I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentence. Luke 15:7

RECOMMENDED READING: LUKE 15:1-7: “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.² And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.³ And he spake this parable unto them, saying,⁴ What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?⁵ And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.⁶ And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.⁷ I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

COMMENTS:  Last year an Olympic doctor was convicted for sexually molesting underaged Olympic contestants under his care.  One of his accusers, who testified during his trial gave a statement at his sentencing.   She said the only way to judge evil is to hold to a standard to judge good.  God provides the standard for good we then can judge evil.  Scripture tells us only Christ lived a perfect life so we should only use His example to judge a perfect life.  We tend to imitate those we respect and look up to.  A teacher or pastor or Sunday school teacher or older brother or sister or parent or grandparent or ….   For some it is a gang leader or someone unworthy of their admiration.  But even those who are good role models, they all still fall short of living Christ’s example. 

Truth is, if we think we are living Christ’s example or know some who appear to, then we do not have a clear idea of what a “perfect example” looks like.  The closer we get to Christ, the more we discover of Him and His perfect Goodness and then realize how far short of that example we still are living.  That may sound depressing or defeating but is really good news.  Not because we will always fall short of Christ’s example while in our human bodies, but because we are forgiven and in fellowship with Christ, we are free from judgment but also free to grow and continue to grow and progress towards His perfection while on earth.

When we get to heaven, we will be free from influence of sin and satan’s temptations but also free to be perfect like Christ.   Then we will see Him clearly and be with Him and fellowship with Him without constraints and limits. 

All religions have a god they worship.  A god who gives them a sense of right and wrong but only Christ showed us His perfect example of Good the support and clarify His definition and instruction given in Old Testament scripture.  Only He then added to scripture but showing us the impact, His example and instruction made in the lives of those who accepted and lived by His Grace.

The gods of other religions still demonstrated by their teaching, evil as judged by Christ’s example and teaching.  Most religions recognize Jesus as a great prophet and good man but none, except for Christianity, recognize Him as God.  Yet He tells us He is the only way to the Father and the only way to heaven.   In today’s society we are told to be inclusive and accept other religions as being as valid as our Christian Faith.  Accepting others and respecting their freedom of choice is being inclusive. But accepting their faith and beliefs as being valid is denying our own faith and denying our Savior.  By denying Christ as the only way to heaven, we are calling Him a liar and failing to show His love and His open offer of redemption to all.  We are failing to do what He commanded us to do prior to His ascension to heaven.

Jesus did not condone sinful behavior of others nor did He avoid or isolate Himself from them.  He did indeed show love and compassion towards them while also showing them the error of their ways and guiding them to a better way, God’s way.   So how do we accept people without condoning their behavior or wrong beliefs?  We do so the same way Christ did.  We show by example and by offering a better way when asked or open to receive.  If they are not, we can still show compassion and kindness.  We live in an increasingly unkind world where people are inconsiderate and mean to each other.  But Jesus told us to treat others like we want treated (Matthew 7:12), which is commonly called the “Golden Rule”.  Even non-Christians and people of other beliefs and faiths and religions accept the Golden Rule as a valid way to live and a good rule to follow.  They simply are not ready or willing to embrace all of Jesus’ teachings.  That is where you and I come in.  It is our job to show them by example so they will be more willing and curious to explore more of Jesus’ teachings.  It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict and motive others to want to accept His forgiveness and redemption, but is ours to show them the way and to disciple them and guide them to a deeper lifelong walk with Him going forward.  That is the true definition of “inclusion”, not accepting their beliefs as being as true as ours.  Do you see the difference? 

Well, we are living in a world increasingly intolerant of Christians but demanding us to be tolerant as they define it.  They demand us to tolerate others beliefs without them tolerating ours.  God doesn’t promise us fairness or even justice while on earth, but does promise us a home in heaven and justice long-term.  As we look in scripture, we see those faithful to God who were treated unfairly for a time, but redemption and justice finally was given to them as God had promised. We can rely on and be encouraged and rely on God’s promises for us too, knowing we will win even if we must endure injustice and hardship for a time.  Remember, 100 years from now, it will be worth any sacrifice to be found faithful to Him.   AMEN?  AMEN!!!   

We may not be able to achieve perfection while on earth, but we can make much progress to that goal, resulting in doing much good and opening many opportunities to witness and making an eternal difference in the lives of others.  Christ dreams of us becoming more like Him and His Holy Spirit is ready and near by to empower and inspire and council and protect us towards that goal.  He has our best interest at heart, so we need to make His plans and dreams ours too.  That means surrendering our dreams and goals to Him so He can either modify them to reflect His or replace ours with His.                                                                                                                                                 I was a sinner, but now I’m free, / His wondrous grace has rescued me.
Lida S. Leech, in her hymn, “He Rescued Me”

 

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