“Why Am I a Christian?”—by R.C. Sproul

 

That is a question that RC Sproul was fond of asking, to which he always had a ready-made answer. The complete question from the transcript is as follows:

“Why am I a Christian, and some of my closest and dearest friends are not? I can’t come up with an answer. I can’t come up with any reason why God would redeem me. One question that bothers me, and I am sure it bothers you, is the question, Why am I a Christian, and some of my closest and dearest friends are not? … Is it because you are more righteous than your brother?”

However, on thinking about it more, one instinctively feels that something isn’t quite right with that question. It appears to be a very self-centered, inward looking question. It focuses too much on the self, on “me,” rather than on God or man. As one reads the scriptures, one gets the impression that God wants the focus of our attention to be on God and on man, rather than on ourselves. He wants our focus to be on the glorification of God, and the salvation of man:

Matthew 5:

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

That is where God wants our focus of attention to be: on glorifying God, and on the salvation of man. And it is achieved by doing good works. In Calvinism, however, doing “good works” is a sin! It is called “works salvation!” You are trying to “save yourself” by your own “works,” and you are damned! According to Jesus, however, if we are not actively engaged in doing “good works,” we are as “salt that has lost its savour,” and thenceforth is good for nothing but to be “trodden under foot of men”. The focus of attention of the gospel of Jesus Christ is on doing good works. The focus of attention of Calvinism is on not doing good works. It is all about “faith alone” and “imputation,” and no works at all! It is the antithesis of the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the Bible.

I am sure the Calvinists will now say, If you genuinely “believe,” if you have the “faith,” the “works” will automatically follow. If it doesn’t, that means that you never “believed,” your faith was not genuine. The answer to that is, Why then does Jesus focus so much on doing the actual “works”? Why doesn’t he just say, “Believe, and you don’t need to worry about anything else; the rest will take care of itself.” Why does he never say that? Why does he place so much emphasis on the importance of doing the “works”?

I hope the folks at Ligonier appreciate all my input to the development of their theology. Such expert theological advice doesn’t come cheap! 😃