An Open Letter to Karl Bartos - Bruce Atchison

Dear Karl Bartos:

I love your new Off The Record CD. What a great album! When I heard your "Tuning the World" song, I felt compelled to write this letter and explain in it why some people believe in God while others can't.

The reason is simple. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, the entire human race became infected with the sin virus. God so loved humanity that he sent Christ to become one of us. Because he lived a perfect life, he was able to give himself as a ransom in our place so that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

So what stops people from easily accepting such a wonderful offer? We were all born separated from God by this sin virus. Surrendering ourselves to the rulership of Jesus is the only way through which we can access his gift of eternal life in heaven.

People also don't want the light of the truth to shine on them because their deeds are wicked. We humans are born with a desire to rebel against God. Only by surrendering to Christ's will saves people from the quarantine dimension which the Bible calls hell. As the Apostle Paul pointed out in his letter to the church in Ephesus:

And to you did he give life, when you were dead through your wrongdoing and sins,  In  which you were living in the past, after the ways of this  present world, doing the pleasure of the lord of the power of the air, the spirit who is now working in those who go against the purpose of God;  Among whom we all at one time were living in the pleasures of our flesh, giving way to the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and the punishment  of God was waiting for us even as for the rest. But God, being full of mercy, through the great love which he had for us, Even when we were dead  through our sins, gave us life together with Christ (by grace you have salvation), So that we came back from death with him, and are seated with  him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus.

You also sang about wondering why we are here. This planet is the testing ground. God is calling people to change direction 180 degrees and obey him rather than the Devil. From the first rebellious act we committed as children, we face the punishment of being banished from his goodness.

If you really want to build your spiritual house on solid ground, place your trust in Christ and his generous offer of salvation. It's a binary decision we all must make before the cut-off point of death. Please choose life that you may live eternally in God's loving care.


Bruce Atchison is a legally-blind freelance writer and the author of three memoirs. He lives in a tiny Alberta hamlet with his house rabbit, Deborah.

Twitter handle: @ve6xtc