Christianity is confusing

Christianity is confusing.  If you haven't bought into Christianity, you might say this is obvious to you—so many things about it seem to defy human reasoning. But let’s put aside all of the secondary things that trouble you and get to the heart of the matter.

Christian judgment seems backwards
We live in a world in which you are judged and accepted based on performance. Are you beautiful? Kind? Are you talented? Hard-working? Honest? Smart? Creative? Rich? Loving? Someone known for saying and doing the right thing? In our society, it doesn’t matter which route you take to justify your existence. Just do what makes you feel good and everyone should accept you if you’ve done the best you can with what you have, right? But here is what Christianity says:

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

Christ died... for the ungodly...??? Not the talented, nor the beautiful, not the smart, hard-working, rich, or creative, but the ungodly?  Let me get this straight. Christianity says that God, an omniscient, infinitely powerful and righteous being of infinite worth, came into our little world, lived a perfect life, and then voluntarily gave up his life… not for the winners, but for the losers? The failures? The bad guys? I could go on, but I think the point is clear—why would anyone sign up for that?

As my old high school history teacher, Jim Owen put it, “They take everybody.”

How would judgment look in your case?
Now, you might be thinking to yourself: “I get it. Some people need this sort of thing. But not me—I'm doing just fine.” But let me ask you to do a thought experiment (props to Francis Schaeffer for this illustration):

Consider all of the things you say everyone should do and all of the things you say no one should do. Let’s not talk about the standards of the bible or any major world religion. Just think about the things you believe. Now, let’s say there is an invisible recorder around your neck.  It only records what you say about how people ought to live, as well as what you actually think, say, and do, both in public and private, and during your entire life.

Fast forward to “judgment day.” Let’s say there is a God, and your "case number" is called.  God says, "I will judge you only on the basis of your own words.”  Then God removes that recorder from your neck and hits the play button. How would you do?

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Rom. 2:1-3

My Case
I don’t know about you, but I’ll take the route that tells me the truth about myself and yet, gives me hope outside of myself.  I'll take the route that prevents me from feeling better than anyone else when I know I'm no better.  I'll put God's grace up against anything else—career, money, power, moralism, intelligence, romance—just give me grace.

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” - Acts 17:30-31 

Still confused?  Here's a suggestion.  Go to a church where the gospel is preached.  Find a church where the people don't just say, "God hates sin," but go to a place where people can say, "...while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Talk to those people.  Not sure where to look?  Here's my shameless plug: if you're near Columbus on Easter, come and check out our church:

Our Desperate Need for God

"For in him we live, and move, and have our being."

 

These are the words of Paul the apostle, speaking to the men of Athens who were quite religious, as they had objects of worship to many different gods. However, it appears that they were aware that they were still missing something on some level even though they could never quite find out what exactly it was. Paul is explaining to them that what they are missing is that the one God who created the world is the same God who gives men everything they have and is the One who is "not far from any of them." Today I want to look at the implications of that statement because if Paul is correct, it means that God is so much more then what people often think of him. It means that he is more than a being who sits back and watches his creation. It means that he is more than some impersonal force that we must appease to secure our future well being. It means that he is much closer than we might have ever imagined, yea even so much closer than we would dare to think. Because if it is true that we live, move, and exist in Him then it is also true that we need him, oh so desperately need him, even "need him as our body never needed food or air, need him as our soul never hungered after joy, or peace, or pleasure." Need him so desperately that it might just terrify us to see the extent of it.

 

But if that is true, then why don't we feel it? Why do so many of us seem to get along "just fine" without him? I will submit to you that we don't feel it because we have lost our sensitivity to it. We have turned to other things that seem to satisfy our needs, that make us feel safe and secure, that make us feel adequate in ourselves. I am reminded of the story of Dorian Gray. A man who hid his soul in a picture in the attic. A man who appeared perfect, while inwardly he was rotting away. A man who could refrain from facing his true condition by never venturing into the recesses of his house. A man who could be oblivious to his deepest needs because they were buried from his sight.

 

In a way, we can choose to do the same. We can bury our need for God deep within the recesses of our being. We can focus on the superficial aspects of life. We can ignore the need for long enough to come to the conclusion that we don't even have it. But if Paul is correct then that need is there. A need that is not only relegated to some future event but a need that is with us at every moment. A need that supersedes our need for food, for air; a need that consists in existence itself. A need that Jesus Christ came to reveal and lives forever to satisfy. I will submit to you that our purpose is to recognize this need, even to come to know and experience this need - to learn more and more just how desperately we need our God. I would say that this is a taste of what Jesus meant when he said that the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength."