dev181

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires”

2 Timothy 4:3

I have been recently reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Being an American, Franklin is a man who is of great interest to me. Undoubtedly a genius, Franklin made contributions in fields ranging from the American government to electricity. Yet, as I have read through his words, my respect level for this man has actually dropped, as I think he had a big problem with his philosophy on life.

On one occasion in his life, Franklin decided that he wanted to achieve moral perfection for the sake of being a good citizen. He made a list of all the vices that he could think of and determined to rid his soul of their influence. He would take the first vice he had listed and attempt to live a few days without falling into that error. Then, after achieving perfection with that sin, he would move on to the next. What he had not understood, however, was that to even attempt this was to open the door and commit an even graver vice.

His friends began to complain that his attempts were causing him to become proud. It is evident throughout his autobiography how his pride had eaten his soul. He did try to correct his pride after being rebuked, but he came to see that he could never conquer it. The reason it was insurmountable to him is extremely evident to me. Ben Franklin rejected Christ.

He recounts how, being raised Presbyterian but having problems with some of his doctrines, he visited a Presbyterian church after he moved to Philadelphia upon being befriended by the pastor. Although he went a few Sundays in a row, he stopped going because he didn’t like the preaching. The pastor preached the doctrines of Christ and not morality. He said, “His discourses were chiefly either polemic arguments, or explications of the peculiar doctrines of our sect, and were all to me very dry, uninteresting, and unedifying, since not a single moral principle was inculcated or enforc'd, their aim seeming to be rather to make us Presbyterians than good citizens.”

Now, having an understanding of Presbyterian doctrine and being much in agreement with much of the basics that they believe, it is easy for me to see what happened. The pastor taught that moral perfection was impossible. It was only in Christ that righteousness could be found because all people had a sinful nature. Sound doctrine required that Franklin give up his quest for moral perfection, admit not only that he couldn’t do it but that he had committed tremendous and eternal errors against His Creator, and bow before Him in humility. He had attempted to conquer his pride with more pride, while Jesus was his only answer.

Franklin’s life communicates the problem with a morality system that seeks legitimacy without God. Sure, one can become a good citizen and benefit others (who could argue that Franklin didn’t do that), but that worldview will cause even the good things that one does to rise up against his own soul. One cannot put their own deeds in perspective without the Lord.

While I do not know the content of this particular pastor’s sermons, I can affirm that Franklin’s ideas about what ought to be preached were not the answer. Teaching morality was not necessary, as God has already communicated right and wrong to the hearts of each person born into this world. The message people need is the sound doctrine that teaches us how to respond when we realize that our attempts for moral perfection are done in vain and that a righteous judge must judge sin. Some want to have their ears tickled and be told that what they are doing is good and that they don’t need to change. Those will surround themselves with teachers that won’t challenge them. But those who want Christ need to have their pride shattered on the sold rock of the gospel.

While having your ears tickled might be a lot more comfortable than the assault the word of God takes on our pride, in the end it will cause great damage to our souls. Blessed is the pastor who brings the heat.