HUP 4 – November 4, 2025

The Just Musing session was coming to a close, and Tim thanked Hup for sharing his thoughts… his life.. God’s testimony.

“Yes, when I met Hup he caught me off guard when he asked ‘left or right?’

“Left or right?” a woman, Kate, asked.

“Yes, he said ‘left or right’ when I asked about his testimony. At first, I didn’t catch on, but later it hit me. When we stand before the Lord where will we stand? On the left or right? It’s our Lord’s testimony of us we want to hear. God forbid we lived so deceived as we’d say, ‘Lord, lord,” and he answered, he never knew us.

Hup noticed squirming in seats, folks looking at each other. Well, at least a squirm is a sign of life, he thought. 

“What made you think of that Hup? Left or right?” Josh, the 20 year old, called out.

“Fear and trembling. Not living as I ought.” Hup paused a moment. “Do you even use that word – ought – anymore? Growing up, ought was used when the subject of ethics came up… what I ought to have done, compared to what I did. Today, ethics is a question of value.’

“That sounds like a subject for another Musing, Hup.” Tim said, and laughed with the rest of the class.

“Fear and trembling?” Josh didn’t laugh with everyone else. Something deeply resonated within him… was he experiencing his own tremble? “I just thought… you know… what you said about saving grace?”

Hup knew what Josh felt and where he was heading. 

“I think we all know that saving grace is a transformative grace. Yeah, but often there are  times… far too many actually… common grace endows us with a superlative ethic… a genuine care for others. We grow up in Christian homes, and as if a spiritual chameleon, we take on the colors of those around us. Family members and acquaintances encourage us to believe in Jesus.. our consciences bother us just enough to want o jettison the guilt and shame that we feel… we’ll even get baptized and we think we’re saved.

“What are you saying?” Gary called out.

“Don’t you ever wonder Gary how a person has been professing Christ… even preaching or leading others in worship… and then they just walk away? Disavow everything? Think about Demas!”

Hup looked into the faces of those in the room. He really didn’t want to leave them like this, but when a river runs its natural course – as their discussions had run the past hour – its best to let them run even with the rapids. 

“So you’re saying that you think that vain religion, and its mere profession, is a providence of God as a matter of common grace,” Tim asked, and brushed back his hair. 

“Yes – it happened to me, but praise God, his testimony stands.”

“How do you know?” Josh and Gary asked, practically in unison.

“Jesus said, ‘If you love me, keep my commandments,’ and please… please… don’t deceive yourself… there’s far more to obey than we care to know, and I think that’s why we don’t spend more time in reading God’s Word. A clear conscience is no evidence of righteousness. It could just be empty of knowing better in today’s culture.”

The young woman, Shelly, who had faced deep shame after being sex trafficked by her parents, spoke up, “Hup? What I went through… God permitted it, right?”

“Yeah, as hard as that must seem for a loving God to allow.”

“I’m okay now with it.” Shelly smiled… the first time since she started attending Tim’s church.