I believe in a God who _______.

I don't know what word you would use to fill in the blank, maybe you don't even believe in a God. For me, there are so many words to choose from but sitting here, feeling inspired by the sermon this morning, I'll pick only six - 'saved us from ALL our sins'. Two words are key amongst these six and they are 'saved' (past simple - Jesus has died and has risen and is alive now) and 'ALL' (in capitals because it means every single one, 100%, past, present and future sins). Grasp the true meaning of this and it should completely transform our view of God, ourselves and other people. Sometimes I think we live as though we believe in a God who saved us from SOME of our sins. OK Jesus died for me on the cross, but I still have to work my way to heaven. I still live as though my good deeds will count. The truth of the gospel is so far removed from this it is mind-blowingly offensive yet staggeringly beautiful news. Before I share a verse from the Bible that helps explain this (one of many), I wanted to share something that I reflected on earlier this morning.

Over the last eight years I have been receiving emails through my Hotmail account, and during this time have only deleted junk or unwanted emails (don't ask me why). This means that I have a stored inbox of emails dating back to late 2005. Why do I mention this? It is because pre-June (approx) 2006, I would not have called myself a Christian and certainly would have been unable to fill in the blank on this blog-post. An email I sent to my Christianity Explored leaders reveals something of what was going on in my mind (and heart) at this time:

Hello! How are you? Its Jon here from your Christianity explored group.
Thank you once again for all the advice and help that you have given me over
the last few weeks on the course. I am very thankful to you and Laura. My
main questions are all based around the same theme and are partly to do with
my lack of knowledge over the Bible. I have spent alot of my time studying
science and evolution (particularly human evolution) and I have always been
used to looking at physical evidence e.g. fossils, and base a lot of my
beliefs on what I can see and touch.

Although I have been brought up around Christianity I have never thought
about what that actually means. I used to go to church and didn't really
think about what I was singing or reading off the sheet. I've only recently
had the opportunity to learn about Christianity. I hope you don't mind me
giving you this background info. Here are some of my main questions. I feel
like I am getting closer to some answers and realise that I can never know
everything.

Who wrote Genesis and when was it written?

Did the people in Genesis 5 really live for hundreds of years?

Can a Christian believe that evolution was a tool used by God?

Some of the oldest Homo sapien fossils have been dated to over 150,000
years, could Adam and Eve have been part of that small group in Africa?

Can we trust Matthew, Mark, Luke and John's words?

Why did Jesus command people not to tell others of his miracles? e.g. Mark
5:43, 7:36. wouldn't it have strengthened peoples belief in him?

 I hope that you don't mind looking at these questions, I understand that
some of them are very difficult to answer. I don't want to put any pressure
on you. I'm sure I could think of some more. Thanks for taking the time to
read this e-mail. I might see you on Sunday, however I am viewing a house in
Gloucester at 14:30 so might not make it back in time. If I don't see you
Sunday have a good weekend and I will see you next Tuesday. Thanks again!

Regards,
Jon  

What strikes me most about this email is that I have completely missed the point of Christianity. Not to say that questions are irrelevant. It is important to think and ask 'why?' questions (I still do). Also not to say that you have to dismiss science in order to be a Christian. But what I mean, is that I had very much a 'doing things to know God' version of Christianity in mind.  Yet, after hearing the gospel, the news that I am a sinner (I push God out of my life and live as though he's not there), the consequence, I deserve his anger and punishment (death), yet God still loves me, so much so that he would send a saviour into the world, his only Son to die for me. Suddenly the song of my heart is fixed upon a different tune. There is a God - who saved me - from ALL my sins. Looking back, I can now see that it is realising this truth and believing in Jesus that makes the above email seem so far removed from my current experience. It is not that my questions are unimportant, it is that I have found someone vastly more important. The BIG IF that underlines everything is - IF Jesus is who he says he is, why do you still not believe?

There are many Bible verses to choose from but I think Paul says it just right in his letter to the Colossians when he said:

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

Speaking to believers Paul says 'you were' alienated - but now 'he has' reconciled you - and how? By my effort? By my good works? By my achievements? No, 'by Christ's physical body'.

There is nothing I need to do, there is nothing I can do except believe in God's one and only Son. The one who saved us from ALL our sins. I now know that on the 19th May 2005 when I sent the above email, this was the truth that I was missing. I always assumed that if there was a God, knowing him was all about my performance, and that one day he would weigh up the good and bad and say either yep your in, or no go to hell. This however is not the Christian message! Even if I did try, try and try again, I would never be able to reach God's standards, he is perfect and holy. Yet there was one person who did, Jesus. It was Jesus, who in his perfection and sinlessness, took my sin (ALL of it) and suffered the consequence of it, death. And to prove that the debt I owed was paid in full, he rose from the dead. He did all this to present me holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. 

The wonderful news of knowing that I have been saved from ALL my sin, is that there is now nothing left for me to do to be saved, I am free to love God, serve God and love and serve others. Ever so slowly, by God's grace, I am seeing that because I have nothing to prove to God I also have nothing to prove to other people, and what a remarkable remedy this is. God knows me completely and yet he still accepts me in Christ Jesus. He has freed me up to live for him alone and with this glorious news I should be truly thankful! 

Cable car fun!

 



More cable car fun!