It’s late, but I feel like I must write at least a little. Lately, I have had a lot of thoughts run through my head as I try to sleep. In fact, it’s these thoughts that keep me up until the wee hours of the morning almost every night; those type of nights render me almost useless the next morning. But what a gift it is to think, to reason, to ponder. If we couldn’t do it, we could not meditate on God’s word, and thus we could not know Him, so, I think I will take the late night thinking.
A week ago my pastor encouraged us [a group of crazy college kids] to really feast on the Word, and to develop a habit of getting in to it every day until our soul is happy in the Lord. He referenced several letters written by George Muller, all of which challenged the very right to call ourselves well read in the Word of God. Within this context, my pastor mentioned the typical college student’s tendency to latch on to practices while failing to truly embrace the principals over the practices they quickly grow to love. He then explained that as quickly as college students love one practice they essentially see the problem of legalism, and quickly over embrace a sense of hyper-grace and slip into a state of antinomianism.
Truly, the average college student is quite erratic in belief and behavior. Unfortunately, it only gets worse when in a large group, where the populous can indirectly create a false sense of what is moral and amoral. Though rooted in a message, book, or sermon the practice of embracing practices over principals is simply wrong and dangerous. At its very core it neglects the gospel. Likewise, the one who abuses the theology of grace and despises all practice and indulges in lawlessness is also venturing off the road.
My pastor’s correction was quite wise and, I hope, a beneficial warning. Our goal should be to steer ourselves back to the center of the road by clinging to the cross of Christ and coming back, day after day, to scripture. It is only through scripture that we can possibly hope to know God and pursue righteous deeds. In light of this, I was inspired to write a blog-book of sorts, College Road. It should be relatively short, about 18-25 posts throughout the final semester of my 5 year college career. I want to get to the core of the collegiate problem, reveal all its different guises, and most importantly help direct our gaze to the cross. I hope by the end we will be encouraged to live as Paul explained when he wrote the Corinthians, simply, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
by Tyler Thayer
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