So we're still in John 14, and Greg said some wonderful things this morning about the Lord. He talked about the exclusivity of Christ's claims, and how the world takes issue with them- or conveniently overlooks them- and the logical fallacies that ensue. He channelled the beloved CS Lewis when discussing a popular saying that encompasses the 'convenient overlooking'- "I like Jesus, I just really don't like the church...." [Sidenote: ya don't HAVE to like "the church" as an institution; it's quite ok if you don't! In fact, many Christians don't like "the church" as an institution, either!] Anyway, Greg talked about how you can't "like" Jesus, if you're paying any attention to His claims. That is, you either worship Him, or think He's crazy. But when the whole deal is closely examined, there really isn't a middle ground.
Further, Greg called the church- and Christians- on the carpet for being arrogant. And it's true, we often are, and that's ugly. But I loved what Greg points out: Christianity is the ONLY religion which has NO right to be arrogant. That is to say, we don't get ANY credit. Christ did everything FOR us. There is no fumbling toward moral perfection, or seeking ultimate 'godhood,' or any pats on the back for 'being a good person.' Are we called to work on ourselves as human beings and take responsibility for our actions, etc? Of course. Called to 'be more Christlike, with the guidance of the Spirit?' Yep. But within the context of the gospel, I did not "do something impressive to earn the title of Christian." All I get credit for is believing.
And speaking of believing, so many people take issue with the exclusivity of Christianity. But the thing is, if you really take a close look at ANY religion or worldview, you'll hit a point somewhere down the road that it becomes exclusive. Ya can't believe "everything," cuz that is contradictory. If there exists any truth at all, then it follows that there are, therefore, un-truths. And here's what Greg said that I got SUCH a kick out of- Christianity is really the most *inclusive* of all the exclusive systems. Why? Because everyone's invited. One simple instruction: Believe. All of this has already been done for you, God ALREADY loves you and ALREADY wants you for eternity. Just believe that. "But why does there have to be a story of redemption to begin with? I mean, why would God create a world that He would then have to go back and 'fix' with the resurrection?" Well, cuz He gave us a choice. As a perfect Being, He can't abide *imperfection, but He loves us, so He paid the price Himself. -And DON'T think that sacrificial redemption is strictly a Judeo-Christian concept. Because the entire history of spirituality is littered with it- as well, with the concept that humans aren't perfect, and that this imperfection needs to be addressed- whether that be legally or spiritually/existentially. Point being, the idea of addressing our short-comings with sacrifical redemption is not JUST "internally cogent" to the Christian narrative-- it's universal.
And so, back to God. He paid the ticket. Cuz He loves us. But He won't *make us choose Him. So like I said, sure it's exclusive. But how much, really? Everyone's invited, and the only think asked of you is to believe. "So, all the God of Christianity is asking me to do, is believe that Christ is the Messiah?" -Yep. "Riiiight. What about all that other stuff that's associated with Christianity, then.?" -Well sure, we're called to do all sorts of things. And sometimes we don't do them. Or worse, sometimes we get deluded into believing that our worth as individuals (or more accurately, as immortal spiritual beings) is DEPENDENT upon those things. Then we get bossy and insecure....and arrogant and judgmental..... Oops. There we go, again. The thing is, if you truly believe in your heart of hearts that you HAVE a debt- and that it's already PAID- then a lot of those other trappings tend to fall into place quite naturally, out of gratitude and humility.
Let me draw you an analogy. First, put into your mind that quote from Christ, "I am the bread of life." -So, ok. As a human being, I ought to do lots of things. I should go to work, pay my bills, be nice to my friends and family, keep some semblance of cleanliness in my apartment, get some sleep, bathe once in awhile, and I should probably eat. -Actually, at the lowest common denominator, I as a physiological organism must first and foremost, EAT. Everything falls behind that (even sleep, if you consider that, at some point, your body will MAKE you sleep, but it can't MAKE you eat). That other stuff is very important too, but we MUST eat to stay alive and DO those things. -Ok, so back to my quote. "I am the bread of life." -As a spiritual being, God's top priority for you is to really believe that He is truly, deeply, and intimately crazy about you- moreso than the most devout lover. And He manifests that love in the personhood of Christ. See what I did there? We must eat. Christ is the bread of life. Again, all that other stuff (whether it be the functions of a modern human, or the functions of a Christian) is important, too. But first, "eat." And by that, I mean believe in the fantastic love that an infinite- yet personal- God is wanting to show you (and really already is, whether you recognize it or not).
So to bring the wheel full-circle, yeah Christianity is exclusive. And Christians can be jerks, just like everyone else. It's really not possible to be human without being a jerk sometimes. And it's not possible to construct a worldview isn't exclusive in one way or another. But with Chistianity, everyone's invited, no matter what. No matter what. He just wants you to believe. That sounds to me like a pretty sweet deal.
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