In this post, I refer to the April 27, 2010 USA Today article by Cathy Lynn Grossman titled, “Young Adults Less Devoted to Faith.”
I guess the title of the article begins to tell the tale. True Christians are not devoted to faith so much as we are devoted to God. Somewhere along the way, we as Christians have failed to communicate that we are not adherents to a religion; we are partakers in a relationship. I believe the root of this failed communication is not our failure to tell the truth of the core of Christianity, but to live the truth of the relationship.
In a world of relational disconnectedness despite a technological link to nearly everyone and everything, people long for an intimate relationship with the One in whose image they are made. Please remember, God is triune; Father, Son, and Spirit have been loving One another and relating perfectly to One another forever. God is relational. I find it no accident that the enemy of our souls is demeaning relationship and promoting shallow contact.
Josh McDowell said it well in Beyond Belief to Convictions (2002), “The core of Christianity is far, far more than a set of true propositions; it is the news of ‘a God who is passionate about His relationship with you.'” (p. 86) It seems we Christians have neglected reflecting that passion. Are we living like we have truly received that passionate love from God? Are we showing the people around us that we love to hear God’s voice through His Word, that it is crucial to us that we talk to Him always, that His plan is at the forefront of our daily decisions, and that He gives us joy to live?
The USA Today article sadly reports the following absolutely unbelievable facts:
- 36% of 18-29-year-old people who “believe they will go to heaven because they have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior” RARELY OR NEVER READ THE BIBLE!
- 68% of the same group DID NOT MENTION FAITH, RELIGION OR SPIRITUALITY WHEN ASKED WHAT WAS “REALLY IMPORTANT IN LIFE”!
Herein lies the problem: The devastating statistic about Bible-reading held up to the light of II Thessalonians 2:9 (NASB), which says, “. . . and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.”
This pivotal verse does not say that people die because they refused the truth. It says they perish because they refuse the love of the truth.
Perishing because we do not receive the love of the truth.
The Bible is the only tangible communication we have on earth from God to hold in our hands and have saturate our minds. It is the link to the One we say we love with all our hearts. God’s Spirit promises to illuminate its truth to us. And yet, 36% of people who claim Christianity rarely or never read it. God please help us.
Let us ask these questions today. Where is my Bible? How worn are its pages? How much are its words hidden in our hearts? How often do we carry it with us? Who sees that we love the truth?