Battling Unbelief

The past few days I have made my way through Battling Unbelief by the ghost writer for Jonathan Edwards, John "Christian Hedonism" Piper.

I can say that I have readeemed the time in completing this quest and have had my soul renewed and stirred to pursue Christ and His Word as the end of all my searching, longing, and joy.

While the text of this book is only 155 pages, the practical import of what Piper is calling readers to, will last a lifetime, if only we weren't so stupid (I speak from experience)!

In Battling Unbelief, the reader is presented with the challenge of applying the practical chapters of a previous book titled, The Purifying Power of Living by Faith in Future Grace, or as Piper puts it, the ones that actually illustrate how faith in future grace severs the root of sin and sets free the stream of love.

Piper wants to answer the real life questions of how to free ourselves from anxiety, pride, misplaced shame, impatience, covetousness, bitterness, despondency, and lust. My conviction (that is John Piper's) is that unbelief in the promises of God (that is, future grace) is the root that sustains the life of these sins.

"If only it were that easy," you may be thinking!

This is, however, no formulaic five steps to quit smoking deal. This is a passionate call for the faithful to grace up battle arms, trusting in the unbeatable God and His unbreakable Word... or, as Piper puts it:

'Battling unbelief,' is another way of saying, 'Living by faith in future grace.' The 'unbelief' that I have in mind is the failure to trust the promises of God that sustain our radical obedience in the future. These promises refer to what God plans to do for us in the future, and that is what I mean by future grace. It is 'grace,' because it is good for us and totally undeserved. And it is 'future' in that it hasn't happened to us yet but may in the next five seconds or the next five thousand years.

Therefore, in light of this, John Piper calls his readers to (1) Battle against unbelief in the promises of God (2) Fight the fight of faith in future grace (3) Rejoice that we can fight this fight not as though it doesn't matter, but knowing that it matters infinitely, and that God is with us to the end.

Just before you go on thinking that this is going to be one long book review, settle pettle, if this was going to be our reality, we could be here all night. Instead, you are going to be blessed with one long chapter review! Call it a representative head!

We seem to be in the midst of a time when a negative despondency is seeming to engulf and characterize our time. Promoted by much in the media who excuse their entertainment for news, we are presented daily with the latest breaking news that informs us that a given situation is worse than ever expected, and unless we do this or that... it is over. This does not even take into account your run of the mill muggings and murders!

Now, to be sure, there is much that is wrong in this world (and it may get worse), which should cause the believer to lament that this world is not as it should have been (Good one Adam!), and in light of the present financial circus, with ringmaster CEO, proving more adept at clown impersonations, the Christian may find reason to become anxious, despondent, and downcast about the circumstances of this world, perturbed, and even a little unsettled. This does not even take into account the various vexing vissictudes that come when least expected in our own personal contexts.

In light of this, I thought it was fitting to spend some moments reflecting on the message of chapter seven, Battling Despondency.

Piper introduces us to this battle by defining what he means by despondency, which he affirms as differing from depression, but more than simply having a bad day. Between those two there is a broad terrain of unhappiness where too many Christians live their lives. Beneath much of that experience is unbelief in future grace of God and its foundation in the person and work of Christ.

In this chapter, Piper calls on one of his spiritual heroes, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who has done much spade work on this topic in a series of sermons in 1954, which was later published under the title of Spiritual Depression.

I have to say that I am also a fan of "Logic on Fire," as he is affectionately referred to. In seeking to highlight the extent of this despondent reality in Christian circles, Piper can do no better than to affirm the statements of Lloyd-Jones many moons ago:

I have no hesitation in asserting again that one of the reasons why the Christian church counts for so little in the modern world is that so many Christians are in this condition [of spiritual depression]

The greatest need of the hour is a revived and joyful Church

Unhappy Christians are, to say the least, a poor recommendation of the Christian faith.

Remember, Piper is not referring to those who suffer from legitimate forms of depression. He affirms this by citing two examples of faithful believers who struggled with the "black dog," David Brainerd and Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Piper also agrees with Lloyd-Jones that it is an oversimplification to say that the 'single' root of despondency is unbelief. These are not simple issues to resolve, but Piper affirms in kind that the 'ultimate' cause of all spiritual depression is unbelief.

Because these issues are complex, Piper wants to make clear the focus of this chapter:

Without denying the complexity of our emotions and their hereditary and physical and family dimensions, what I want to show is that unbelief in future grace is the root of 'yielding' to despondency. Or to put it another way: Unbelief is the root of not making war on despondency with the weapons of God. Unbelief lets despondency take its course without a spiritual fight.

Lloyd-Jones said that if we are converted with a bent toward despondency "we will still have to 'fight' that after conversion." It's the fight we are talking about in this chapter, not the onslaught of melancholy that demands the fight.

If this is the focus of the chapter, the question that needs to be answered is how does one fight?

It is fought by preaching truth to ourselves about God and his promised future.

To underscore this important reality, Piper records a rather long quote from "The Doctor" that I will selflessly type out for you... what a guy!

I say that we must talk to ourselves instead of allowing "ourselves" to talk to us! Do you realize what that means? I suggest that the main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this, that we allow our self to talk to us instead of talking to our self. Am I just trying to be deliberately paradoxical? Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now [the Pslamist's] treatment was this; instead of allowing self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. "Why are thou cast down, O my soul?" he asks. His soul has been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: "Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you... Why art thou cast down? - what business have you to be disquieted?..." And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who he is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: "I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance."

If to further underscore and illuminate the reality of despondency in a believer's existence and the way to battle out, Piper turns to the ultimate example, Messiah.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, at a time when redemption was drawing near, Satan and his hell-bound henchmen were not going to take this One lying down, and we are given a glimpse of this battle in Matthew 26:36-39.

However, Jesus was ready to go to war, and his example provides a paradigm to defeat the demon of despondency.

It is worth quoting Piper in full for your edification:

First, he chose some close friends to be with him. "[He took] with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee" (Matthew 26:37). Second, he opened his soul to them. He said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death" (v. 38). Third, he asked for their intercession and partnership in the battle. "Remain here, and watch with me" (v. 38). Fourth, he poured out his heart to his Father in prayer. "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me" (v. 39). Fifth, he rested his soul in the sovereign wisdom of God. "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (v.39). Sixth, he fixed his eyes on the glorious future grace that awaited him on the other side of the cross. "For the joy that was set before him [Jesus] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).

We will all have times in our lives that threaten our future.

When this happens John Piper wants you to remember the following:

The first shockwaves are not sin. The real danger is yielding to them. Giving in. Putting up no spiritual fight. And the root of that surrender is unbelief... Jesus shows us another way. Not painless, and not passive. Follow him... all the dark caves of despondency are really tunnels leading to the fields of joy - for those who don't sit down in the dark and blow out the candle of 'faith' in 'future grace.'

As I reflect on this chapter a couple of things stand out (1) The example of Jesus in Gethsemane and his cry for community. At a moment of such intensity, he called on His community for support and encouragement. Reader, I trust that you are in community and are building relationships, grounded in grace, built for the battle! (2) The importance of realizing that the crux of this battle does not reside on stopping those moments of melancholy from ever happening, but that the crux of the battle is going to war WHEN they happen. We can so easily get discouraged and feel that the battle is lost when those moments begin to talk to us. This is exactly what the enemy wants. We need the maturation to discern his battle plan, and go on the attack by believing what God says... and yes, TALK BACK!!!

Its time for War

Do yourself a favour, buy this book, or you can borrow it off me, if your a friendly chap (and in my part of NZ)!

Until Next Time...