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Abundant Living
W
hy do sorne religious people feel that their
religious life must be one of giving up all
e fun and enjoyment ofliving-that in
er to please God, they must endure alife
of morbid gloom?
For that matter, why do sorne nonreligious people feel
that to become a Christian would mean a life of living
painful penance?
As a boy I was brought up in a respectable Protestant
church oftraditional Chri'stianity. 1 never did know very
much, as a boy, about what the church believed-but 1
díd know that it regarded sin as violating its many don'ts:
Don't smoke, don't dance, don't play cards, don't go to
the theater, don't drink a drop ofwíne, don't do this,
don't do that!
A world-famous philosopher, editor, and lecturer
whom
r
knew said he had no desire to live a life of
Christian repression. " I desire," he said, "to be radíant,
cheerful, friendly- to meet people with a smile." He was
a highly educated man-but he was a biblical illiterate!
Where do people get all these distorted ideas about the
religion of Jesus Christ? Certainly not out of the Bible.
They know nothing of the Jesus of the Bible, who said,
"1 am come that they might have life, and that they
might have it more abundantly" (John 10: 10).
Somehow a lot ofpeople have received a lot ofweird
and false ideas about Jesus Christ-1 mean the Jesus of
your Bible. Actually, 1 think almost no one knows what
the Bible says about Him.
It seems most people think of sin as glamorous, as the
thíng that is best for us, but which a stern, wrathful God
denies us. Sorne years ago a little book was selling big on
Hollywood newsstands. It was titled
How to Sin in
Hollywood.
Why don't people know that God our Creator has
never forbidden us a single thing that is good for us–
never said "don't" about a single thing except that which
is going to harm us? What God does command us not to
do are the very things that bring on unhappiness,
frustration, pain, suffering, and a life ofmorbid gloom.
Let's get thís matter straight. The real Jesus Christ said
The
PLAIN TRUTH June/July 1978
He carne to bring us happiness and joy! He carne that we
might enjoy full, abundant life eternally. God Almighty
intended the real Christian life to be happy. Jesus said,
"These things have I spoken unto you ... that your joy
might be full" (John
15: 11).
There is a way of life that causes peace, happiness, and
joy. God the great Creator set that way asan inexorable
law- an invisible spirituallaw-to produce peace,
happíness,joy, abundance! There is a cause for every
etfect. In this unhappy, confused world we have
discontentment, unhappiness, wretchedness, suffering.
The world is full of that. It should be full of peace,
happiness, and joy. There's a cause. People don't like
God's law. That law is the cause ofpeace and everything
desirable and good. People want everything that is good
and desirable. They just don't want to obey that which
would cause it!
Christ carne to call people to repent. Repent ofwhat?
Repent of causing unhappiness, strife, war, and pain–
and then to receive the gift ofthe Holy Spirit.
And what kind of results will the Spirit of God produce
in you?
1'11 tell you, first, what it won't produce. 1t won't
produce the morbid, unhappy, painful, gloomy life that
many think is the Christian life. Let the Bible tell you
what "fruit" it will produce in you. " But the fruit of the
Spirit is love,joy, peace, longsutfering, gentleness,
goodness, faith , meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law" (Gal. 5:22-23).
Look at that more closely: "The fruit ofthe Spirit"–
this is the Spirit ofGod. This is the Holy Spirit that God
imparts only to those who have repented-that is, turned
from that which has caused unhappiness, morbid gloom,
discouragement, frustration, emptiness. On the contrary,
that fruit of the Spirit is fi rst of alllove. And the second
fruit is joy! Joy is happiness brimful and running over.
That doesn't sound like an unhappy, empty, gloomy life,
does it? And God's Spirit is not static. It flows. ll flows
spontaneously from God into and through you, and out
from you, making still others happy and joyful.
The very first result produced
(Continued on page 44)