Tuesday, August 7, 2018

No, Not One

      Jesus Christ did not come to die for perfect people. None exist- only Him. He didn't come to die for good people. No one is good but God. He didn't come to die for people who have their bad days and good days but try really hard to do all the right things in the hopes that will outweigh their bad deeds. Plenty of people exist in this state and it's a self-defeating effort. He didn't come to die for people who are no saints but still way better than mass murderers and thieves. Plenty of people exist that play comparison games but in the end we all fall so woefully short of God's standard of absolute holiness and perfection.
      Of course, in a sense, yes- Jesus came to die for all these people because He died to save all people. But the images we project of ourselves are illusions to make us feel better about ourselves. We all need to view ourselves through the mirror God provides for us in The Bible. And no matter who you are or what you look like or what you've done, we're all the same.
      Jesus Christ came to die for sinners. He came to die for all human beings who have existed or ever will exist. He came to die for zombies who wander around like shambling masses with still a bit of sentience like Ted Sallis (aka The Man-Thing) who are deluded enough to think themselves masters of their own fate and living life large. We're still trying to build a tower to a Heaven of our own making that can be achieved if we just learn how to love each other more.
     The devil comes only to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus has come that we might have life more abundant. (John 10:10) We all need to see ourselves as God sees us- utterly helpless, totally depraved sinners who are perfectly content in our worship of hedonism and narcissism most of the time- except for those rare moments of honesty when we realize that everything crossed off on our bucket list is just a drop in the bucket and it never really satisfies. And deep down we know that we don't do right and can't do enough to please God. (As Sufjan Stevens once said of John Wayne Gacy, Jr. - "In my best behaviour, I am really just like him. Look beneath the floorboards for the secrets I have hid.") From the worst of humanity to the supposed best- we're all in the same boat and it ain't Noah's- it's Charon's. (That's the dude who took lost souls to Hades in Greek mythology.) We all deserve Hell because of our sin. We could never be perfect as God is in our strength. (Matthew 5:48) That's why God met the standard of perfection for us with Christ.
      Jesus Christ came to die for sinners and rise again. When we put our faith in Him and follow Him, we get transformed into new creatures who are fully alive with a purpose of living for God's glory in this life and a future of singing God's praises forever in the next. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all considering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting." (1 Timothy 1:15-16)
That's the beauty of The Gospel. Amen.