Friday Thoughts

Two quick thoughts today.

Lent

Last night I had dinner (Drunken Man Noodles, delicious) with  two of my friends who knew me before I became a Christian.  I really do miss hanging out with them (I had not yet seen them in 2012) and I had a great time.  Whenever we get together these days they’ll  typically ask me a few questions about how the “Jesus game” is going.   Last night I got a question that I wasn’t ready to answer and I think I missed out on an opportunity to share the message of Jesus.

The question was simply, “What are you giving up for lent?”   

My answer was an abrupt, “I don’t do that.”  

The conversation continued, and I missed out on sharing a truth with my friends.   The idea of “giving up something for lent”  is not a bad one.   It is, however, a religious ritual that does not show up in the Bible.    In other words, it’s a practice created by humans as a way to honor God.  

I don’t have a problem with Christians who do it, so long as it is not looked at as a requirement to please God, or to be a good Christian.   The reason why I do not take part in the practice is because, for me, it is already a struggle to separate the idea of the grace of God saving me just because he loves me and wants to, and the idea of me trying to earn God loves through good behavior.  I see no reason to further complicate and blur these two totally opposed ideas in my life by partaking in rituals like these.

I cannot stress this enough.  The Bible teaches that there is NOTHING you can do to earn favor in God’s eyes.    Living a “good” life is worthless when held to the standard of perfection….the requirement for heaven.  Faith  in Jesus, the real Jesus who lived and died and rose from the dead, is the only way to God.  Lent has nothing to do with it at all.   Not even a tiny bit.

That’s the answer I wish I had last night.

Calvinism Debate

Lately I have been reading some books about the theological merits of Calvinism and Arminianism.   In the interest of full disclosure, I tend towards the Calvinist side of the debate and as I read Arminian theology I tend to aggressively question everything in my mind to the point where sometimes I find myself physically shaking my head  involuntarily at the more vexing statements. 

This morning after a particularly confusing reading session I was transferring  at the subway station from Union Square from the N/R line to the 4/5 to Grand Central, all the while trying to make sense of what I had just read, and there was a street preacher.    He was ranting and raving in the usual street preacher style, but this morning he had a message that seemed directed at me.  His voice reached an urgent and forceful pitch:

“What’s there to argue about?   What is there?    There is one message people!   The message is that Jesus Christ died for you sins.  He died and rose again, for you and me.   Why are we dividing our churches…what’s left to argue about?”

Now I do think theology is worth talking about.   After all, if you ask Mormons if Christ died for our sins, they would say yes, and they are not Christians.  Theological distinctions are important to hash out.  At the same time  I think this guy has a good point.   There’s no sense in getting worked up about so many things that that Bible doesn’t speak of as essential.   Lets instead spend our energy and emotion on figuring out how to spread the true message of salvation to a world that desperately needs to hear it. 

That message is Jesus.  Jesus is God.   He lived among us and he died on a cross as payment for the sins of the world.   He resurrected  (he physically came back to life) on the third day.  He did this that whoever believes in him will not die in their sins….but will live forever in heaven.    Let’s use our time spreading this message and arguing against messages that deviate from this. 

Besides, it is this point that is everything.   What’s left to argue about?