Revelation 3:20

 - Popular Bile Series

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20

On March 6, 1927, British philosopher Bertrand Russell delivered his influential speech, “Why I Am Not a Christian,” in South London. Published as a book chapter in 1957, it became the book’s title, underscoring its significance. For over half a century, Russell’s work has been a cornerstone of atheism, influencing many to reject God and Christianity.

In response, numerous Christians have countered Russell’s arguments through articles and books, defending God’s existence and Christianity’s truth using science, philosophy, and history. John Stott, a Cambridge alumnus like Russell, was a renowned theologian who died in 2011 at age 90. Among his many works, Stott wrote Why I Am a Christian (2003), directly addressing Russell’s book. In the preface, Stott acknowledges Russell’s text but clarifies he does not seek to refute it. Despite Russell’s accolades as a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician and philosopher, Stott humbly respects his achievements. Instead of debating, Stott introduces a perspective Russell overlooked: God’s pursuit of humanity, explored in the book’s opening chapter, “The Hound of Heaven.”

Stott begins by asking, “Why am I a Christian?” Some might assume his faith stemmed from being raised in a Christian-majority country, having Christian parents, or receiving a Christian education. However, Stott shares a different story. On February 13, 1938, at age 17, he heard a sermon citing Revelation 3:20. That night, he opened his heart and accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord. Stott attributes his conversion not to personal choice or external influences but to the “Hound of Heaven”—Jesus’ relentless pursuit. Without this divine grace, he says, he would not be a Christian. In essence, Stott’s faith resulted from God’s initiative, not his own.

The term “Hound of Heaven” comes from a poem by English poet Francis Thompson, who lived a life marked by loneliness and hardship. In his 1893 poem, Thompson expresses a longing for God’s pursuit: “I fled Him, down the nights and down the days…” yet “the Hound of Heaven” followed. Initially, some objected to comparing God to a hound, but the metaphor gained acceptance. In Scottish tradition, hounds protect flocks, akin to shepherds. Psalm 23:6 states, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me,” where “follow” implies pursuit, aligning with Jesus as the shepherd seeking lost sheep (Luke 15:4–7). Stott argues that becoming a Christian is God’s work, not human effort, as Christians respond to Jesus’ prior love (1 John 4:19).

Stott illustrates this with notable conversions, starting with the Apostle Paul. Originally Saul, born into a devout Jewish family in the Roman Empire, he studied literature, philosophy, and Jewish theology in Jerusalem. Viewing Christianity as heresy, Saul led violent persecutions, including the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58–8:1). En route to Damascus to arrest Christians, the risen Christ appeared, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4–5). Blinded, Saul was led to Damascus, where Ananias, guided by a vision, restored his sight and baptized him (Acts 9:17–18). Saul, renamed Paul, became a leading apostle, spreading the Gospel and dying as a martyr in Rome. Stott sees Paul’s conversion as the culmination of Jesus’ long pursuit, not merely a sudden event.

Augustine, born in 354 AD in North Africa, is another example. Despite his Christian mother’s prayers, young Augustine lived a dissolute life, wrestling with inner turmoil. In a friend’s garden, crying out, “How long, Lord?” he heard a voice say, “Take up and read.” Opening Romans 13:13–14, he read, “Let us walk properly… not in orgies and drunkenness.” This passage dispelled his doubts, leading to his conversion. Augustine attributed his faith to God’s grace, becoming a pivotal theologian.

C.S. Lewis, a 20th-century British writer, transitioned from atheism to Christianity, likening it to a mouse pursued by a cat—God as the pursuer. In Surprised by Joy (1955), Lewis describes God’s relentless chase, culminating in his 1931 conversion. He became a leading apologist.

Stott emphasizes that God’s pursuit extends to ordinary people. Though he humbly calls himself ordinary, Stott was a distinguished theologian. He credits Revelation 3:20 for opening his heart to Jesus. Similarly, I, an ordinary person, experienced this pursuit. Jesus knocked on my heart, rescuing me from potential corruption and alcoholism. Through my wife’s sharing of the Gospel, prayers from friends, and a faith-nurturing environment, I came to Christ. A near-fatal car accident involving my daughter was the final catalyst. Three months later, in 2001, I was baptized in a Dallas church—an act of God’s grace, not my pursuit, but Heaven’s.