By Martin Morrison
After Bafana Bafana, my favourite national soccer team is Algeria. You may well ask why? Because one of my all-time heroes is Augustine, who was born in Algeria!!
Augustine who lived from 354 to 430 AD, was indisputably the greatest African theologian. In my opinion, the four greatest theologians of all time were Athanasius from Egypt, Luther from Germany, Calvin from France and Augustine. Augustine is arguably the most influential of them all. The reason for this view, is that Luther regarded Augustine as having hugely influenced his own theology and the theology of the Reformation in the 16th century. I am always delighted to reflect on the monumental influence Africa has had on Christendom and Protestantism in particular.
Augustine lived through the disintegration and fall of the Roman Empire and so personally experienced the trauma of his world falling apart. So it is immensely reassuring that Augustine taught his disciples in the midst of earthly crises where to find rest for their troubled souls.
“I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are wise and very beautiful; but I have never read in either of them, Come to me, all you labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”.” Of course, he was quoting Jesus in Matthew 11:28.
No doubt, it was this striking truth that caused him to pray, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you”.”
I seem to recollect that C.S.Lewis said that God ‘made’ us. God invented us as a man invented a motor car. The original motor car was made to run on petrol. Anything else doesn’t work, no matter how hard you try. In the same way, God designed the human machine to run on Him. He is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other, no matter how hard you try. That is why created things will always leave us empty. They weren’t designed to fill the hole. God cannot give us peace and happiness apart from himself. There is no such thing.
The promised rest of Matthew 11:28, is not merely an antidote to anxiety or fear. It is not merely a prayer for God to calm our spirit in times of turmoil. It is that, but much, much more. It is primarily rest for our souls. Rest from the guilt of sin, rest from trying to earn our salvation through good works, rest from the judgement of God. Ultimate rest, ultimate sabbath is only found in Jesus. Jesus is our final rest. Jesus is our ultimate sabbath.
The rest is not more religion; the rest is not some form of spirituality; the rest is not the church; or the so-called ‘man of God’. No, says Jesus, Come to Me, and I will give you rest.
I can promise you, until and unless you come to Jesus, your soul will always be restless.
For further reading: Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis. The Confessions of St Augustine – both available from Amazon Kindle.