Machen Chapter 4

    This week in chapter 4 of Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism, he states, “For Christian experience absolutely depends upon an event. The Christian says to himself: ‘I have meditated upon the problem of becoming right with God, I have tried to produce a righteousness that will stand in His sight; but when I heard the gospel message I learned that what I had weakly striven to accomplish had been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ when He died for e on the Cross and completed His redeeming work by the glorious resurrection’” (Machen 61). Our human nature is to depend solely on ourselves. We think we can and need to do everything. Rather, we have opportunity to do the opposite. Throw away our broken nature and follow a God who is perfect, wise, and powerful. I can relate to this quote because three years ago I had the same realization. Up until the moment where the Holy Spirit convicted me and God accepted me into His kingdom, I was completely broken and worthless. Now, in Christ I have a life worth living, not because of any fighting I did, but because of what Christ has done.

    A back story on my life before my relationship with the Lord started is a long one, but I can skip some of the nitty gritty details. Three years ago, I started college at Shippensburg University, filled with sin, living in a broken state, and not having a care in the world. About halfway through the semester, I was walking alone, drunk on a back-street contemplating deeply about life. I had been lying to my wonderful, loving, Christ-following parents about the lifestyle I was living. Suddenly, I had the realization that I should tell my parents and my brother about what I was doing. So, I did just that two days later. I then transferred to LBC that next semester and ever since then the Lord has been working in my life as I have been eternally blessed to partake in a harmonious relationship with God the Father and creator.

    I used to believe that I could live life on my own. So, I was living without a relationship with God. I look back now and realize the true consequences of my life prior to the transformation. Now, I am so blessed and realize that it was nothing that I have done myself. Through reading God’s word and personal experience, I am encouraged to strongly push back towards false teaching and the idea that someone can live a true and full life without God. There are so many who fall victim to this line of thinking and I just want to scream at them sometimes. But then I remember, I was once where they were at. God reminds me to be loving, patient and encouraging towards all, no matter their circumstances. I believe when you read the gospel and see someone live it out, it speaks volumes and debunks the idea that liberalistic Christianity will save you.