Monday, October 23, 2006
The Gospel
On Sunday I got to have a conversation with people at church about Jesus and lost people. What struck me though, was that we're not all on the same page about people's need for Jesus.
Essentially, the conversation was that you can get to heaven without believing in Jesus, and that it's "unfair" that God would send people to hell who have never been given the chance to hear the gospel.
Maybe I'm being too vague and so you don't understand what I'm saying. If that's the case, I'm sorry. What saddens me is that we would look at babies who are still born (as my twin sisters were) or people in distant parts of the world who have never heard of Jesus and think that God is being unfair in not giving them heaven, instead of being so radically transformed by the unfairness of God dying the most brutal death ever imagined to pay the price for a lying, cheating, sinner like me.
What about Grace?! When did the fact that God broke into my heart and rescued me from a death that I absolutely deserved become something I was owed. When did I or these unknown tribal peoples of the world deserve salvation. Why are we not blown away by the mercy that God has "lavished" on us and then stirred to go and reach these lost people. If we believe that this "in born knowledge" of God or "creation pointing us to God," as it says in scripture, is enough to get us to heaven, then why did Jesus die?
Why aren't our lives so blown away by this one amazing act of grace that we are willing to die for others to know this Joy; this abundant life that we get? How can you and I take this gift of grace and then go back to our regular lives?
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1 comment:
I feel your passion on this and I am sparked by it. It is so important that this sacrifice moves us towards action in God's Kingdom. Unfortunately most people would rather speak and think hypothetically about theological things that make them feel better about thier inaction.
On a second thought: I have a proposal. God appointed Isreal as bearers of his Name. And he told Abraham he would use him and his decendents to bless the rest of the nations of the world. So being a bearer might be something different than sole inheritants. If the Church today is now the bearers of God's Kingdom and God intends to use us as a blessing for the world, how does that change the way we view the world or those who are not Christians or those who have not heard?
My hope would be that we think of these things in the midst of being so stirred to action by the power of grace in our lives and not instead of it. Much love bro. Miss ya.
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