Reviewed 04/24/2006 by Tim Challies.
To explain how so many young people can fall away during their tenure at college Wheaton differentiates between professors and possessors. Everyone who claims to be a Christian when he begins college is a professor, for he professes faith in Christ. But only a few are possessors, those who actually possess a living and active faith. Clearly it is only those who possess the indwelling Holy Spirit, and are thus possessed by God, who can expect to remain strong through their years of higher education.
Wheaton goes on to introduce what he calls the Pillars of Peril that every student will encounter. They are sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Sex refers to all forms of sexual deviance and activity outside of God's divinely ordained plan that sex be restricted to the marriage bed. The author emphasizes abstinence and allows no leeway for any type of sexual activity outside marriage. He also warns of the dangers involved in dating. While he does not directly advocate a courtship model, he does encourage young couples to date under the authority of their parents and to only date people with whom they can foresee a marriage.
Drugs refers not only to the recreational drugs that are all too common at colleges, but also to alcohol. Wheaton encourages students to avoid alcohol altogether, not only because most college students are underage and drinking is thus an offense against the governmental authorities, but because it may represent a poor example to unbelievers. He suggests that students "Commit to a higher standard - don't drink alcohol...period! Take it out of play; remove it completely from your life...I can think of no positive reasons for drinking alcoholic beverages" (pages 74,75).
The third Pillar of Peril is rock 'n' roll, by which the author refers not to music, but to what rock music exemplifies - rebellion against authority.
Having introduced the pillars of peril, Wheaton goes on to help the student put together a game plan for addressing and overcoming each one of them. He concludes with helpful teaching about the importance of choosing friends wisely and choosing the right college.
Throughout the book Wheaton continually refers the student to the Bible, affirming the power and supremacy of the Scriptures. His teaching is consistent with historical Protestantism and will surely reap great benefits in the lives of those who read and heed his teachings. He is deliberate in showing that the greatest sin on campus is not the acts themselves, but the erosion of Christian worldview, without which there is no authority, no right or wrong.
This is a book I would not hesitate to provide as a gift for any student who is planning on attending college. It would be an excellent title for the student to read and study with his parents. I definitely recommend it.
If this is accurate, it looks like true repentance has escaped many who call themselves christians today.
Oh Lord, help me to slay the wickedness that remains in my life wherever it is found; may it be a repulsive stench in my nostrils.
The Scriptures represent this life, and the greatest things of life . . .
as bubbles,
as vapors,
as dreams,
and as shadows.
Think upon the vanity and shortness of human life--and let death and eternity be often in your minds; for these thoughts will strengthen and exalt your minds, make you wise and judicious, and truly sensible of the littleness of all earthly things.
The greatness of those things which follow death--makes all that goes before it sink into nothing!
Only REPENT of your sins and BELIEVE the Gospel.
Repentance is not only a mere apology, but a TURNING AWAY from sin, an agreement with God that we are wicked sinners, unable to please Him on our own, and belief is not simply a head knowledge that God is real or that Jesus existed, rather TRUSTING fully in the completed work of Christ to save us from our sin, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct your thinking and your actions through the Word of God (The Bible), anything else is done in vain.
Apart from Christ salvation is impossible.
Ezekiel 36:26-27
"Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace - James Montgomery Boice
"Soon I must go down that road from which I will never return!" Job 16:22
An approaching journey lies before me. I have to pass from time--to eternity; from this world--to the next. And the time of my departure, although to me uncertain, cannot be very far distant. A few years--perhaps a few days--will close my stay on earth!
It is an unavoidable journey. I must go. There is no choice. Willing or unwilling, when God's summons for me arrives--I shall have to set off.
It is an unknown journey, I have never taken it before. I have no practical acquaintance with the road, the mode of transit, the dangers or the discomforts which await me. And there is no one who can clearly explain them to me. Those of my friends who have traveled that way, have never come back to relate their experience.
It is a solitary journey. I must accomplish it alone. The most beloved of my present companions cannot accompany me. They may think of me, feel for me, pray for me--but they cannot be with me. We must separate; they to remain behind--and I go forward.
It is a momentous journey. For at its termination, I enter upon my everlasting destiny! It will convey me either to the mansions of happiness--or to the abodes of misery! The narrow boundary between the present and the future state once crossed--there will be no possibility of change. "He who is unjust--let him be unjust still; and he who is righteous--let him be righteous still." Revelation 22:11
It is a final journey. "Soon I must go down that road from which I will never return." My pilgrimage will be forever ended. It will be my last journey. And if I am a Christian, how welcome is this fact! I shall be done forever with sin and sorrow. Eternal felicity will be mine--perfect holiness, and perfect happiness. This journey leads me . . .
to my eternal home,
to my Father's house,
to my everlasting rest!
