"grace" Tag ArchiveBeyond Emmaus

Don’t Judge Me, Bro!

Mar 12 2012

There are many judgmental people in this world. Most of them spend their time pointing out how judgmental other people are.

The popular thing to do on Facebook recently is to repost a picture of Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount. Captions have been added so that Jesus says, “Okay, here’s an idea. You love them, like I loved you. Feed them, clothe them, and shelter them, and let me deal with judging them.” The people respond, “But what if they’re gay or worship other gods?” To which Jesus replies (in the voice of none other than Samuel Jackson), “DID I STUTTER?”

On the surface, I believe it’s a great message. Many Christians have been less than winsome in their communication of the gospel in word and deed, spreading self-righteous condemnation rather than the good news of God’s grace. I agree that we should love our neighbor as ourselves, regardless of religion, sexuality, or any other factor. After all, Jesus was a friend of sinners and tax collectors (Matthew 9:10-11). He also was opposed to the religiously indignant, often calling them hypocrites, a brood of vipers, and sons of Satan (Matthew 23:16-26). The picture spreading on Facebook was meant to be aimed at the same type of people.

But while we Christians should be kind and loving towards those who believe and behave differently than us, it is completely unloving not to warn them of God’s judgement. The picture rightly assumes that Jesus is the righteous Judge (Acts 10:42; John 5:22; Revelation 6:10). But has our view of Jesus the Judge been so skewed by pop culture, clichés, and sentimentalism that we forget just how bad that news is to our neighbors, friends and acquaintances who don’t know Jesus as savior? The fact is, God the Judge has declared all forms of sexual deviancy, including homosexuality, to be sin and that those who practice it will not be part of God’s eternal kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The fact is, the wrath and condemnation of God the Judge is upon all who reject Jesus as God and savior (John 3:18; Acts 4:12; Revelation 20:11-15). The most hateful thing we can do to those whom we know do not have Christ is to remain silent about Jesus the Judge and all that it entails.

We are called to love our neighbor—that is, everybody. We are also called to share the gospel—all of it. This includes the part about the wrath of God being upon those who reject Jesus as Lord. The question is, how to balance the two? We don’t want to be jerks about it, but neither do we want our friends to think God is ok with their sin and for them to go to hell because of our silence.

Let us no longer hide behind this charade of nonjudgmentalism and instead love our neighbors by graciously warning them of the coming of Jesus the Judge and his wrath towards sinners, and then telling them about the good news of Jesus the Messiah who takes away wrath and gives Life and peace with God.

Posted in Ruminations Tags: God's wrath, grace, Jesus, judging

Where does our faith come from?

Feb 16 2011

More and more every day I become further convinced that my salvation was and is a complete gift from God. Even those aspects which at first I thought were my own doing I am learning to see as God’s doing.

Repentance and faith are not our own doing, but are a gift from God.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 — And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Acts 5:31 — God exalted him [Jesus] at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give [not offer] repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 11:8 — When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 — For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Note: this in the Greek refers to the entire preceding concept and connects it to gift so that grace, salvation and even faith itself are all gifts from God. Thus, the entirety of salvation is a gift from God; none of it is based upon our doing.)
1 Corinthians 12:3b — …no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

A dead man cannot bring himself back to life — God must do it

John 11:43-44 — When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Ephesians 2:1-2,4-5 — And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience… But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.
Colossians 2:13 — And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.

Posted in Theology Tags: gift, grace, mercy, repentance, salvation, sovereignty