Letter to Art

To my old friend, Arthur D. Zee
Dear Art,

Letter-writing is so easy today, isn’t it? We have tools -- computers, word processors, and even the availability of an on-line thesaurus, and an on-line rhyming dictionary, -- maybe even “old fashioned” pen and paper, if one is so inclined!

But I fear that letter-writing is a lost art, or very close to it. We all get so busy, that even if we think of writing to a friend, it’s just too easy to “put it off,” isn’t it? That has happened to me – it’s been over a month since I received the last letter from you. Several times I’ve intended to reply, but just couldn’t find one of those little yellow disks that I’ve heard so much about -- a “round tuit”! (Note: Previous letters in this series can be found on the blog by going to “Previous Posts”).

Now I wonder, Art, what you have been doing recently for enjoyment? Have you done more traveling, or planned a new career? Have you found a good book to read, or gone to a symphony concert? Speaking of traveling, my wife and I took the opportunity to travel across these continental United States, and back. What a wonderful trip! The scenery was terrific. One of our favorite places was Bryce Canyon, to the north of the Grand Canyon. Spectacular views! And then I remember photographing Pike’s peak from the parking lot of a restaurant one day – amazing!

You raised an interesting question, Art, when you seemed to look askance at “relying on somebody else for a payment on our behalf.” I believe that you had in mind the teaching of the Bible that you and I could never in the world do enough, or live so perfectly, that to be fair, God would have to take us to Heaven on our own merits. Did I understand you correctly, Art?

You know, my friend, the Bible does make it clear that since you and I could never save ourselves from eternal ruin by our own efforts, God took upon Himself the initiative to procure our redemption. It is perfectly clear from His Book that He created us for a purpose, expressed in a plan that He knew would be best and most fulfilling for each one of us over the long haul. And He loved us enough, that He was willing to expend an astronomical sum to rescue us, thereby procuring our redemption, in spite of our own rash rejection of Him and His plan for our lives. Such rejection as this is very, very common.

But to live forever, in the presence of God, delighting in His boundless love and goodness, and enjoying unlimited gifts from Him, -- what a tremendous prospect that is! When I write about “eternal life,” I may scare you – don’t mean to do that! Perhaps you object, that it’s really too long for us to comprehend. And, besides, the way our bodies age, being subject to an increasing barrage of aches, pains and disease, we may not have a very great interest in anticipating an endless array of a life like that!

However, “eternal life” doesn’t mean an unending existence in this present human body, with its aches, pains, and other vulnerabilities. The body will die eventually, but the human person is much more than that, and what will happen to the immaterial side of a man or woman – the soul and spirit?

Apart from this wonderful redemption, so that we could be in His presence and thoroughly enjoy it forever, we would have no better prospect than endless loneliness, regret, meaninglessness and despair. And it would be filled with emptiness, -- it would be hollow, pointless and full of grief – all associated with great pain. Personally, Art, I don’t look forward to any such litany of futility. And I don’t think you do, either. But, the six million dollar question is, -- How does one avoid that?

What I have written above assumes, and I believe this to be true, that every human life is precious to God. He is that big! He has unlimited capacity to love and care for the people He has created, who live in every corner of the globe. And He desires each person to be on the best of terms with Him. No matter what his or her name is, whether Jack, Sarah, Todd, Nancy, William, Carol, Sam, Tina, Hank, Joanne, Dick, Rose, or…, God loves each one, and wants us all to be close to Him, and in harmony with Him.

In other words, He wants you and me to have a personal relationship with Him. If it is true that He is our Creator, and it is, and that He loves each one of us supremely, as the Bible says, and He does, then we can be sure that whatever He wants for you and me, is much, much better than our best plans can ever be. There’s an old quotation I’ve heard in the past, and it goes like this, “The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” What a great thought that is!

When I say “personal relationship” I’m thinking of something much different from religion. There are many different religions available to ordinary human beings like us! But the very idea of “religion” is built on a structure of work, self-help, positive mental attitude, individual reformation, etc. That seems entirely too impersonal, -- and far removed from any thought of “enjoying” God.

Some temporal good, of course, can be done through self-help, and certainly there is a wide array of higher education that can be beneficial to a human being, up to a point. But as good as these may be in the short run, what do they give to us that is really worthwhile, if we are not led to a right relationship with God, our Creator? God is truly personal, and He has a direct interest in each one of us. In fact, He made us to be personal beings, not robots, or mere mechanical machines. Doesn’t this make sense to you, Art?

The plan that our great Creator-God devised for our rescue from oblivion, -- the plan that would fit our individual need perfectly, involved a substitute, i.e. it required one who would “take the fall” for us in our disconnectedness from God. That way, you and I could be free to come close to God and receive an authorization to participate in His own [divine] life.

This substitute had to be able to “stand in” for many people, i.e. as many as would be willing to say “yes,” agreeing to the substitution for him or her. And the substitute also had to be suitable to us human beings. No animal or bird could begin to qualify in that way, -- no sheep, goat, ox, dove, bull, or whatever it might be. These two tests require a substitute who is both God and man. Only God could provide a sacrifice big enough for all human beings of all time who would fulfill the faith-condition. And only a man (i.e. a human being) could provide a sacrifice suitable for us human beings.

Now you may follow this reasoning, but still you may be wondering: Why does the divine plan for our redemption require a substitute? Why can’t we, each one, just take care of our own destiny? The answer to that is, -- the alienation from God from which all of us human beings suffer every day, must be overcome, if we are to be in harmony with God. There is not enough money in all the world, to buy our redemption. And you know, Art, you and I could never work hard enough to overcome the ways in which we have offended God, never in a million years! My preaching ministry won’t do it, and your business acumen won’t, either – no offence meant at all!

Because of this, a substitute is called for, if one who is adequate can be found! May I be so bold as to say that one has been found? It’s the one described in that famous Bible verse John 3:16 as God’s “only begotten son.” Art, I have taken this substitute as my own substitute, personally. And I hope you will consider making the same move, if you haven’t done so!

With warm regards to you and your family,
-- PapaPops

P.S. To the reader – If you’d like to see previous letters between my friend and me, just go to the bottom of the screen and click on “Older Posts.” You may have to repeat this process, to get back to the first “Open Letter,” posted on or about July 29, 2007.