(Ed. note. The following letter reveals a tragic situation that exists in many Christian homes today. Young people, rebelling against parental counsel and restraints and turning a deaf ear to the wise and loving voice of God In the Scriptures, are vainly seeking for pleasure and freedom through self-will. Self-deluded, they do not know that "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer.10:23). This road leads to inevitable disappointments, frustrations and disillusionments and, sooner or later, is discovered to be a dead-end. Yet even this is nothing in comparison to the eternal remorse that is the lot of one who dies in his sins:"Son, remember …" Luke 16:23).

In this letter, only the name of the son is changed; the rest is as it comes from the father’s heart. Let us pray, with him, for that son, and for the many others who have taken that same road. When such a one "begins to be in want," and finally reaches the point where "he comes to himself," the conscience awakened, he returns to "his father." What a welcome awaits him Such is the glory of the grace of the gospel ("God being rich in mercy") expressed in Luke 15.

April 1969

To my son Jim

Dear Jim:

You were brought up in a Christian home where God and His Word were honored. During the first sixteen years of your life you attended Sunday school and meetings regularly, and you were taught to value God’s eternal truths as set forth in His Word.

By your own admission you have now turned your back on the Bible and its authority; to say that your rejection of "the Truth" deeply grieves me is an understatement. One thought that has engaged my mind much recently is the possibility that I might die before the Lord comes without leaving you a message, telling you how I feel about you, as well as giving you my personal testimony, and, quite naturally, giving you some fatherly advice.

Although I, along with all well-taught Christians, believe the Lord’s return for the Church is imminent _ feeling that we are faced with signs, on all sides, that point in that direction _ yet, being in my sixties and having no lease on life, I must face the fact that I might leave at any time. I have no premonition concerning this, and have no fear of death, knowing that my sins were borne by Jesus on the cross; death would simply usher me into the immediate presence of the One who took my place in death and judgment on the cross. It would also usher me into the presence of literally hundreds of loved ones who have gone on before. Against the background of the above possibility, and even certainty if the Lord should not come for two or three decades, I want you to know that my love for you is as real and as abiding as it was during your infancy, your childhood, and adolescence, and I do not expect it to change. That is one reason why I pray for your spiritual, mental, and physical well-being daily.
In reviewing my relationship to you as your father, I feel that I owe you an apology and a confession of shortcoming on my part which I feel keenly. My confession of fault is this:somehow, I apparently failed, during my busy years, to get the point across to you that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. I also evidently failed to impress upon you that the Bible is the Word of God, and that the neglect of it brings about spiritual malnutrition and, eventually, spiritual death; this, just as surely as failure to eat your daily meals results in physical malnutrition and, eventually, physical death. Here, I would like to quote Daniel Webster:"If truth be not diffused, error will be. If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain ascendance. If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will. If the power of the gospel is not felt through the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation, and the thought is one to cause solemn reflection on the part of every patriot and Christian."

Another place in which I seemingly failed was in allowing you, during your most impressionable years, to keep close company with boys who were reared in non-Christian homes and were trained to believe Satan’s lie concerning the Bible and concerning the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. If words mean anything, then Jesus clearly claimed to be the eternal Son of God. Unitarians, together with many other religious cults today, are adamant in claiming that He was only a man. An analysis of their doctrines teaches clearly that they do not believe the Bible to be the Word of God, and refuse the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all His disciples. I should never have allowed you to keep close company with such boys, who, by training and belief, are enemies of the Bible and of Jesus Christ. I have confessed my above failure to God, and I confess it now to you. At this point I will state unequivocally that I have never known anyone to make a serious investigation of the claims of Jesus Christ without believing that He is who He claimed to be_truly "God manifest in the flesh." I have no doubt in my mind but that you too would come to the same conclusion if, and when, you make a serious investigation of the Bible, and of the claims of Jesus Christ.

As I understand the history of man, whenever a person approaches the Bible with skepticism, and in an attitude of "picking it apart God will dishonor such an attitude by closing that one’s mind to the truth. On the other hand, whenever a serious and humble investigation is made, in an attitude of dependence on God, the conclusions have always resulted in the acceptance of the Bible as God’s inspired Word; in this way multiplied millions have experienced the phenomena of conversion. I can testify that I have personally experienced this phenomenon_as I am sure you know_and would not exchange the relationship I have with Jesus Christ for the total wealth of the entire world.

Jim, I know you are not happy. No’ one can be truly happy, and at rest in his soul and mind apart from the certain knowledge that all is well regarding his relationship with God. Thirty-five hundred years ago, King David said, in Psalm 32:"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." He also said in Psalm 37, "Trust in the Lord . . . delight thyself also in the Lord . . . commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him . . . rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him."

Because of the type of business that I am engaged in, the majority of my friends and acquaintances are professional people. I have had at least a speaking acquaintance with several thousand persons, mostly due to my business relationships. I am sorry to say that I believe that only a small minority of these people are truly Christians; of all the rest, my observation tells me that I do not know of a single one that is truly happy. You may ask, "What evidence do you have of this?" I answer that it is proved by the fact that they are continually restless_never satisfied, leaning on one or more of the many crutches that Satan has in his arsenal of deceit. Apparently, God has placed a sort of vacuum within the soul of every person, and this vacuum can only be filled when Jesus Christ comes into one’s life as Saviour and Lord. Millions have found rest and peace and unspeakable joy through faith in Christ. As we see the restlessness which breaks out in riots, wars, and disturbances around the world, and many of our leaders in deep despair, not knowing what to do to correct the situation, only Bible-taught Christians can diagnose these symptoms and understand that they are the result of persons and nations turning their backs on God and His Word.
In the urgent words of Jesus Christ, I earnestly appeal to you:"Enter ye in at the strait gate:for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

Jim, I believe that the Lord has spoken to you quite clearly many times, and you simply weren’t "tuned in." There may come a time when God gives up on a person. We read of this in the first chapter of Romans. I don’t believe that God has given you up yet, or that He will give you up soon because, among other things, there are too many people praying for you; sometimes God has to speak louder and louder before He can get one’s attention. How loudly will He have to’ speak to you! It seems that since 1962 you have been saying, "No thanks, God, I can get along very well without you." This is a long time to ignore the One who gives you your life_breath by breath. By continuing on your course of Christ-rejection, you may swing out into eternity unsaved, but not unloved, Jim.

May I urge you to find the time to go to a secluded place, (Will not be interrupted, and ask the Lord to open that you may see what God has in Ins Word for .,further suggest that you read through, carefully, the of John, and give God opportunity to show you what has done for you, and what He will do for you, now and in Ins eternal future. Satan will do everything in his power to deny you tins time to investigate sincerely. He will suggest that you procrastinate for a few more years. Tins would be folly, as a glance at the daily newspaper obituary page should prove conclusively that death is not choosy as to age; any time between the moment of birth on up to one hundred years or mote seems to suit the grim reaper. For your eternal soul’s sake, Jim, may you do the only wise thing, that is, receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour. I would be glad to help you at any time.

In closing, again let me say that because I love you very much I have taken tins means to place squarely before you eternal issues. Let’s face it, Jim, what excuse will you give to God if you continue to drift on and end up in a Christless eternity? You could hardly say, "No one ever told me." Jim, may I have the opportunity soon of talking with you about tins most vital matter? I hope that I may have the joy of spending eternity with you in heaven.

Affectionately, your Dad