A GREAT MIND - BUT HE STILL DIDN'T GET IT.

Written by guest blogger, Jeffrey Darville

Steve Jobs - Dead at age 59

I just picked up Water Isaacson's Steve Jobs book.  In it he quotes Jobs "The juice goes out of Christianity when it becomes too based on faith rather than living like Jesus or seeing the world as Jesus saw it."  I think we can agree with Mr. Jobs on this point.  Our goal, as Christians, is to be conformed into the likeness of Christ.  To live and die like Jesus is to see the world as Jesus saw it. ( Romans 8:29  - For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.)

However, what Steve doesn't understand is the way we do this is through faith.  He must have equated "faith" with organized religion which is an understandable, but unfortunate error.  It's one that many people make.  Most people don't get the fact that we worship God because we love him.  And because we love him, we obey his commands.  Many people who come into contact with Christianity in a cultural or badly represented form miss these key ideas.  Like the doctrine that Jesus is the God-man, and he and the father are one.  This is the central claim of the gospel. 

Isaacson goes on: Steve was attracted to Zen Buddhism because he preferred spiritual experience to received dogma.  Yet spiritual experience is part of Christianity. Every believer has a testimony about how God rescued us personally.  Often our testimony is the greatest witness to others of God's provision in our lives.  Everyone likes wonderful experiences.  In many cases we live our life by experience, such as driving a car or the habit of our morning routines.  But we don't live by experience alone.  Our experience is not replicable to others.  What we are taught about God comes from doctrine, because experiences with God are not normative.  This means that how you interact with the Almighty does not mean that I should do the same thing.  Yet we can experience God (as Henry Blackaby describes it) through spiritual disciplines, such as prayer andmeditating on scripture and .  In both cases we use the Bible to guide our activity.  And, doctrine is the system through which we understand the accumulated wisdom of God's revealed Word.  (Acts 26:18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.')

Steve goes on, "I think different religions are different doors to the same house."  This statement will tell you all you need to know about the problems with Steve Jobs' unfettered spirituality.  Our spirit is the root of our desire to reach out to the eternal.  But the idea that all paths lead to heaven is a lie from Satan.  That type of thinking is a one way ticket to hell, because it will give you false confidence in this life.  If you are blind to your own sin then you don't feel the need for a savior and you will remain a slave to sin.  (Romans 6:16  Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?") 

Jobs continues "Sometimes I think that the house exists, and sometimes I don't.  It's a great mystery."  God is a great mystery, but his existence is apparent.  He who has ears let him hear. 

There is also a story about Steve seeing a calf being born and try to walk immediately.  He comments "it was as if something in the animal’s body and brain has been engineered to work together."  It is sad that even the recognition of intelligent design without the proper grounding in theology will still lead you astray.  Even a theist without the knowledge of the one true God is still confused at best.  (Romans 18 - The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. )

Isaacson describes when Steve decided to reject the Lutheran church and Christian religion.  He brought a Life magazine cover picture of starving children in Biafra to Sunday school and confronted the pastor.  He asked "does God know which finger I will raise before I do it?"  The pastor affirmed God's omniscience.  He followed "Does God know about these children?"  The pastor told him that even though Steve could not understand God knew about them.  But he did nothing to explain the cause of suffering and evil in the world to a young, precocious, aspiring 13 year old.  Granted, this is hard to do.  But, who should be better equipped to do this than someone whose life is dedicated to reading and knowing the Word of God and God Himself?  Why don't clergy properly represent our faith?  Why don't we?  Why can't we give good answers to hard questions?  What would you say if a child or your son or daughter asked this type of question? 

Lee Strobel has a good presentation of rebuttals to the two big questions that dogged Billy Graham's friend turned atheist Charles Templeton in The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity.  The questions are about the problem of evil, sin and suffering and the exclusivity of Christ.  Without going into detail, we need to know that there are answers to these tough questions and they essentially point us to the fact that we can decide to move toward God or away from him.  But these answers will always be inconclusive or insufficient to the darkened mind and oppressive doubt that only God can remove.  God saves us, and we must choose to run to him.  I believe we can see in Steve Jobs' life the critical elements of the 1960's Cultural Revolution and the way it tainted many peoples view of Christ and God.  We have the chance to interact with many people who have picked up bits and pieces of these ideas.  May we show them God's love and present to them the truth in God's Word.  May he open their eyes.  May he use us as faithful servants.  May we live out the faith he has given us. 

(Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,)

We are all confronted with the reality that we don't know or understand all the answers.  Often "I don’t know" is the best reply to tough questions.  But even if we don't know an answer, God is the answer to our deepest needs.  Our answer must point to God, and may God grant us the wisdom to give an answer to anyone who asks the tough questions.  And to apply the doctrine we know in our days...

May it be so...