And the Storms Came: A Collection of Correspondence from the Distressed

By Michael A. Eschelbach

How do I know what is true?
Can we really be certain of what the Bible says?
What will happen to me when I die?

In moments of honesty, has there been any person who hasn't entertained these questions? Moreover, when these thoughts plague the mind, it's tempting to believe that no one else considers these things; no one else experiences the same fears.
This book--a collection of letters--bears witness that such distress is not new, and does not need to be borne alone. Each correspondence is real, and is based around a different person's struggle with the weighty issues--free will, doubts of salvation, the truth of the Bible, and finding peace. The contributors are nothing alike--different ages, education, backgrounds, and circumstances. Yet they are all hurting.
In response, they are each provided with answers. These answers aren't from a radical new approach. No innovative method of self-help is revealed. What is put forward is the simple truth that is found in God's Word, and in a comprehensive, real, and straightforward way. Misconceptions and fallacies are broken down, and biblical guidance is offered, addressing difficult issues that apply to both Christians and non-Christians alike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: Dec 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9781621899327

Michael A. Eschelbach

Michael Eschelbach is Professor of Theology at Concordia University, Irvine, California. He is the author of Has Joab Foiled David? A Literary Study of the Importance of Joab's Character in Relation to David.

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And the Storms Came

A Collection of Correspondence from the Distressed

Michael A. Eschelbach

Bethany Regan, editor

2008.Resource_logo.jpg

And the Storms Came

A Collection of Correspondence from the Distressed

Copyright © 2012 Michael A. Eschelbach. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

Scripture Quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossways Bible, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Resource Publications

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

Eugene, OR 97401

www.wipfandstock.com

ISBN 13: 978-1-62032-517-9

EISBN 13: 978-1-62189-932-7

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Introduction

Part One: Daniel

Part Two: Maria

Part Three: Adam

Part Four: Elizabeth

Conclusion

Introduction

How do I know what is true?

Can we really be certain of what the Bible says?

What will happen to me when I die?

In moments of honesty, is there anyone who hasn’t entertained these questions? Moreover, when these unsettling thoughts plague the mind, it’s tempting to believe that no one else considers these things; no one else experiences the same doubts, uncertainties, fears.

This book—a collection of letters—bears witness that these struggles are not new and do not need to be borne alone. There are answers that bring peace, comfort, and direction to life. The four sections of this book are each a record of correspondence from a different person. These people are nothing alike—different ages, education, backgrounds, and circumstance. Yet they are all hurting and struggling with the big questions in life—issues such as free will, the problem of evil, doubts of salvation, the truth of the Bible, and finding peace:

• Part One—Daniel, a middle-aged teacher. Daniel is a lifelong Christian, church-worker, faithful husband, and regular church-attendee. Yet he faces constant inner turmoil about forgiveness, salvation, and doubt.

• Part Two—Maria, a college student. She is vivacious, inquisitive, and desirous to walk in Christ’s ways. At this period in her life, with thoughts of the future looming, she has questions regarding free will, knowing God’s will, philosophy, and being a Christian witness.

• Part Three—Adam, a college student and young husband. Young and determined, Adam struggles with both physical injury and desiring to be a good spouse.

• Part Four—Elizabeth, a Christian pastor’s wife and young mother in her late 20s. Having just suffered a miscarriage, she seeks help in matters of questioning faith, experiencing doubt, and knowing for certain if the Bible is true. She has several questions about truth and consistency of biblical passages.

Each person is real. Each email communication was actually written (edited for clarity and anonymity). And each person sought help by writing to a Christian pastor and university professor, Michael Eschelbach. He offers no radical new approaches. He proposes no new, innovative methods of self-help. He simply reveals truth that is found in God’s Word, and in a comprehensive, real, and straight-forward way. He breaks down misconceptions and fallacies that have crept into people’s thoughts about the Bible, to reveal the intent and meaning of Scripture, addressing difficult issues that apply to both Christians and non-Christians alike.

—Bethany Regan, editor

Part One

Daniel

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! . . .There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 7:24–25a; 8:1

From: Daniel

Sent: July 10, 4:05 am

To: Michael

Subject: Godly help needed

Michael,

I’m a nervous man typing this note. I need help, and am almost afraid and too embarrassed to open up, but really don’t see any other option. We’re friends and colleagues, so I ask for your pastoral counsel regarding questions and doubts that have been plaguing me for a long time. Would you be willing to guide me in combating these crippling fears in my mind?

To begin, I’m terrified about how God sees me. I look at my life, my actions, my thoughts, and am disgusted by them. How can I do the things I do and still call myself a Christian? Aren’t we supposed to be a people set apart? If someone met me on the street, they wouldn’t take me for a Christian, as my sinful life doesn’t reflect the faith that I say I have. This scares me to my core. Thanks for any words you can provide in response.

Daniel

From: Michael

Sent: July 10, 10:50 am

To: Daniel

Subject: RE: Godly help needed

Dear Daniel,

Thank you for reaching out to me. Never be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help. Trust me, no serious Christian has gone through life without fears or doubts at some point. You’re doing the right thing in seeking godly advice. With the Lord’s grace, I’ll do my best to point you to him and his Word and forgiveness.

So let’s get started. If you want to know what God thinks of you, think about these things:

1. Look at Christ, because that is how God sees you.

2. Look at what his Word says about you:

• Does God not already know what you described? For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (Ps. 103:14)

• God does the work of saving—start to finish, and all in between: You did not choose me, but I chose you. (John 15:16)

3. Avail yourself of the means of grace:

• Seek confession and absolution from your pastor.

• Seek the Lord’s Supper from your pastor.