Then I will not shrink from its approach, nor complain of its accompaniments. It may be linked with much that is painful and unpleasant--but it is my way home; and therefore, although life has many ties and many joys, I feel an earnest desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better than being here. "For this is not my resting place, because it is polluted, it is ruined, beyond all remedy!" Micah 2:10
Death is a solemn journey--but it is a safe journey to Christ's people; for He will not only receive and welcome them at its close--but He will be them as they are passing through it. Oh, it will not be lonely with Him! And He is a guide who is well acquainted with the way, for He has trodden it Himself. He went for the purpose of smoothing its difficulties, clearing its dangers, dispersing its terrors--and He fully accomplished His purpose. Therefore when I walk through the dark valley, I will fear no evil; for you, O Jesus, will be with me, and Your rod and your staff shall comfort me!
Subscribe at GraceGems.org
Their 'wisdom' concluded that when you teach your child not to hit and then you spank them it sends a mixed message, and that mixed message confuses the child creating the problem.
Their solution was this ......when your child is disobedient you should take something away from them instead of spanking.
If this reasoning is correct then if we teach our children that taking things from others is wrong and we take things away from them doesn't that send the same mixed message that these people disagree with?
An incorrect understanding of discipline often creates additional problems.
Now let's take a look at true wisdom.
Proverbs 13:24 (ESV)
Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Proverbs 22:15 (ESV)
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
Proverbs 23:13-14 (ESV)
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. [14] If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.
Proverbs 29:15 (ESV)
The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
Christian love does not consist in approving everybody's religious opinions. Here is another most serious and growing delusion. There are many who pride themselves on never pronouncing others mistaken--whatever views they may hold. Your neighbor may be an Atheist, or a Buddhist, or a Roman Catholic, or a Mormonite, a Deist, or a Skeptic, a mere Formalist, or a thorough Antinomian. But the "love" of many says that you have no right to think him wrong! "If he is sincere--then it is uncharitable to think unfavorably of his spiritual condition!"
FROM SUCH LOVE - MAY I EVER BE DELIVERED!
At this rate, the Apostles were wrong in going out to preach to the Gentiles!
At this rate, there is no use in missions!
At this rate, we had better close our Bibles, and shut up our churches!
At this rate, everybody is right--and nobody is wrong!
At this rate, everybody is going to Heaven--and nobody is going to Hell!
Such love is a monstrous caricature! To say that all are equally right in their opinions--though their opinions flatly contradict one another; to say that all are equally in the way to Heaven--though their doctrinal sentiments are as opposite as black and white--this is not Scriptural love. Love like this pours contempt on the Bible, and talks as if God had not given us a written standard of truth. Love like this, confuses all our notions of Heaven, and would fill it with a discordant inharmonious rabble.
True love does not think everybody right in doctrine. True love cries, "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world!" 1 John 4:1. "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching--do not take him into your house or welcome him!" 2 John 1:10
"Delight yourself in the Lord--and He will give you the desires of your heart!" Psalm 37:4
Sin has taken our attention off of God--and fixed it upon ourselves, and the things around us.
Grace calls our attention off of everything else--to fix it upon God. It directs us to . . .
look to the Lord,
come to the Lord,
trust in the Lord,
wait on the Lord,
hope in the Lord, and
even delight in the Lord.
"Delight yourself in the Lord." Take delight--not in health, or wealth, or position, or friends, or in anything that is changeable--but in the unchangeable Lord.
Delight yourself in His glorious character--as gracious, merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
Delight yourself in Him, as . . .
the father of the fatherless,
the friend of the friendless,
the hope of the wretched,
and the Savior of the lost.
Delight yourself in His gracious covenant, which . . .
anticipates your needs,
provides for your needs,
limits your trials, and
provides strength for the day, as every day's work requires.
Delight yourself in His paternal relation. He is not only your God--but your Father!
He cares for you, with a father's care!
He loves you, with a father's love!
He pities you, with a father's pity!
He will receive you to Heaven, as to your father's house!
Delight yourself in His precious promises. They are but drops from His ocean of love! They are intended to . . .
show His love,
display His grace,
manifest His care,
draw out your confidence,
banish your fear, and
assure you of all necessary supplies.
Delight yourself in his special providence. A providence that . . .
marks your steps,
directs your paths,
measures your troubles,
bounds the rage of your enemies,
numbers the very hairs of your head, and
makes all things work together for your good!
God in His providence, superintends all your affairs, even the most minute--so that nothing can happen to you by 'chance', or inadvertently do you harm!
Delight in creatures--only produces disappointment, dissatisfaction, and discomfort.
