Book Review: 'Authentic Faith: A Survival Guide for Christian Living' by Bo Lange

By Tyler Tichelaar, BLOGCRITICS.ORG

Bo Lange’s new book, Authentic Faith: A Survival Guide for Christian Living,builds upon his earlier book Simple Faith, incorporating some of the same material but taking it farther. The new book looks at just what it means to be a Christian and how one can feel confident that Christianity is based upon authentic truths.

Lange begins by discussing how he grew up in Sweden and saw how secularism was taking over the culture there. After immigrating to the United States, he saw the same issues affecting the culture here—people no longer know what to believe, having been taught to doubt and question anything having to do with religion and all forms of authority. But Lange does not write about religion. He makes it clear that religion is full of rules and regulations that are largely unnecessary and simply complicate matters. The bottom line is that one must have faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and that is enough for salvation. Once that faith is established, people should grow in their faith and spread that faith to others, as Lange demonstrates throughout the book.

Having faith is not easy. Lange does not find anything wrong with having doubt. He argues that God does not expect or want us to accept his truth and promises based on blind faith. Rather, God wants us to be assured that our faith is based in truth. Lange discusses how we must study the Bible to find proof that it is God’s Word, authentic and true. He walks the reader through various passages in the Bible that include prophecies that were fulfilled and even descriptions of the universe that could not have been known by ancient man unless revealed by God as proof of the Bible’s authentic truths. Lange’s arguments are enticing and based in common sense, and while some objections might be raised, he foresees and responds to most arguments throughout his discussion.

After establishing that the Bible is scientifically and historically true and also speaks truth about the future, Lange turns to discussing how one is to live once faith has been established. He discusses what life is like for people prior to becoming Christians, how life should change once one accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, and what sorts of difficulties and setbacks one can expect in a life of faith and how to work through those obstacles. In chapter six, “Letting God Use You,” Lange shows how the mission of Christians is to help others find God. In chapter seven, “Spiritual Warfare,” he explains what we should expect as our body and mind go to war with our spirit, as well as how the world and the devil try to turn us against God.

In the end, Authentic Faith is a refreshing book that even the most devout and longtime Christian will find to be an affirmation of faith that breathes some new, or rather old and authentic, fresh air into the Christian faith. I believe anyone struggling with his or her faith, anyone skeptical of Christianity, even anyone who mocks it, will find food for thought here. That spiritual food will make his life happier and easier once he embraces faith and allows God to work in his life.

I run into Christians that stopped reading the Bible,mainly because of so many human interpretations that are to be found out there. Therefore, I decided to write down these thoughts to show you that you can still have confidence in your Bible reading.

I have a deep desire to understand what the Bible says. I am tired of trying to manipulate a texts’ message by interpreting it through my human limitation. I want God to be able to speak directly to me right from the text without interference of any human judgment.

Let me propose by saying that you can still read the Biblical text without  edit it by your own assumptions. You don’t have to force your own interpretation on it to understand what specific Bible passage is trying to tell you.

However, the real question is if we really will allow the Bible to speak for itself?

The real danger is to force the understanding of a Bible text by manipulated to mean what we desire it to say.

This attitude of forcing your own human understanding on the Bible text is used by many more progressive theologians. Many of us pastors have even been taught from theological seminaries to stop the Bible from speaking by itself into our lives.

I have early made a decision to be bound to the very specific Bible text. Now, I know that there are some hard issues to work through when you use this method. However, my choice is to struggle with the issue at hand. I am tired to continually adjust the of the meaning of a specific text to suit my desire or theology.

The Bible presents a systematic theology. The information of the Bible is presented as a unity. Remember that the Bible is a library of 66 books, written by approximately 40 authors during a time period of 1500 years and still there is a unity in its message.

By putting Bible passages that speak of the same issue together we can get clearer picture of what the specific text means to say. By letting Scripture be interpreted by Scripture we will receive a better comprehension of what the specific texts are all about. One passage clarifies what another passage says.

This way of using the Scripture can be called an "intra-biblical" understanding of the Bible. When you use this method you are in less need of human interpretation and relief from you being the authority of what the Bible says and what it does not say.

I just did a short study about the Bible's view of the Old Testament Law. What it can do and what it can't do.

Rom.1:16,17                                                                                                              For us to be "saved" we need a different new kind of righteousness than the OT Law for salvation. That new righteousness is found in the Gospel.  When we trust Jesus to be our Savior (The Gospel 1 Corinthians 15: 3, 4) we receive that righteousness by faith.

Rom. 2: 12                                                                                                          .      If we try to be righteous by the OT Law we will perish by the same Law.

Rom. 2: 13                                                                                                                It is not just to hear the Law, but we must do it to be saved. However nobody can obey the Law 100% and therefore nobody will be declared righteous. James 2:10 tells us that to be able to obey the Law 100%, but still fail in one point is guilty of keeping the Law. Remember that everyone has sinned at least once, right?

Rom 2: 17                                                                                                                   The Jews depended on the Law to be saved.

Rom 2: 20 The Law is an instructor to the sinner. Something that guides them to the righteousness that saves, which is Jesus Christ.

Rom 2: 20                                                                                                                   The OT Law is the embodiment of Knowledge and Truth of God.

Rom 3: 20                                                                                                                   The Law was given to us to see our sin                                                                                                          

Rom 3: 21                                                                                                                   The Law and God’s Righteousness are separated from each other.

Rom 3: 22                                                                                                                    Righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not through the Law.

