1 John 1: 7 NKJV
I ran across a headline on the front page of the mainstream New York Times which caught my attention. There it was "Millions in India converge to wash away sins." I can honestly say that I won't be among those buying a ticket to India for this life changing event. But, there may be more than a few people out there who feel that their sins might just need washing. My first question to that would be, why would you feel that way? Granted, there have been times in my own christian life where I've felt that weight of my own sin burden. However, I've always known who it was that gave Himself to cleanse me of them all. Yes, the blood of Christ Jesus which He shed on that cross was enough to cleanse me of all unrighteousness {1 John 1:9}. This is all part of the history of Jesus, born of a virgin, tortured and put to death on a Roman cross and on the third day rose aagain. Knowing this, why would I take part in another cleansing ceremony? But, again, there are those who would dutifully do so. Even in the halls of our own institutional christian churches, we are all too often told that we need to be "more like" Jesus, that God cannot be in the presence of sin. Now, I'm not saying that christianity perpetuates the teachings of whatever religion those in India practice, but I've been in more than a few churches where there is a similar message. God is distant from us and as His children we need to tow that line to prevent Him from exercising His discipline. Oh yes, they will all too often dust off their own bibles to dig up that old verse from proverbs about the father who disciplines his own son to somehow explain Gods discipline of His own children. Tough love christian style. I have seen more than a few christians actually live in fear of what God might bring down upon their lives next than in the comfort of His love and grace. When we perpetuate this lie, we do more to drive people away from God than any misguided preacher could.
9Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
Colossions 3: 9 - 11 NKJV
I have a few dear friends who have often traveled to India for the purpose of speaking the gospel of Christ to the people there. I've never been, but from what I have been told, it is a wonderful country. To this day, my friends maintain a few of the friendships which they cultivated among the people of India. I have to wonder if any of those people who gathered by that riverside in India have ever had the opportunity to hear the truth of Christ Jesus proclaimed. The truth of Christ which tells us that Jesus Himself lives in all who have come to know Him {Galations 2:20}. The truth of Jesus that tells us the He, and He alone, has washed away our iniquities {1 John 1:7}. For had they heard this truth of Christ Jesus proclaimed to them, how willing would they be to make that trip to that riverside baptism? Is it no wonder that some of the fastest growing christian churches in the world are in those countries where the gospel is seldom preached? Contrast that with our own country where boredom with our own churches comes naturally. Friends, the truth of Christ Jesus has never changed {Hebrews 13:8}. No, what's changed is WE see Jesus. We do well to see Christ not as a higher power seperated from sinful man. Instead, we should see the man Jesus as He truly is, alive and well living through all who have come to know Him. He made that journey to cleanse us of our sins so that we would not have to. Thank goodness, I didn't want to go to India anyway.
~Scott~
No comments:
Post a Comment