Q:
In our local paper your column is printed on the same page as the comics, which I think is very fitting. How can anyone take religion seriously today? I outgrew religion years ago, and it's great to be free of all that nonsense.
A:
Your question saddened me very much—not just because you have rejected God and pushed Him out of your life, but especially because you seem to have closed your mind to the possibility that you might be wrong.
Why are you this way? Your letter suggests the answer: You want to be free to live any way you want to, without worrying about God or His standards of right and wrong. And you’ve probably convinced yourself this is the best way to live; you even look with scorn at those you think are enslaved by their faith in Christ.
But in reality you are the one who is enslaved—because you are a slave to your own lusts and pride. And sadly, someday you’ll begin to realize this. Instead of finding lasting happiness and peace, you’ll end up restless and unfulfilled. You’ll experience what the writer of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament discovered: “When I surveyed all that my hands had done … everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).
Don’t be a slave any longer, but face honestly the emptiness of your life. Then discover the lasting joy and peace that only come from knowing Christ. God loves you; He loves you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to free you from your sins. You’ll never be the same once you discover this truth. The Bible says, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).