Let God be God

We Christians are an arrogant single-minded lot.   We say god created everything.  Then in the same breath say only true believe Christians will be saved.   I am sorry if God created everything and he is the ultimate arbiter, then I am pretty sure that he can choose anyone he wants to enjoy his grace and his salvation and there is not one single thing humans can do about it.   On top of that if he created everything and everyone but as Christians tend to believe and push as the holy truth that only they will be saved, they are excluding Socrates, Aristotle, Buddha, and many other more worthy people than most Christians.  I think God will choose who he wants when he wants, and for whatever reason he wants. None of us can assume we know or that only those that believe as we do will matter. Let God be God and give Him praise for letting us even exist.

We Christians are also very fickle and a disagreeable group.  We have survived 2000 years despite ourselves.   We have turned Jesus into a Christian, but there was not a Christian religion did not exist in his time.  He was a Jew trying to reform his church.  We have forgotten many of his teachings while we are busy trying to force our version f his teaching on others.  We in the Christian world have become so fractured that we have no right to consider ourselves Christians.  We have spent so much time fighting over who understands the bible, Jesus’ teaching better, whose version is more accurate, what he really meant, that we have forgotten the simple thing of practicing his teachings.  We have killed our fellow man over believing the wrong way.  This proves we were not ready then, when mankind killed God’s son, nor ready now to live by his teachings.  Only God knows what God knows when it comes to what is acceptable and it is used to live by the simple messages of his son.  Let God be God and give Him praise for giving us his son’s teaching.

I think Christians have failed and just are afraid that they have failed.  We have forgotten what being a Christian means.  We have put ourselves above God in how we practice Christianity.   In the end we need to let God be God, and not read or assume we know beyond the teachings of his son.

Thought from being down in the rabbit hole

 Generally, on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings, I try to go walk the Labyrinth at a local church.  It is in a beautiful, treed setting so quiet and peaceful.  So easy to get into my own head.   I was thinking about commonalities that various things inside the different denominations have and I wondered, with so much in common why do we have such large spaces between each other in accepting beliefs.  Of course, this led my mind down the rabbit hole.   It occurred to me; Jesus was a reformer.  His original intent was to reform the Church of his people.  To take it back in some areas close to Moses and David and progressive in other areas.  Jesus did not intend to start a whole new religion.  The same can be said for Luther.  He did not intend to break away from the Catholics.  No, he wanted them to return to the roots of the belief in Christ and God and away from the Papacy.  He did not have an actual issue with the existence of the Papacy, but at that time in history, the Bishop of Rome was more powerful on Earth than Christ or God.  He felt that was wrong.  Calvin did not intend for a breakaway religion from Luther’s breakaway, but he saw issues in the dogma and doctrine that had drifted from what Lutheran had intended.  There is a reoccurring process here. 

Based on what I am seeing we are at an epoch again where someone will come forward and led us into a new direction in Christianity.  The problem I have is that it is going to be two people or groups and in two different directions.  This is dangerous for Christianity’s survival.  I hope and pray I am wrong.

Just a humble opinion and observation

A discourse by Jesus found in Luke.

 Today in an online church discussion group, humility came up.  It reminded me of another lesser-known of the discourses Jesus gave.  In scholarly settings, this is sometimes listed as a discourse and sometimes as "just a parable."  I think considering in anything less than a discourse and teaching lecture that has a parable as part of it is an injustice to Jesus' teaching.   So take the time to read through Luke 14.  All of this chapter equals the discourse.   Comments and discussion afterwards is gladly accepted and sought.

KJV Bible Verses from the Book of Luke

Chapter 14

14:1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

14:2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

14:3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

14:4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

14:5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

14:6 And they could not answer him again to these things.

14:7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.

14:8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

14:9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

14:10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

14:12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

14:13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

14:15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

14:17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

14:18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

14:19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

14:20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

14:21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

14:22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

14:24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

14:25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

14:29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

14:30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

14:31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

14:32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

14:34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

14:35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Thoughts on Salvation

 

Okay, I am going out on a limb and hope it starts a conversation and not a conflict.   I have heard and read about salvation. There is salvation through Grace alone, there is Salvation through Faith alone and there is Salvation through both Faith and Grace.   All of the reformers appear, to the best research I can do, to base their salvation theory’s on Augustine's writings on Paul or from Paul’s writings alone.

I struggle with this.  You see, I have no idea what God will ultimately do.  I am not one to assume based on 2000 years old inspired writings nor presume they still apply as originally intended since they were not intended for humanity to become what it has.  That is my internal battle.  

As I see it, no one, absolutely no one can speak for or to what God will do with or to us as our spirit/soul passes on.   We have all made assumptions on the importance of Grace and Faith.  We even make assumptions and arguments on what each of those means.  So, in deep reflection and prayer, I came to the only answer I can come to and works for me and how I understand all of this. 

 Live your life in such a way that you leave no doubt to God your holiness, grace, and faith is/was according to his word.   That way you remove worry about how others interpret and the argument over salvation because of grace and/or faith.    I have always believed life is to be lived for God’s glory, not for someone else’s determination of what God’s glory and love is.  You know inside if you are doing this.  So, do it: Live your life for God