Saved From, or Saved For ... What?

Spirituality Column #170
February 9, 2010
Current in Carmel - Current in Westfield - Current in Noblesville
(Indianapolis north suburban home newspapers)

Saved From, or Saved For … What?
By Bob Walters

In accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, are we being saved from something, or for something?

Much Christian evangelism describes and sells the fearsome, high-stakes, eternal spiritual consequences of not being saved from one’s sins, from guilt, from death, from everlasting damnation, from Hell, from perpetual pain and from being forever vanquished from the presence of God. Be saved or burn!

Yikes. Sign me up.

But, wait a minute. How do I process that “saved from” message if I’m a reasonably intelligent, rational, functional, productive, loving, decent, free and generally informed good-citizen non-believer?

I probably recognize – but rationalize – my own sins, let guilt abate over time, don’t really “get” death because I haven’t been there, think of “damnation” more as a cussword than a curse, don’t see how Hell could be much worse than some parts of this world, have survived some pretty awful pain in life, and cannot conceive "forever."

Presence of God? “Show me.”

Terrifying fear, guilt, sin, death, pain equals what? Joy in the Lord Jesus Christ? Faith, hope and love? Excuse me? “No thanks. I have enough problems of my own.”

Christ’s great gift is so often misrepresented. I know a dear Christian brother who will occasionally say to an Orthodox icon of Jesus, “My friend, I feel sorry for you.”

“Saved from” evangelism should mean we are saved from our guilt, fear, and sorrows, not bludgeoned by Salvation. Christ died a horrible, real human death to erase our sins – yours, mine, everybody’s – and in his resurrection remade fallen humanity into a new spotless Creation before God; cleansed with and covered by Christ’s blood.

With faith in Christ we can approach physical life trusting God’s grace and love, and physical death with the certainty of salvation: everlasting, sinless, loving communion in Heaven with God Almighty.

The magnitude of that cleansing gift is as big as God.

I am a flawed, limited, human servant badly in need of His eternal, divine washing. Christ wants us to accept that gift, find strength in that gift, believe in that gift … but I can’t imagine that he wants us to feel miserable because of that gift.

When did you ever give someone a gift in order to hurt them?

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we are saved for love and for communion, from everlasting to everlasting. Have faith. Repent. Rejoice and be glad.

Walters (www.believerbob.blogspot.com, email rlwcom@aol.com) understands pain is a powerful sales tool, but salvation is a gift, not a product.

Head-Bangin' Evangelism

Spirituality Column #149
September 15, 2009
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper
Current in Westfield (IN) newspaper

Head-Bangin’ Evangelism
By Bob Walters

Confronting our sin is an inescapable part of the Christian walk.

But why would anyone let confrontation define the entire journey?

Maybe because in Romans 14:10, St. Paul tells us we will “stand before the judgment seat of Christ." True stuff. And then there is Romans 1:18-32, a litany of God’s wrath and human failings. Scary stuff.

Plus, “evangelists” too often preach a terrifying “salvation” message of God’s wrath and man’s wretchedness, whether to bewildered non-believers or to believing Christians crippled by sermons dripping with “death by sin” rather than life by the Gospel light of Christ’s sacrifice, grace and mercy.

“You’re a sinner condemned to Hell … and that’s the good news,” quips one of my pastoral friends, tongue in cheek and aghast at the dark spectacle of evangelism by threat, guilt and wrath.

Nobody establishes a relationship, willingly, on that kind of a foundation. Yet too often we allow our most personal, precious hope – forgiveness of sins and eternal life – to be co-opted into obedience by fear rather than forming freedom fueled by God’s love.

“God’s mad at you so you better straighten up!” is not the central message of the Bible, and it’s not the central message of Christ.

The central message of the Bible is that each one of us – every single individual human being – is special to God, forgiven of our sins by the grace of Jesus Christ, and gifted by the Holy Spirit with a soul and access to eternal communion in heaven.

Not one of us can work – or worry – our way out of this sinful and fallen world. Thank God … and I mean, Thank God, we don’t have to.

Jesus did the heavy lifting of that one on the Cross.

With God’s gift of love, freedom and salvation so accessible, why would anyone sell it with fear, control and guilt? Why would anyone buy it?

John 14:6 plainly tells us Christ is the only path to salvation. Believe it.

Romans 8:1 reads, “There is … no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.” Trust it.

Certainly, be an example of Christian love. Learn to tell people of your faith. But, like 1 Peter 3:15, do it “… with gentleness and respect.”

