Oh, boy! This is going to be an easy one for me! I'll warn you, though. My answer is NOT going to be "PC" or popular. If you're easily offended, you might not want to read any further.
The popular notion that the world has COMPLETELY wrong is that we're all "good" people. We are NOT good people. We are all (myself included) dirty, rotten sinners. Romans 3:10 says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Isaiah 53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way". Most of us haven't murdered, but we've all lied, we've all "fudged" our taxes, driven over the speed limit, envied, etc, etc. According to the Bible, these are all the same as murder in the eyes of God. So, we are NOT good people. The world has it ALL wrong!
I know why though. The world does not want to admit that it needs God. If we are all "good", we don't need God. We're ok on our own. Admitting that one is a sinner cuts to one's own pride. Suddenly, we are the wretch in the song, we are one in need. Not a comfortable place for most of us, myself included. Praise God that He provided the way for us to be made, not just "good", but perfect and whole and restored to Him. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to be the perfect sacrifice. If we admit that we're sinners and ask for forgiveness in Jesus, He will forgive us and we can spend eternity in heaven with Him. It's just that simple. Our God is just that loving!
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| John 3:16 |
Pfft! I have *not* fudged my taxes! (Seriously. I fear being audited. If anything, I've failed to claim as much as I should.) But I am still far from perfect. When I was at Epcot on Saturday, a church group was there. They all worse the same t-short that read "Imagine a church without judgment, only affirmation and joy..." Call me crazy, but without acknowledging God's judgment, there can be no salvation. The first step to salvation is to recognize your own sins and lay them at the foot of the cross. Without that, there is no salvation and therefore no joy. Faith is not all about stroking our egos and affirming our wonderfulness. It's work and looking at ourselves in the mirror of Christ and falling on our faces before His mercy over and over and over. And therein lies our greatest joy, because His blood washes us clean and we can start anew. This world is all about focusing on what "feels good" and likes to pretend the work to get there doesn't exist, and not just when it comes to God.
ReplyDeleteErrr... WORE the same T-SHIRT. Stupid typos. See? NOT PERFECT!
ReplyDeleteExactly, Dawn! But we live in a world that says you don't need anyone. You're fine on your own. And that's just not true. And the "fudging" taxes thing was just an example. I think we're like you in that we don't claim as much as we should.
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