Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound

Every time I read through the Gospels, I'm amazed that there are judgmental Christians out there. I'm disappointed in myself that I am still one when people hurt or offend me. Yes, I know: it's human nature to take offense when people hurt us, either through malicious intent or gross negligence when there is no excuse for them not knowing better. It is human nature for us to hold grudges against those people, to wish harm on them and call it "justice", and to esteem ourselves above them because we did not sin so against them.

But the message of the Bible is summed up in John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

I heard a sermon yesterday that had one line that particularly stuck with me. The pastor was talking about Jesus and the woman at the well, the one who had had the five husbands and was living with a different man at the time. She went and told the villagers to come see the man who had told her all her sins, not the man who had great theological wisdom or the Jew who spoke to Gentiles. The important thing was that he was there to save her. He never told her that having five husbands was wrong, never judged her for living with a man who wasn't her husband, and didn't criticize her for her theological ignorance. He was there to lift her up, not cast her down.

Being a Christian doesn't mean simply believing that Jesus existed. There's enough historical evidence, in both religious and secular records, that a person would be foolish to do any sort of research on it and still not believe he really did live about 2000 years ago. His trial and crucifixion are also documented. Being a Christian also means more than raising your hand once in church when the pastor asks who wants to be saved when everyone else's heads are bowed and eyes closed. It is more than living withing some set of rules that won't get us to Heaven or make us holy anyway.

Being a Christian is about living like Christ. It's living a life of compassion, mercy, ready forgiveness, wisdom, drawing our strength from God, pure and childlike faith, giving to those who ask without hope of anything in return, getting our sense of self-worth from God and not from others or even ourselves, and, most importantly, loving others as God has loved us.

Read that last paragraph again. See if you can spot any of the following words: judgment, Biblical knowledge, Ten Commandments, law, sin, holy, condemnation, or punishment. Can't find them, can you? That's because the message of the Gospel is not in these. Yes, we have broken the Ten Commandments and sinned, so God's judgment should have lead to our condemnation and yes, sometimes, God punishes us for our sin to bring us back in line like a father punishes his children when they misbehave, but the story goes so much farther than that. It goes to where God purchases us back at the cost of His own son's life. While we were busy rejecting Him, He sends Jesus, who goes through unspeakable pain to save us all. Even after that, we still reject Him more often than we'd ever like to admit, and His love is still as constant and His judgment still satisfied by Jesus' sacrifice.

Father, make me more like Your son. Help me to live in Your love and give me a stronger revelation of how beautiful, powerful, holy, wonderful, and loving You are.