Well, I never get to "getting it" (life), because as far as I know, this is how it rolls: "getting" life is like figuring out the universe while seated down here, right where I am - with my two big eyes and an over-curious mind. It never works. It never does. Why? The earth is out there rotating on its axis, oblivious of my existence (oh, I don't really know about that), carrying me with it, and unless I board a spaceship (some different kind of spaceship), to see it from an outer "world", "getting it" will still remain to be like some sort of video game that reprograms itself every after a few levels...
Something getting into my mind though is this: it is possible (if you frequently visit this blog) that you have read this blog post I did sometime back: "Christianity and Stoicism".
I'm on the offensive in that blog post, right? I won't defend myself. I think I did well on that one. I hit the nail on the hinge. And that's absolutely the purpose for which it was intended. I can't apologize for that.
I want to add a point to the one above though: the difference between this and that (I may not even be knowing what I am differentiating... but you'll get it along the way anyway.) :-P
You see, Christianity in the 21st Century is complicated. Okay, I bet you already know that, so let me pull it back. What if I say that Christianity today is just mud, muddy pools, flying, gardens, fields and rocks? That works, right?
Well, let's move on...
Christianity today is covered in shades of black and white: taints, pains and rains; then, reigns, gains and wins. We often taste life on both sides of the divide. Maybe that's what complicates everything. Perhaps, it's our own doing. Ask King Jesus. Ask Him. He will tell you that Christianity was never meant to be this adversarial. Never. He'll tell you that we are riding on high waters - a place where maintenance costs are froggy. We are literally running on exhumation fees, digging up and paying for what we should have left to be.
For instance, what really happens when you meet a person who is always judgmental and condemning every other person he/she meets? What of the other one who thinks that his/her denomination is "some piece of heaven"? Or yet the other one who grumbles about everything you (a saved lady/guy) do, the way you do it or the reason for which you do it? How do you deal with such a person? What do you normally think of them? An adamant reprobate? Yes?
*Flips page*
What of this other one who says that everything is right so long as it is done with thanksgiving and for the glory of God? (1 Timothy 4:4 [NKJV]: "For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving" and 1 Corinthians 10:31 [NKJV] "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.") Or his friend who thinks that he/she should not judge another's servant? (Romans 14:4 [NKJV] "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand" and "Romans 14:10 [NKJV] "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.") What do you think of this second one? A conventional freelance Christian? No?
There's a big difference between these two people, no matter what titles we may give them. Just consider the following;
- A Christian who understands that salvation is by grace and not works (Ephesians 3:8-9 [NKJV] "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast") does not judge or condemn the other one who seems to be overtaken (or overwhelmed) by their weaknesses. (And I'm not saying that we should not condemn sin, but that LOVE and WISDOM are key when addressing another person's shortcomings (Galatians 6:1 [NKJV] "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.").) We should all understand that we too were (or have been) in the same place these people are in, and we therefore should stop name-tagging them, but offer them acceptance just as we often need it from God.
- A discussion about holiness should never be centred upon what I am doing that you ain't doing, but what we should do (or should be doing) to achieve the kind of lifestyle that God wants us to live. The former leads to strife and self-righteousness, while the latter makes us work together as a body that seeks to please its Master.
There is a difference between making the sinner find Christ in we church-going-saved-people, and making them think that the Church is made up of a bunch of confused perfectionists who always take a 'no' for an answer to the sinner seeking deliverance.
We should stop being petty. We should grow up. We should become like Jesus Himself. Christ accepted the sinner as he/she was (good examples are Zaccheus and the Samaritan woman.) We should listen to what the hymn writer says too:
1. Just as I am, without one plea,
But that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
2. Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come...
The question now is: what are we doing in order to make the difference? How are we dealing with those people in our church congregations that are struggling with sin? How are we correcting the sinner, and edifying the saint? How are we bringing the lost to Christ? Are we completely losing them to sin, or bringing them to the light of Jesus Christ?
Think about it.
The way we do this makes a big difference. So, yes, there is a difference!!
Bonface Morris.
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