The Heart of Christianity:

Forgiveness

My heart grieves over the profound deception alive and well in the church. Of course there are movements and men that are eviscerating the gospel itself and subtly diminishing the Person of Jesus Christ. In fact, in this post modern atmosphere the cross itself has become unimportant. The word tragic doesn’t do justice to the present climate in the Christian world.

But against the backdrop of the killing of Osama Bin Laden another deception has become more pronounced and more observable. Oh yes there are many who glibly rejoiced in the event and I am quite sure none of us prayed for him regularly. And to be clear Bin Laden got what he deserved in the natural. But my oldest son who does the face book thing, which I do not, tells me that many nationalistic and moralistic believers cannot even bring themselves to compliment President Obama for accomplishing what other presidents could not.

Make no mistake, nationalism and politics breed hatred, plain and simple. I am a Notre Dame football fan. Every fall I turn Catholic for several months! And being Irish I “hate” USC and Michigan. But I know that it is just an game and my emotions toward those programs are not serious and football itself is not connected to real life. It is a game and although we all love to be passionate about such things in the end we must never embrace it beyond reason. The same thing goes for dogs. I love both my dogs (German Shepherd and Miniature Schnauzer) and I talk dog talk and hug and kiss them. I am a nut, but most dog owners can identify with me.

But in the end they are just dogs and not people made in God’s image. But there are some people who blur the lines of reality as it concerns football (sports) and/or their pets. You’ve met them. And that is what happens to some professing believers when it comes to politics and patriotism. They have become so enthralled and so committed to such things that they have constructed a Christian amalgam that suggests that these issues are all interconnected. I know, I used to be one of them. It is a very strong deception and it keeps believers from fully entering into the absolute freedom on Jesus Christ and the love of God.

Let us not get so caught up with the killing of Bin Laden that we forget he was never the enemy of our souls. He was manipulated by the unseen enemy, but that enemy manipulates people who seem much more innocuous and even kind and loving. The Scriptures warn us of angels of light which come with alluring deception. When will we as believers embrace and operate within the unseen kingdom of God through Christ Jesus? Any allegiance or preoccupation to the things of this world compromises and misrepresents the kingdom of the Living God. We cannot serve two masters.

As the end nears the temptation for believers to become “involved” in temporal issues will increase. Many will mistakenly believe that through manipulation, legislation, or other kinds of earthly leverage they can stay the tide of evil. That route is always futile. Evil will increase in overt and subtle ways and our Lord has already informed us prophetically of this present trend. Our calling is not primarily to confront evil; our calling is to lift up the Lord Jesus and His gospel.

What is the message to the abortion doctor? What is the message to the homosexual? What is the message to the criminal? What is the message to the Muslim? What is the message to the unsaved church goer? The message is the same to all of them:

Jesus Christ, God’s Son, loves you and died for you and resurrected from the dead, and by faith alone you can inherit eternal life. (Of course many versions of this basic truth.) But my point is this: The church has become entangled with the affairs of this world to such a degree that the lost world believes we are moral police rather than voices of redemption. And to add salt in the wounds, many believers listen to and espouse the caustic voices of talk show hosts including Roman Catholics, Mormons, or other so called “conservative” standard bearers. Many “conservatives” in Jesus’ time viewed Him as a radical liberal.

The killing of Osama Bin Laden has once again brought into stark relief the compromises that actively reside within the western church. I am certain that Bin laden deserved his fate, however I am also certain that such things are not my calling. I am called, as are you, to preach and live the gospel of Jesus Christ and if necessary to give our very lives for that sacred cause.

Gary Ridgway was known as the Green River killer and he murdered at least 70 women. During the sentencing phase, Gary Ridgway sat and listened to relatives castigate him in every way imaginable. But one old man with a long white beard took his turn. His name was Robert Rule, and Ridgway had murdered his 16 year old daughter. Rule said this:

“"Mr. Ridgway, there people here who hate you, I'm not one of them," Rule said to him. "I forgive you for what you have done. You've made it difficult to live up to what I believe, and what God says to do, and that is to forgive. And he doesn't say to forgive certain people, he says to forgive all. So you are forgiven, sir."

Gary Ridgway had sat emotionless while many screamed insults at him, but after hearing these words he began to weep. It was the only time he showed any emotion. The lesson is this: Even the most vile sinners among us must be presented with the unfathomable forgiveness offered only through Jesus Christ. If we ever lose sight of that we have lost our faith and departed from the Risen Christ.