I embrace the Christianity taught by Jesus Christ which teaches that to be right with God a person MUST BE PERFECT. This is such a high standard that no one can possibly achieve it. If a person were to be 99.9999999999999% perfect but slip up once in one small detail, they are disqualified.
However, Jesus DID live such a perfect life and has said that if we would quit trying to meet God's high standards through our own efforts, that the perfection he achieved would be ours . . . freely . . . without strings . . . forever . . .
The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:1 said: "There is therefore NOW NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ."
So, salvation, and restoration of the broken relationship with God, the complete removal of all our sinfulness, past, present, and future, the joy and peace and security of not having to worry about "did I do it right", the very spirit of God dwelling inside our core, is all freely given, with no strings, no "as long as", no requirements to keep trying to be perfect, no requirement to attend religious services, no requirement to give money, no rules to keep, no expectation that sin in our lives will stop . . . NOTHING, to anyone and everyone when they admit they can't be good enough on their own and simply understand that Jesus has already done it all for us.
I know this may sound somewhat different than Christianity as most people think about it, but many teachers down through time have twisted the wonderful message that God has done all this for us only because he loves us all so very much and wants to have a close, intimate relationship with his beloved creation.
I know you are very focused on love, as am I, and I have found that knowing that I am loved THIS MUCH, makes it possible to really reach out to and care for and love those who cross my path. I am not perfect at it, but the more I grasp God's great love to me the easier it becomes to love . . . even those who are hostile to me.
Sorry to be so long winded, but this is such a wonderful message it kinda bubbles up inside of me.
2 comments:
I think about this sometimes at work. Working with patients who choose to help others by giving their organs is an absolute selfless act. These people can be homosexuals, IV drug abusers, suicides, alcoholics or even a different race. Are they judged on these things? Do recipients say "no thank you, I only want a heart (or lung or liver) that is pure and clean."? No. Their gifts are accepted humbly and without question. One may even say unconditionally. Why? Because it is a chance to continue living. It's hard for me to articulate the correlation I feel about this. I feel like it's a gift that is so selfless and unconditional and humbling, that we should take a lesson from this. We don't berate or coerce or browbeat anyone into participating in organ donation, instead we inspire them. When people are inspired, you reap only good. I see miracles every single day, but sadly, none have come from inside a church
What a great picture of the love God has for us . . . to give "yourself" so someone else might live.
One way I think His love exceeds ours is that you probably have very few, if any, willing donors of organs directly to someone who hates and is enemies with the donor
Yes, miracles happen in spite of the church.
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