“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow…”
Isaiah 1:18
In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says that all
clear thinking in the universe is based on two observable phenomena. First,
human beings all demonstrate, by word and deed, that they believe in an
objective, rule of right and wrong that they didn’t make up but that governs human
behavior and is employed by people when they disagree. Secondly, they knowingly
break that rule.
The response, “Well, nobody’s perfect”, perfectly
illustrates his point. The very idea of human imperfection, if rationally
approached, has ramifications that go to the heart of what it means to be
human. Rats may gnaw their way into your house and eat your food. But when they
do, the rats are just doing what rats do. As far as we can know, there is no evil
intent. The same can be said for every animal and plant, except one—mankind.
When people do us wrong their intent is weighed and
innocence or guilt of violating the rule of behavior is assessed. If a person walking
down a crowded aisle, into which my foot protrudes, trips over my foot, I will ask
to be excused (from wrongdoing) as I did not mean to trip them. Generally, a reasonable
person will agree there was no intent, and all is settled. However, if I
see another person coming and purposely extend my foot tripping them, that’s an
entirely different situation.
Now, enter our scripture. In weighing right and wrong,
whether we think about it or not, we are employing a standard against which to
measure. Since everything is not necessarily black and white to us, things are
seen as good, better, best and bad, worse, and worst. That is, we are using a
scale, and the scale has preferences. It is not a mindless scale, but a
scale designed by a mind based on a constant.
Christians call this mind, God. The top of the scale, the gold
standard, is God’s own perfection. Now, because God is love and seeks us to
join in a love-based relationship. It is God’s desire to elevate us to the divine
level at the top.
Knowing we are not perfect, God says let’s talk, get to know
each other, and have a relationship that will lift you up to share the divine
life. If you never hear the offer, you have an excuse for not responding (but
not for wrong behavior because that you do know.). If you hear the offer and
ignore it or reject it, you are without excuse.
It's not a choice between churches or personally held truths.
It is a choice to share the divine life or reject it. Sharing it is heaven,
standing apart from it is hell. There’s nothing blind about the choice, nothing
unreasonable, and nothing imaginary about it.
Accepting God’s offer doesn’t make a person perfect. It
starts them on a journey that leads there. It’s no easy road. Things can and do
go wrong. People lose direction and wander off the road. Some are always trying
to find shortcuts. Still others refuse to ask for directions.
Thomas (the doubting guy) once said to Jesus, “Lord we don’t
know where you are going, how can we know the way?”
The reply is memorable. “I am the way, the truth and the
life…” Which is the short answer to how to find God.
Mraantha
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