Delight in God--ensures satisfaction, comfort, and certainty.
www.gracegems.org
We have only one life to live--only one. Think of this for a moment.Here we are in this world of time, making the journey of life. Each day we are farther from the cradle--and nearer to the grave! Solemn thought! See the mighty concourse of human lives; hear their heavy tread in their onward march. Some are just beginning life's journey; some are midway up the hill, some have reached the top, and some are midway down the western slope. But where are we all going? Listen, and you will hear but one answer, "Eternity!" Beyond the fading, dying gleams of the sunset of life--lies a boundless, endless ocean called Eternity! There, you and I are daily traveling.
Time is like a great wheel going its round. On and on it goes. Some are stepping on--and some are stepping off. But where are these latter stepping? Into eternity! See that old man with bent form, snow-white locks, and tottering steps. His has been a long round, but he has reached his end at last. See the middle-aged man. His round has not been so long, but he must also step off. See the youth. He has been on only a little while--but he is brought to the stepping-off place. He thought his round would be much longer. He supposed that he was just getting started--when that icy hand was laid upon him and the usher said, "Come, you have made your round, and you must go!" The infant that gave its first faint cry this morning--may utter its last feeble wail tonight. And thus they go. But where? Oh, where? Eternity!
If you were to start today and ask each person you met the question, "Where are you going?" and, if possible, you were to travel the world over and ask each one of earth's inhabitants--there could be but one answer, "Eternity!"
"Oh, eternity, Long eternity!
Hear the solemn footsteps of eternity!"
Only one life to live! Only one life--and then we must face vast, endless eternity! We shall pass along the pathway of life but once. Every step we take--is a step that can never be taken again.
This world is not a play-ground--or a place to trifle with time. Life is not given us to squander nor fritter away. To trifle away time, is indeed, to be the greatest of spendthrifts. If you squander a dollar--you may regain it; but a moment wasted--can never be regained. God gives us all the time we need to accomplish all that He purposes us to accomplish--but He does not give us one moment to trifle away.
We have only one life to live--only one.
We may be doing Satan's work!
(J.R. Miller, "Daily Bible Readings in the Life of Christ" 1890)
"Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him: Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to You! But He turned and told Peter: Get behind Me, Satan!"Matthew 16:22-23
It was Peter's love for Christ which made him so rebel at the thought of such a dire fate for Him. In his love--he sought to hold the Master back from so throwing away His life. But in doing this, he was acting the part of Satan in seeking to tempt Jesus away from His great work of atonement. This way of the cross was not an accident; it was the way marked out for Christ; to swerve from it, would be to fail in His mission.
Our best friends may become our tempters in the same way. In their love for us--they may seek to keep us from entering paths of duty which will lead us to great sacrifice. Mothers may seek to restrain their children from going to foreign mission fields. Any of us, in the warmth of our affection for our friends, may seek to dissuade them fromperilous or costly service--which it may be their duty to undertake. We need to guard ourselves at this point.
The path of true success does not always lie along the sunny hillside! Sometimes it goes down into the dark valley of self-sacrifice! And if we try to hinder any from entering upon hard duties, urging them to choose easier ways--we may be doing Satan's work! We may be plucking the crown from the brow of our friend--by holding back his feet from the way of the cross.
We all need to guard, too, against the counsels of friends who would restrain us fromcostly or perilous service. In matters of duty--we must know only one guide, and follow the call of only one voice.
We are not put in this world to have a pleasant and easy time!We are not put here to consult our own inclinations at all. We are here--to go where Christ leads; to follow Him to sacrifice and to death--if He leads us in these paths. We dare not allow ourselves to be turned aside by any tenderness of human love. It is the way of duty, however hard, that takes us home to Heavenly glory!
"What shall it profit a man--if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26
That is putting the case in its most favorable light! The whole world is the largest possible gain. But suppose a man does gain the whole world--
it cannot keep him from trouble;
it cannot give him peace of conscience;
it cannot comfort him in sorrow;
it cannot make a soft pillow for him when he is dying;
it cannot purchase Heaven for him when he is gone!
All that he can do with the world, after he has it--is to keep it for a short time until he dies! He cannot carry any part of it with him into eternity!
"How much did he leave?" asked one, referring to a millionaire who had just died. "Every cent!" was the reply. He left all. So it is easy to see that there is no profit--but rather a fearful and eternal loss, in gaining even all the world--at the price of one's soul.
Then, think for how much smaller price than 'the whole world' which many people sell their souls for!
Some sell their soul for a few hours' guilty pleasure!
Some sell their soul for a political office!
Some sell their soul for filthy lucre!
Some sell their soul for honor which fades in a day.
They are selling their souls also in many other ways--for pitiable trifles.
Like Esau, they are bartering their heavenly birthright--for a bowl of stew!
What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Ah! that's the trouble. When the soul is lost--there is no way of recovering it. When we have made our choice, and lived our life, whether right or wrong--there is no possibility of changing the results! Life is given to us only once; and if we live it wrongly, there is no chance to live it over again. A lost soul cannot be gotten back; it is irretrievably lost!
