Real Clear Theology Why should we be in the dark about God and our relationship to him, when it is so plainly laid out for us in the writings of those whom Jesus instructed? Followers of the Way of Jesus should grasp this with clarity. Yet it seems that every generation—perhaps every person—needs to see the light afresh. The key question is this: how can we get in a right position with God? I’ll not go into this question as it relates to eastern religions here, but leave that for another day, since it requires explaining an entire worldview that is based on a fundamentally different way of thinking about the world and our place in it. What I have to say is for those of us who live within the western worldview that stems from Judeo-Christian assumptions and the scientific enterprise that flows from that worldview. Jesus revealed God to us. Christians say Jesus was God—and that he came in human form to rescue us. Do we need to be rescued? Do we want to be rescued? Obviously we need to be rescued. The human race is in a mess—always has been throughout our long history. More pointedly, I as an individual need to be rescued. While I may look good compared to some others, before the all-penetrating eyes of God I am not holy, not righteous, and hence not fit to be in fellowship with God. To use Jesus’ term—I am lost. Lost in my sins. Lost in my delusion that I can make myself acceptable to God by trying harder or being sincere. Sweeping away these fatal misconceptions is the first order of business. As with illness, the diagnosis must be accurate. My diagnosis is this. I have some more or less minor problems that I can fix by proper effort. I will admit I have sinned against God. I will say I am sorry to God. I will do better in the future. I will go to church and learn how I can improve my performance. I will take the sacraments. Why not? I’ll be baptized. I’ll pray. I’ll admit my sins and take Holy Communion. I’ll donate some money to the church and to the poor and be all set. All this will prove that I have done what is required. When my time comes I will present my ticket at the Gate of Heaven, show all the stamps and punched holes of my good deeds, and they will have to let me in. What is the true assessment of the preceding? I am delusional—to think that God will accept that. It’s like training for the Navy Seals thinking your sincere hopes and best efforts will work when you cannot meet the actual requirements. The true diagnosis is much, much worse. I am dead. I am dead in my sins. Some regimen of therapy is out of the question. One does not massage a corpse. Nor inject medicine. It takes a miracle of God to bring the dead to life. The Raising of the Dead—hope for the hopeless. The followers of Jesus insisted that the only way a sinner can be accepted by God is through grace, mercy and faith with no addition of the dead sinner’s religious efforts. God has not asked us to do anything prior to throwing ourselves on the mercy of God. We plead only the merits of Christ and none of our own. None of my own. I come empty-handed. I can present nothing to God to influence him to accept me. Everything I am and have is of no value in the matter of inducing God to accept me. As God looks upon me I must realize that God has every right to reject me. That is what I deserve. In fact, I have condemned myself already. A moment’s reflection is all I need. I have condemned myself already. I have no right to be treated differently than my treatment of others. And just how have I treated others? I have been nasty to others in many subtle ways. Sometimes not so subtle. In short, I have sinned against others. And I have sinned against God. In fact I stand in a posture of rebellion against God. I have not loved the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my strength. I have put myself at the center of my affections for my whole life. It has always been about me. Even my pathetic efforts toward God and for others have been to please myself and make myself feel good. And the truth is, God knows this full well. So what does God require of me before I come to Him? Nothing. As the poet put it, “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the Cross I cling.” I come empty of anything that could put a claim on God. I am naked except for the rags I have stitched together to cover my spiritual disgrace. This is what those who knew Jesus insisted on. We are spiritually penniless. Nor is there any basis for me to make a claim that God must help me. God owes me nothing. I know that God has made promises to help the helpless. But can I insist he favor me? No. No more than I can go to a generous friend known for kindness and insist on my request for help being accepted. It is up to the donor alone. I know this by my own attitude when I pass by a row of panhandlers and beggars. No one of them can justly say that because I helped someone else I am obligated to give to him also. God knows this. God has taken it into account. God does not have to accept me. It is up to him only. And God has found a way. Why? Why does God bother with us? Simply because he loves us. It is all due to the kind of person God is. He has no obligation to save us. He does not have to answer our prayers. He is sovereign. He is at liberty, constrained by nothing outside of himself. Whatever he does is fair. We are the ones who are unfair. Want to point fingers? Point at the mirror. Think about it. We have rebelled against God. We have all lived life “doing it my way.” If we get what we deserve, it will be instant damnation—exclusion from the presence of God. That means exclusion from light, love, and joy. For God is light. God is love. In his presence is joy forevermore. That God has not yet sealed our self-imposed fate is due only to his mercy. It is thus foolish for me make an appeal to the justice of God. Justice is exactly what I do not want. I do not want God to administer his justice fairly, for I know that would be my doom. There is but one ray of hope for me. I have been told that God is so merciful that he himself came in the person of his Son to take upon himself my sentence of death. Knowing I deserve to be rejected, knowing my plea has no basis to persuade, I throw myself on the mercy of this God who loves me and who proved it by coming to rescue sinners such as myself. “Encouraged by the goodness of God as shown in the death of his Son, to hope for acceptance and salvation.” This is faith. It is a true faith that transforms one’s whole character by the power of love. I now live for God—not just in religious settings—but 24/7. God is my whole life, not just a portion exercised when I do my religious obligations. Would you love God even if God did nothing for you? Do you love God for who he is—or just for what he does for you? If your whole world fell apart, would you still love and worship him? If God took away your money, your friends, your health—even your life, would you still love him? You and I have taken God’s stuff— resources of nature, money, the gift of life and health. When he came to earth for us we even took his life. But the light of his love for us never flickered. That’s what he is looking for in you and me—our love—a love that turns over everything to him. Nothing less. That’s the deal. Are we there yet? Do we want to be rescued?