Saturday, October 31
One of the saddest things that can happen to a Christian is to forget the Gospel. The words of John 14:6 roll over us without any impact whatsoever. We came into the family of God as sinners saved by grace, but if we’re not diligent to stay near the cross, our initial joy and gratitude at being saved turns into pride, self-righteousness, and hatred of others. Or to put it another way, Jesus saves us, and we reward Him by slowly turning into the same kind of people who turned Him over to the Romans to be crucified. We forget the Gospel and become merely religious. And religion apart from the Gospel leads to arrogance.
So let’s admit it. Repentance is the only way we grow, after all. Let’s just say to the Lord, “Thank you for saving me. Forgive me for forgetting the Gospel, for looking down on these people. Change my heart and keep me humble before your cross.”
I read a story recently about a Christian theologian whose father was a committed Marxist. As you can imagine, the two had profound disagreements. After all, one of the precepts of Marxism is that religion is the opiate of the people, that it is a force for injustice in the world. We hear stories like this all the time, only usually it’s the parent who is a Christian and the kid who is a Marxist. Usually, it ends badly. The two argue so bitterly, they eventually stop talking to each other. But this Christian, by the grace of God, was able to see that his father was drawn to Marxism because he cared about poor people, and thought that Marxism was the answer to the world’s injustice. Today, we can look back through history and see the many false promises, and in fact, the monstrous evils, that Marxism ultimately produces. But this story happened decades ago.
Because the son lived by the Gospel instead of cultural Christianity, he avoided arrogance. He could disagree with his father without thinking he was evil. He could recognize that his father’s motives were good, but that only Jesus could bring the results his father hoped for. So he was patient, listening to the old man’s diatribes and responding, “Yes, God hates poverty, too. God hates injustice too. And Jesus is bringing about the Kingdom of God, where those things won’t exist.” Finally, on his literal deathbed, that father prayed and asked Jesus to be His Savior. That’s what can happen when we stay close to the cross. We see that the person who is profoundly wrong is no different from us. They need Jesus, just like we do. He is the way, the truth and the life.
His is the Name Above All Names. Let’s worship Him today.
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