Not a 2x4 to the head.

Sure … confront sin; but find joy in the Lord.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes that we catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. “Evangelism” means “spreading good news" not "terrorizing sinners."

Trillion Dollar Question

Spirituality Column #148
September 8, 2009
Current in Carmel (IN) Carmel
Current in Westfield (IN) Carmel

Trillion Dollar Question
By Bob Walters

A traveling preacher in our Sunday pulpit recently had what appeared to be a stack of 100-dollar bills peaking out of the top of his shirt pocket.

An animated, engaging, energetic orator, the guy removed his sport coat early in the sermon revealing the visible, rectangular ends of several dark, greenish “bills.”

I was embarrassed for him at first. I thought maybe he’d been paid for the preaching gig in cash, and the money was indiscreetly exposed.

Sometimes I over-think a gag.

‘Turns out the “bills” were faux currency; the presently popular “Obama Trillion Dollar Bills” that have a Christian tract on the back. The idea, he enthusiastically preached, is to approach a stranger, or group of strangers, distribute the gimmick “Obama Trillion” (or “Michael Jackson Million” – both are available online), and as the unwary souls giggle and examine the fake cash they’ll turn it over, see the Christian tract, and … um, be saved.

Wonderful … a sucker punch for Christ.

Have I got this right? Let’s save the lost by blending our natural human avarice – “hey … is that real money?” – with a cult-inducing celebrity?

And as long as we’re trolling for the unsaved – the lost and unknowing; the spiritually weakest among us – let’s put the most draconian, condemning “Gospel message” imaginable on the back, and scare people into the perfect, loving arms of, and eternal communion with, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Are you kidding me?

The tract – which includes the phrase “God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart” followed by John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son …” – is not only contradictory and confusing but … terrifying.

Which is it? Does God hate me or love me? And before you answer, consider that John 3:16 is a direct quote from Jesus – God Incarnate – while He was alive as a human on earth. “God so loved the world,” it says, and that means before, during and after Christ’s sacrifice.

God loves us sinners today just as much as then – His love is eternal – and He wants us to find our divine freedom from death through our love and faith in Christ.

But trying to trick the lost into salvation with a scary, ill-defined and theologically suspect message on a fake paper idol?

Not exactly grace that sticks, nor an appealing picture of Christian love.

Walters (www.believerbob.blogspot.com) notes that it was love, not trickery, that defined early Christians. See Acts 2:42.

Unconditional Christian Extremists

Spirituality Column #78
May 6, 2008
Current! In Carmel (IN) newspaper

Unconditional Christian Extremists
By Bob Walters

A non-believer should know that a Christian extremist will:
- Love unconditionally,
- Be compassionate unconditionally,
- Forgive unconditionally,
- Evangelize unapologetically.

I know … it sounds pretty good until you get to that last one about evangelizing. Don’t those Christian extremists know how annoying that can be?

Ah, those extremists. Then there is the F word … fundamentalists. It is important for those of us who identify with the Gospel to get a grip on both the extremes and fundamentals of our faith.

Ajai Lall, a native of India and president of Central India Christian Missions, spoke in Indianapolis recently about extreme Christianity and what it looks like in his native central India. This is an area where Christians endure atrocities at the hands of Hindus and Muslims.

Lall noted that Christians are commanded by the New Testament to exhibit extreme love, compassion, forgiveness and evangelism. Since the time of Christ we haven’t always gotten that right, but the example Jesus set endures.

Love – Jesus loved those who crucified Him.

Compassion – Jesus comforted the thief hanging on the cross next to him.

Forgiveness – Jesus begged his father, God, to forgive his executioners.

Evangelism – Jesus spoke to his followers and to his enemies about His mission to establish God’s new covenant of grace, love, mercy … and faith.

If every Christian were that resolved in these areas, it might be easier to evangelize without non-believers and confused believers thinking you’re a religious nut.

Thing is, if you believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and you trust Him as your Lord and Savior … well, you’re a fundamentalist. No, seriously … you are. And if you love your enemies, have compassion for others before yourself, forgive all wrongs, and tell others of your faith that Christ is the only way to eternal life (John 3:16, John 14:6) you’re a Christian extremist.

A couple of things will then happen. You will be at peace. You will have complete freedom. And the evangelizing part will still be rejected by many.

Just remember, the evangelizing is the easy part. Talk is cheap.

What those Christian extremists do in central India ain’t cheap.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes that few people are annoyed by love, compassion or forgiveness. It drives a lot of people nuts to be told Christ is the author of all three.