In doing this, you will use the fears and worries of your human nature to compel you more and more into the Word and grace of God, which is always the solution.

Please, write to me as much as you need to. I don’t see this response as a final answer, but rather as a beginning of a relationship in which I’m most happy to help you, my dear brother in Christ.

The Lord be with you,

Michael

From: Daniel

Sent: July 19, 10:34 pm

To: Michael

Subject: Hebrews

Michael,

Thank you for being willing to help me along as I work through these questions. Let me tell you, it’s a great relief to know I’m not alone!

I’ve been working through the solutions you offered and reading my Bible. But I ran into a passage that really threw me back into my doubts: Hebrews 10:26–31. Those verses were terrifying to read, because they describe me. I have received the truth, and I still keep on sinning. So am I not the person Hebrews speaks of, who should only await a fearful expectation of judgment?

Help!

Daniel

From: Michael

Sent: July 20, 1:33 pm

To: Daniel

Subject: RE: Hebrews

Dear Daniel,

I’m glad you wrote for help, as it is abundant with our risen Lord Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us.

There is a concept that you need to understand, not just in our correspondence, but when reading the Bible and throughout all aspects of your life: as human beings, created in the image of God, we are not one-dimensional beings. We have a physical body, a soul that inhabits that body, and a spirit that inhabits and animates the soul. Since the fall of Adam, all of Adam’s descendants—the entire human race—possesses a physical nature that is fallen and dying (Acts 17:26; Rom. 5:12–21). In evidence to and as a result of that sinful nature’s opposition to God’s will and ways, our bodies begin deteriorating from the moment we are conceived (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 7:18; 1 Cor. 2:14). There is no way to separate the contrary disposition of our physical nature from that nature itself, which is why the death of our body is a necessary part of our salvation. God has given us a promise and hope that on the last day he will recreate our human nature in a perfect, eternal condition (1 Cor. 15:35–57). But along with that fallen nature, each person also possesses a soul or inner person that is the essence of who we are. Our soul is always conscious and never dies in that it never ceases to exist. Death for the soul means the absence of positive relationships while life for the soul means the existence of enduring, positive relationships, whether our body is functioning or not. God promises that through his Word and Spirit. He regenerates our souls so that we are, in fact, his children—holy, innocent, perfect, and eternal (John 1:11–13; 3:1–7; 1 John 3–5). A regenerate soul is as lively, active, and powerful as the Spirit of God is present within it (John 6:63; Rom. 10:17). Thus, we are at the same time completely opposed to God according to our physical nature and completely faithful to God according to our regenerate soul. Our life as a Christian then depends on which nature dominates—either a fallen body, which looks to the sinful world and its ways or a regenerate soul that is nourished, oriented, and inspired by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 6).

With this concept in mind, please remember (as Paul instructed Timothy) that the Word of God must be rightly divided and applied (1 Tim. 1:5–11; 2 Tim. 2:15). You as a person are not one nature only, but two. To which nature is the Hebrews passage speaking? If that which is born of the flesh is flesh (John 3:6) then how could our human nature be anything other than what you describe? This will not change until we put off this body of sin.

Here’s something else to keep in mind: God has given us the law in all its clarity to terrify—really scare to death—our human nature. It is doing this for you as it is for me, too. For example, whenever I think about Jesus saying that every word we speak will be judged (Matt. 12:36–37), I am absolutely terrified. How can I even count up in one day how many words I waste, let alone words of which I am ashamed? Yet my terror and shame show the law doing its work, as described in Romans 5–7.

You can neither take the law only nor your human nature only, but you must take them in context. Where in Hebrews do you find what worries you? Not until after the gospel has regenerated your soul, worked and inspired faith, and firmly demonstrated that God has anticipated and provided a remedy for everything that would rob you of your life, especially of those forces that are within you (look at Rom. 8:1).

Thus the tension remains and it is good for us. Remember how God said that he didn’t eliminate Israel’s enemies all at once, lest they forget their need for him? (See Exod. 23:29–30, Deut. 7:22–23, and Judg. 2:20–23.) We have enemies all around and within, but they serve us by ever increasing our desperate sense of need for the grace of God, which is super-abundant.

There are three Greek words for repent: to have a change of heart, to have a change of mind, and to have a change of care (what we care about). You will find the source of all of these in the Word. You will find that the Word of God is inexhaustible and unbreakable. Therefore, you are free to spend as much time there as you need to find the peace you are looking for. But you will most likely find this rhythm also: time in the Word brings peace, peace allows the human nature to be careless, the law assaults the human nature, you become afraid, and then turn back to the Word to find peace again. Next time, you are a little more careful to stay in the Word, but drift away again, then become terrified, and the cycle continues. This rhythm is inescapable while we are in the flesh. But, as I said, God makes it work for us to keep us in the faith and clinging to the gospel that works that faith. Hebrews 10 is sandwiched between many chapters on the high priestly work of Christ for us and the big chapter on faith; see the rhythm there? The Word of God does not return void. Stay in it until you feel better. Stay in it to stay better.

No one I know who is serious about what matters has any other experience than what you are having. We just don’t talk about it much.

The Lord be with you,

Michael

From: Daniel

Sent: July 21, 1:09 am

To: Michael

Subject: Prayer

Michael,

Thank you so much for your responses. I know you’re a busy man, and appreciate the time you take to answer and point me back to the Word. Another issue I’ve been struggling with is prayer. How do I know God hears me? How should I pray? Is there a way I can know for certain that he hears me?

Daniel

From: Michael

Sent: July 21, 10:53 am

To: Daniel

Subject: RE: Prayer

Dear Daniel,

I have nothing better to do with