Content should make us content.

I would like us to think more carefully about these two words because they are pivotal in the attitudes we see rising in the church. The words look alike, but the meanings are quite different. The first word, "content," is a noun which refers to substance. The second word, "content," is an adjective that refers to the feeling of being satisfied or contented. These two words are often confused when it comes to the Christian faith and life. In our subjective age, people are content to allow their own feelings and ideas to become the content of their faith.

Christmas 1970

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good ti­dings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."-Luke 2:10, 11

"There is much fear in America today. Recently I have traveled to every section of the country on a reporting-lecture trip, and I encountered this mood of fear in many conversations and in ques­tions from audiences-fear of student violence, fear of racial tension, fear of hippie nonconformity and, most of all, fear of revolution." So wrote Roscoe Drummond in the Christian Science Monitor re­cently.

We are all aware of the existence in our society of this fear. We live in a day of change with its resulting uncertainty. We always fear the unknown.

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe." (1 Tim. 4:9-10).

There is a phrase which we use when we want to emphasize the certainty of something. The phrase is, "you can take it to the bank." The idea is that when you make a deal and it is certain, then you can count on it.

How certain can you be about salvation and calling the lost to faith? Is it money in the bank? Is it something that you can plan about, work hard to be sure things go right, and keep your fingers crossed that in the end you will have it? Or can you have absolute certainty?

This is a very important question because it goes back to the fundamental issue of whom you rely on for salvation-yourself or God? Because there is so much emphasis on the individual these days, there is in fact a great deal of uncertainty about salvation.

If we think that the weak and wicked king Ahab could not say something that is actually helpful, we are reminded that "even a broken clock is right twice a day." He was being threatened by the bluster of Ben-Hadad, king of Damascus, who postulated that after the war there would not be enough dust left in Samaria for each of his followers to have a handful. So Ahab, king of Israel, sarcastically sent a response: "Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off'" (1 Kg. 20:11). With God's power, Ahab won that battle.