salt-shaker.blog

Scriptural history is littered with the bodies of those who were convinced that their ways were superior to God’s. Things have not changed that much. You do not have to look too far to find a view of the Bible that condescendingly relegates the authors to a place of inferior intelligence or assigns conspiratorial motives for their writing. This despite copious new technological and literary proficiency validating the reliability of Scriptures beyond previous assessments. Such cynical conclusions are often drawn in the aftermath of church hurt or in solidarity with unbelieving neighbors seemingly excluded from God’s story. Perhaps it is the result of theological idealism, or intellectual resistance to things that don’t make sense without the eyes of faith. Skepticism justifies withdrawal – isolating from your brethren who ‘get it wrong’. Seeing the church as merely a corrupt system makes this much easier. We aren’t commanded to love a system, but interestingly our love of the brethren is the highest witness of Jesus (John 17:21). Sadly current christendom is full of ungodlike attitude and behavior, adding fuel to the fire. God is judged by the tares or the failures of His people.

Our cultural moment promotes radical cynicism and bias against anything that claims authority. We have watched leaders, both political and spiritual, lay claim to our allegiance and then prove to be charlatans – or worse. Nothing new, God has hidden Himself in the folds of a broken humanity throughout history. In every age there has been ample reason to doubt and dissent against those who claimed attachment to the Supreme deity. Our current disdain for a religion that is intertwined with corrupt politicians is an echo of past failure. And it is also nothing new to reject God because of His patience with such a misrepresentation of His heart. But this age, like all others, will come to a close. Our time here will end, and all of our allegiances and dismissals will be evaluated through the unfiltered light of holiness. Alignment with Him is essentially God’s game plan – the purity of obedient faith that unlocks access to His presence. Without it we are destroyed by the intensity of sheer holiness, like getting too close to the sun.

We must ask ourselves if we are ready for such scrutiny. Unfortunately, we evaluate our philosophy by the standards of those who hardly even believe. We may seem pretty ‘moral’ compared to people who are pursuing power and pleasure as the highest good. But what if God is not after morality – something that can be achieved by self effort, or even by a guided psychedelic drug experience. Is that salvation? Did Jesus make a needless trip? I think not.

Sin is our mortal foe. We swim in it. We breathe it. We cherish it. It is self-determination. Self-preoccupation. It lurks deep to avoid recognition and repentance. We occasionally suppress it to serve our neighbor, or to do good – sometimes for long periods of time. Isn’t that following Jesus? What He taught? Loving neighbor as self? Promoting justice and equality? Maybe, but it can also be a manifestation of the moral self. None in Jesus’ day were as moral as the Pharisees. Surface actions look the same whether generated by faith or flesh. Think of the billionaires who give millions to charity, then later we find out it was for tax purposes or political access. Or maybe it is a piece of meat thrown to a snarling conscience, or a cultural virtue signal. Many benefit, but that does not mean it flows out of love for Jesus. What if He is after our hearts rather than our morality?

He paid the ultimate price to offer a new life to frame our worth. Resurrection life. His life – requiring actual connection with Him. Not as a garment we put on, but a transfusion in our soul. Obedience after surrender. Humility after forgiveness. An upward look rather than circumspection. Accessing life by any other way is coming into the sheepfold as a thief or a robber. Like people unknowingly walked over the whitewashed tombs of the legalistic Pharisees back in Jesus’ day, we also walk over the flowery self righteous graves of the liberal Sadducees – those who are too intelligent to trust the Scriptures that Jesus quoted. Those who dismiss archaic faith in a “suspect” revelation in favor of their own accommodating philosophies. Thieves and robbers.

The time is short. The lies are ubiquitous. The truth is hidden like leaven in the dough, but accessible to the seeker willing to look past mere reason (although faith is eminently reasonable) or intellectual bias. Take a drone view of the story of God and you will discover  that He has been working with the limitations of broken humans and culture for centuries, expertly weaving His grace into the lives of those inquisitive souls who turned aside to seek. His invitation is even now extended to a world fast approaching its conclusion. His love is certain. He has the scars to prove it – the only man made thing in heaven. And your name is written on them.

Shalom