It’s a funny thing, perspective. When I look at the article below, I think to myself, “Well this is a wonderful encapsulation of the root of the problem.” And yet I know plenty of people who would think it’s entirely hogwash.
But there’s a trap here too, because my gut tells me that the reaction I think they’ll have is enclosed within the problem I support in the first place – that them thinking it’s hogwash is exactly what I would expect from someone who doesn’t believe as I do.
I mean – our rejection of God and the belief that we ourselves are the authors of our lives is the problem that lies at the heart of humanity and brings the necessity of the core purpose of what Christianity believes. The death and resurrection of Jesus makes no sense without it because that sacrifice was necessary as the only acceptable payment for the rebellion I’m talking about.
So I’m kind of stuck. There almost seems a bit of frustration, understanding that the people I would like most to reach – those who need to hear this good news – don’t think it’s good news at all, but rather, just the foolish ramblings of a superstitious bunch of sheep-farmers. They’ll give me six ways to Sunday as to why it’s a load of garbage, and the Bible says they will.
But, then again, the Bible also says that God uses the foolish things to shame the wise. He puts it out there so simply: “I made you. You continuously deny me. I still made a way for you out of the consequences that (naturally) come from that.”
It’s a free gift, and its rejection by so many is somewhat puzzling; and yet, in some ways, entirely what we should expect, especially as people grow more confident in their ignorance of what God’s really about. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Folly. Foolishness. Something to be scorned. And yet something to which so many appeal, even in their root hatred of God. They fall on God’s very love, but only as they see it manifested in some kind of grandfatherly dotage, where all is forgiven because we’re just too good to be punished. They can’t see it as it is — a love that accounts for our rejection and forgives us by its own sacrifice. A love that takes our place, giving us a gift we don’t deserve, while taking what we do. One, centered on man and his “good works.” The other, centered on God and his. The two shall never meet, because the first — thinking that we can take the place of God — is the problem in the first place.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21