Imagine having to interact with murderers, rapists, and
child molesters on a daily basis throughout the week, and then sitting in
church on Sunday feeling like they are splitting hairs over petty sins and concerns.
This is what was on the mind of Mike, a prison guard by
occupation, when I spoke with him while shopping at a Menards. Mike grew up Catholic, and as an adult had
been regularly involved in a non-denominational church with his wife. Now he is “between churches” and was doubting
the very existence of heaven and hell, for two reasons: 1.) comparing
himself as a good person to the prison inmates in jail for horrible crimes, and
2.) because of the arguments of some unbelieving friends who are skeptical of
Christianity.
As a prison guard, Mike can easily identify with the point his
skeptical friends often make, that Christianity teaches that a person could
commit the most heinous acts and then pray a simple prayer and end up in heaven
while a decent, law-abiding unbeliever might end up in hell. What to tell him?
I found out at the outset of our conversation that Mike and
his wife have been faithful attenders at a Bible based church, but after a
recent move have not made much effort at finding a new church. I could see evidence of a slow drift away
from the true Gospel as a result. First,
from the understanding that Christians are sinners saved by grace, to a belief
that Christians are good people saved by works.
Next, from an understanding that we can be saved as condemned sinners through
faith in Christ, to the belief that we don’t need to be saved at all, that we
are good people already bound for heaven, with hell reserved for only the most
horrible criminals .
This is where I found Mike, surrounded by a very negative
environment at work, listening to skeptical friends, wavering in faith, and
without a church home to ground him in biblical teaching. He was already showing evidence of the next logical
step for his slow drift away from the Gospel, to conclude that Christianity
itself doesn’t make sense and that heaven and hell, and maybe even God,
probably don’t exist.
Mike had good memories of how, every Sunday in church, he
felt like God was speaking directly to him through the sermon, relating the
Bible to life in practical ways. But he
couldn’t answer these bigger theological questions, and they were undermining
what faith he had. So I spent some time
explaining the foundational belief that, even though by man’s standards he
might be a decent, law abiding citizen, by God’s standards he is a lawbreaker just
like anyone else.
I spent some time talking about some of the Ten
Commandments, to help him see that he has done what his God-given conscience
tells him he ought not to do, and how “If anyone, then, knows the good they
ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” There is no heavenly balance scale between
his sins and good works, because he can’t pay for the sinful things he ought
not to do with the good things he ought to do anyway.
Why my focus on the law if we are saved by grace? Romans 3:20 says “Therefore no one will be
declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the
law we become conscious of our sin.”
Just as John the Baptist focused on the law and our need for repentance to
prepare the way for Christ, I wanted to remind Mike of his need for the
Savior.
I also wanted to help him see how he has drifted away from
the Gospel, and needs to get back into church and under solid biblical teaching
to stop that drift. We talked about how
good biblical teaching doesn’t avoid the hard truths of the Bible so that the
good news of salvation can be seen in context, and I recommended a good
Bible-teaching church in the area.
Please pray for Mike, I think our conversation greatly encouraged him
but he needs to get back into positive church fellowship and solid biblical
teaching rather than getting dragged down into unbelief by murderers, rapists,
and skeptics!
See our conversation HERE
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