle Paul: “We have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law” (Galatians 2.16). And “being justified by faith, we have peace with God by our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5.1).

Clive Every-Clayton

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True abundant life

I have sought to show that in Jesus, God has revealed himself and has given us truth so we can obtain authentic answers to our deep existential questions. Our Creator knows perfectly what it takes for us, his human creatures to enjoy the abundant life he made us for, and he has spoken to the world by sending his Son from Heaven. Jesus’ life, teachings, death, and resurrection are so uniquely true that on that basis we can listen to him and trust the wisdom he brought us.

In fact Jesus himself made it plain: “I am come so that people may have life,” he explained, “and have it abundantly” (John 10.10). This abundant life we can enjoy here and now, even though Jesus also calls it “eternal life” because its pure happiness continues after death into eternity.

Jesus clarifies what the essence of this eternal life really is. When he prays to his Father, he says: “this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent” (John 17.3). As I have already shown in earlier posts, the real purpose of our human existence is to enjoy a positive, good, harmonious relationship with the God who loves us very much. That is what Jesus means when he speaks of knowing God – not just understanding theological truth, but being in a relationship with God, receiving his love and responding with gratitude. This is the true “Good Life”, the way to real happiness independent of circumstances. The day before he died, Jesus said to those whom he had trained, “if you know these things, you are happy if you put them into practice” (John 13.17). That’s the happiness I want for you.

God’s wisdom marks out the best way for human fulfilment. Our folly is that we follow other ways that in our blindness we think will bring us satisfaction: we are indifferent to God, or we misconceive of him; we ignore or spurn his word, we disobey his will, we live an anti-God lifestyle. Yet God kindly persists in seeking us. This revelation of a God who lovingly comes seeking sinners to draw them into his friendship is unique to Christianity. Jesus likened God to a shepherd who goes out to look for his lost sheep, finds it, and brings it home rejoicing (Luke 15.1-7).

As God seeks to bring us into the pure joy of being in a harmonious relationship with himself, he knows that our first need is to be forgiven. He has therefore taken the initiative, sending his Son on a Love Mission, so that by giving his life on the Cross our sins are “paid for” by our Saviour. This opens up the way for God to receive all sinners who turn to him, asking his forgiveness.

So now it is up to each one of us to respond to his generous kindness. God is not far away; he is knocking on your door. You need to hear his voice, calling you to turn to him. You can “hear” him as you read his life and words in the Gospels and then, he promises, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8.31-32). 

The truth of the Gospels is what we can believe. Jesus said, “whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life” (John 5.25).”This is the will of my Father, that whoever sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life” (John 6.40). 

And “whoever” includes you! 

Clive Every-Clayton

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