Chapter
1
I found the chapter inspiring and interesting generally speaking. The example
or Mr. Weber's choice to pursue the ministry rather than a military career
highlights an important truth to place God's Word and obedience to him above
all things. Mr. Weber calls this chapter "crossroads" and speaks a
lot about choices. After his own stories and quotes of Robert Frost and others,
he leads the read to the first man Adam.
I really want Mr. Weber to take this powerful storytelling ability straight to
the true doctrines of Scripture, but he doesn't. He nearly reaches the great
doctrine of federal headship and the total ruin of mankind in Adam and then
could from there lead us to our Second Adam and the redemption and salvation in
Him, but he doesn't. Mr. Weber leaves us in the cesspool of freewill, then
mixes the bane of sociology into the teaching and places the root causes of
America's ills upon fallen fatherhood.
For Mr. Weber its about choices and being a leader and a man's man. While
certain aspects of masculinity are important, what Mr. Weber offers his reader
will not actually do any good. His chapter certainly stirs the emotions and his
message will most certainly appeal to the masses, but its at the bar of Holy
Scripture that these things need to be judged.
Here are a few points the reader of this book should be aware of concerning the
theology taught in chapter one. These points here are true to the teaching of
Holy Scripture and are worthy of acceptance:
1. Man's Will. The best wording I have come across to describe the state of man's
will post-fall comes from the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter IX. Mr.
Weber is correct in describing man's will in his state of innocency but makes
the mistake of not recognizing what was lost when Adam chose to sin. By making
this mistake he applies the same condition of free-will to mankind today that
Adam possessed before he fell. Consider the words of the Westminster:
II. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do
that which was good, and well pleasing to God; but yet, mutably, so that he
might fall from it. (Ecc. 7:29; Gen: 1:26; Gen 2:16; Gen 3:6)
Notice how the statement here notes that while Adam and Eve has freedom and
power to that which was good, God allowed the ability to change (mutability) so
that he might fall. This recognizes the absolute sovereignty of God in the
course and action of all things. This seems to be something Mr. Weber fails to
recognize. And while he does recognize that the "head of the
household" has an influence on those around him, he fails to understand
the fundamental change in the freedom of will that took place after the fall.
Consider the following:
III. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will
to any spiritual good accompanying salvation: so as, a natural man, being
altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own
strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. (Rom 5:6; Rom.
8:7; John 15:5; Rom 3:10-12; Eph. 2:1,5; ; Col 2:13; John 6:44; Eph. 2:2, 4, 5;
1 Cor 2:14; Titus 3:3-5).
This statement by the old Westminster divines is the doctrine of total
depravity which is not found (but should be) in Chapter 1 of Mr. Weber's book.
2. Man's Salvation. While Mr. Weber would like to present to us poems and
sociologists to encourage us to a higher way, Holy Scripture gives us Jesus,
the Second Adam.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinner:
(For until the law sin was in the world: but son is not imputed when there is
no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had
not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of
him that was to come. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if
through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the
gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And
not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one
to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. For
if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ.)
Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation;
even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto
justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,
so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Romans 5:12-19
Why wouldn't Mr. Weber take us to the apostle's doctrine here? He leads us to
Adam as the spring and cause of trouble (sin) in the world, but then takes us
to Richard Foster's poem, Crossroads, to "make all the difference",
to a "well-known" sociologist David Blankenhorn to define the
problem, and then leads us to our own depraved and fallen wills to make a
choice.
I am compelled to sound a warning by the words of Holy Scripture to my brethren
who are in the Lord Jesus, "Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world, and not after Christ." Col 2:8
Mr. Weber has perhaps gone "off page" by wanting to adhere to his
topic rather than the plain teaching of Holy Scripture. My brethren, the
problem in the world is sin. We all fell in Adam when he sinned in the garden
and heeded the voice of his wife and inherited and nature from him that is
completely corrupted through and through. There is nothing you or I can do to
save ourselves from this helpless condition and unless we are rescued we shall
utterly perish in our sins. If you hear His voice today, do not harden your
heart against it or be dismayed. The Lord has not left us without hope but has
sent a Savior, Jesus Christ the righteous, who took on flesh and bone as we
have that He might be the Second Adam and lead a new race of mankind in Him out
of our bondage in sin and death to have forgiveness of sins by His blood and everlasting
life by His resurrection. If you hear His voice today, He commands every person
to repent of their sins and believe on The Lord Jesus and they shall be saved.
Making a choice to be a better man will not save you from your helpless bondage
to sin. Only The Lord Jesus can save you. Repent and believe on Him today
before the time to do so is past.
With love,
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