Rom 10: 4                                                                                                                    For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes.

Rom 8: 4                                                                                                                     The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us (who are saved,) who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Galatians 3: 22                                                                                                             The Law was given to us to lead us to God

Galatians 3: 23                                                                                                            Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.

1 Timothy 1: 8                                                                                                             The Law is not The Law

Rom. 1:16, 17                                                                                                           We need a different new kind of righteousness than the OT Law for salvation. That new righteousness is found in the Gospel.  When we trust Jesus to be our Savior (The Gospel 1 Corinthians 15: 3, 4) we receive that righteousness by faith.

Rom. 2: 12                                                                                                                   If we try to be righteous by the OT Law we will perish by the same Law.

Rom. 2: 13                                                                                                                   It is not just to hear the Law, but we must do it to be saved. However nobody can obey the Law 100% and therefore nobody will be declared righteous. James 2:10 tells us that to be able to obey the Law 100%, but still fail in one point is guilty of keeping the Law. Remember that everyone has sinned at least once, right?

Rom 2: 17                                                                                                                   The Jews depended on the Law to be saved.

Rom 2: 20                                                                                                                    The Law is an instructor to the sinner. Something that guides them to the righteousness that saves, which is Jesus Christ.

Rom. 3: 20                                                                                                                  The OT Law is the embodiment of Knowledge and Truth of God.

Rom 3: 20                                                                                                                   The Law was given to us to see our sin.                                                                                                             

Rom 3: 21 The Law and God’s Righteousness are separated from each other.

Rom 3: 22                                                                                                                    Righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not theough the Law.

Rom 10: 4                                                                                                              For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes.

Rom 8: 4                                                                                                                The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us (who are saved,) who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Galatians 3: 22                                                                                                             The Law was given to us to lead us to God

Galatians 3: 23                                                                                                            Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.

1 Timothy 1: 8                                                                                                             The Law is not bad, but “we know that the law is good if one uses it properly.”

1 Timothy 1: 9                                                                                                             The Law is not for the believer, but for the sinner. It tells the sinner that they are not good enough for salvation since they cannot keep the same Law. The Law was instead given, so that people will see that they are not good enough and therefore need a Savior.

A Personal Note:

Remember the ”Holiness movement” which has done so much for the spread of God’s Good News has also have a over emphasis on the requirement of the Law that it also many times have a hard time to see these differences between God’s Grace and the requirement of the Law.. They have a hard time accepting the Grace of God, but still hold on to the Law. That is probably why many of them are so sad and still live continually under condemnation…

I am troubled with Preachers who should know better. We hear the good Preachers preaching God’s Grace. We hear the cherished words of God’s love in sending His Son, Jesus Christ as Savior. God’s Grace lifts our souls to worship! Salvation is a free gift and “Jesus paid it all!” Paul, in the Bible tells us that this the message is the only message that gives power to salvation (Romans 1 verses 16 17. Praise God for Preachers like that!)

However, then comes the shocker at the end of the message with the words: “Believe in Jesus Christ and "turn from your sin!” It is like ice cold shower over your head! A message of Grace turned sour.  From there on it is not, any longer a Gospel message, but rather a message of human origin and confuses non-believers as well as believers! We go home condemned with heads hanging down.

Let's remember that the Greek word for the English word “Repent” has the connotation of  "changing one’s mind" (in relation to Jesus death and resurrection) God never requires from us have to “turn from sin” to be saved. It is impossible! We just have to turn to Him. Otherwise, how many sins do we have to turn from? 100%, 50% or 10%?

Why, after all, did Jesus Christ have to die? It was required by the Law that the “Righteous” has to die for the unrighteous. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins and was raised from death to prove his transaction. That is the requirement of living with God forever in Heaven! Sin is not the real issue any longer. Sin does not have to be redeemed again. The issue now is if we are ready to “yield” to God's message of liberation of sin and start living new lives. After Salvation Holiness is the issue. The message after trusting Jesus Christ as Savior is not whether we want to continue to work for our salvation, but rather if we are willing to yield to God’s commands. The more we yield, the more we will (sooner of later) turn from sin. We cannot "turn from sin" before God's Holy Spirit comes into our lives.  We don’t work for our salvation any more. We, work out our salvation!

A person, who trusts Jesus as Savior will sooner or later hopefully turn from sin more and more as mature Christian. That goes without saying. But to tell people that they must trusting Jesus as Savior and believe in Him and then also to “turn their sin” is destructive and confusing preaching that will save nobody. One of the the reason we don't see too many authentic Christians today is because people have been misguided and have never experienced God’s Grace to Salvation. I even wonder how many "Christians" are really "born again believers"). Many are too are controlled by the defeat in trying to stop sinning. There has not really been any change in their hearts.

We are so concerned about this issue of “turning from sin” that many of us seem to almost worship it. We give Satan too much power to confuse seekers and already believers alike. We have to “Repent"!” (change our minds) about the issue and start majoring on God’s act of Grace instead.

We cannot justify “believe and turn from sin” as requirement for receiving God's Salvation!. It saves nobody. It is a shallow message that makes non-believers, as well as, already believers confused and but push them back to pre-salvation shackles. 

Why is it so hard for us to talk about this issue? Sometimes I even wonder if we understand each others. It is not a question about “easy-believism.” Some believe this "Grace message"message will not  make genuine Disciples of Christ to fill our churches and pay the bills.. Well, sad to say the message of “believe and turn from sin!”will keep unsaved people as unsaved as they have ever been.