Thought for Today
Genesis 15:6 And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Luke 9:20 "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Messiah of God."
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Are you sure you are right? How many times have you been asked that question? How do you answer? Were you sure? I often read and cite William Barclay, one of my favorite writers. This past Sunday, in my sermon, I quoted, “It is good to have the assurance of being right, but that is no reason to hold the conviction that everyone else is wrong.” (The Gospel of Mark, Wm. Barclay, pg. 128)
While I rarely question the insight of Rev. Dr. Barclay, I suspect that within our society, few operate on the principle of accepting the possibility that others can disagree and not be wrong. Most of us do feel the assurance that we are right. The lives we lead are predicated on what we believe. You may remember the preceding verses in Luke, “9: 18b . . . ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’ 19 They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’" Obviously, the disciples, especially Peter, felt the assurance of being right. We believe Peter was right. We believe, in this case, everyone else is wrong.
Christians predicate our lives on Peter’s statement of faith, Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God. One of our earliest statements of faith, The Apostles’ Creed, begins, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord.” Like the apostle Paul, we too are not ashamed of the gospel message of God’s redeeming, salvific love.
I frequently remember and quote a few particular, favorite passages from the Bible. Certainly Micah 6:8 above. But, also, “Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” and “Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—”
Most Christians, at some time, have been asked the question, “But how about everybody else? Will those who do not believe, or those who believe differently get into heaven?” Across Christendom, there exists a plethora of differing responses to that question. Some say, “Everyone goes to heaven.” Others, “Only Christians go to heaven.” Some believe only members of their own denomination go to heaven; and, some probably limit the acceptance rate to an even smaller number.
Most people, Christians and everyone else, feel that assurance of being right. And, most people, Christians and everyone else, at least secretly believe that means that everyone else is wrong. Peter’s response to Jesus’ question leads me to believe that Peter thought everyone else was wrong.
It is tempting to view questions about salvation, redemption and even righteousness in terms of black and white, yes or no, in stark relief and specificity. But, life is never truly that simple. Equally, life never presents any of us the ease of applying our thoughts, our rules, our social conventions to the lives of others. For me, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Of course, my understanding of justice, kindness and humility may well differ from yours! Few of us are ever accused of having a surfeit of humility. It is not a prized commodity in our culture.
When I am asked those questions about salvation and redemption, about who will or will not be met in heaven, my answer sometimes offers more frustration than comfort. Jesus said, "Luke 6:36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” I know what God asks of me (Micah). I know what Jesus has told me; I know what Jesus had tasked me with. I believe Jesus is the Messiah of God and I believe my faith assures me that I will receive the gift of God. And, like all Christians, I am tasked with sharing my faith and the gospel with others. God will determine who is right and who is wrong.
Stay safe, believe and share, trust God,
Pastor Ray