Good Monday morning, my friends.
My faith is no secret where I work. Over the past several years, my co-workers have read emails from me, and heard me speak about it. Unfortunately, it has gotten to the point where it seems to be just a friendly joke in the office. Occasionally I will be referred to as "Ned Flanders". I am very grateful that there is no nastiness about it, but it saddens me that perhaps I have lost some credibility.
Whenever we have touched on the idea of faith, heaven and hell, the usual response is something like: "If your god is loving and forgiving, then he will forgive me for whatever I have done. I am not a bad person, so there is no way he would send me to hell." This is a typical response in the culture we live in. Many of the mainstream Christian churches preach a gospel that is not much different from this outlook. And I have to admit that my response to this type of statement has been weak, at best.
So how should we respond? First, people must understand that yes, God is loving and forgiving - those are two of his greatest qualities - but he is also just and holy. That means, that when a wrong is committed, a sin, then a price must be paid. In the old testament, that meant picking one of the best lambs from the flock, and having it slain by the priest while the sinner held it's head. Why this way? It was God's way of showing us that a price must be paid - we would be required to pick one of our most valuable assets, and be physically present and actively involved in it's death. But the sacrifice itself is only half of the equation. For forgiveness to take place there also had to be genuine repentance. Psalm 51:16-17 says:
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
Or how about Micah 6:6-8:
With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
God does not delight in it, but He does requires a sacrifice - the price, the ransom. But he also requires a humble and contrite heart.
The Gospel of the New Testament tells the same story, but this time with an amazing twist. We no longer have to choose an acceptable sacrifice from our flocks. God sent His very own Son, Jesus, to be that sacrifice. A perfect sacrifice so that none other will ever be required. The price was paid. In full. But the second part of the contract still has to be fulfilled. Salvation requires us, and our friends, co-workers and families, to make a choice. To choose God; to turn to Him. Avoiding a choice (which I did for decades) is actually choosing to live apart from God - in this life and the next. We need to let those we love know what ALL the requirements of this contract are. We need to be able to state this clearly and unambiguously. The consequences - good or bad - are eternal.
Please pray that the next opportunity I have to present the Gospel to my co-workers that I will be courageous enough, and precise enough, even if it causes friction, to tell the whole truth. And if you have a similar opportunity, I pray that you will do likewise.
And remember Ned Flanders 3C's for life: Clean living, chewing thoroughly, and a daily dose of vitamin "church!"
Howdily-doodily, neighbors! (Grace and peace be yours in abundance!)
Bruce
Almighty God, who gives strength to the weak and upholds those who might fall,
give me courage to do what is right, for those that trust in you have no need to fear.
Make be brave to face any danger which may now threaten me.
Give me the help that you have promised to those who ask it,
that I may overcome my fears and go bravely forward.
Fill me with courage, that nothing which is my duty to do, may be too hard for me.
Let me put my trust in your power and goodness.
 | Bruce MacPherson
macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821
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