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Simply
Said – Clarinda Herald Journal – July 2007 What
a great idea: a small town newspaper hosting a column for community pastors to
share their thoughts. I’m certain that in the months ahead we’ll find many inspirational
and thought-provoking articles that, whether people agree with or not, will at
least spark some lively conversations. Speaking for myself, I consider it an
honor to participate in this forum, and I thank the staff at the Herald-Journal
for providing this opportunity. I
was intrigued by the column’s title: Simply Said. I thought to myself, “No one
has ever accused me of saying anything simply. People usually complain that I unnecessarily
complicate things.” Ah, well, there may be some truth to that; but the fact is
I do believe in keeping things simple—and yet at the same time, we need to
avoid over-simplifying things when discussing matters of faith. What
do I mean? To give just one example, simply said, there is no Christianity
without Christ. That may seem like a painfully obvious statement; but today
there’s so much generic talk about God.
I’m constantly hearing well-intentioned people say things like, “God
loves you”, “God forgives you”, “God will take care of you”, and “God has a
plan for you”; but who is this God they keep talking about? How does he love
you? How does he take care of you? Such trite, nonspecific statements about God
can make him seem rather distant and impersonal, so “up there and out there”
that he’s beyond all knowing. But
that isn’t the God we Christians worship. No, the only God we know is the one
revealed to us through the person of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who though he is
God yet for our sakes became a flesh and blood man. In Jesus Christ the
unknowable God became our human brother. God high above became “God with us”. And
it’s always through Jesus Christ that God deals with us. So, yes, God loves you
– he loves you in Jesus Christ whom he sent to save you. And yes, God forgives you – he forgives you
in Jesus who died for your sin. And yes,
God will take care of you – he’ll take care of you in Jesus through whom he’s
promised to answer your prayers. And
yes, God has a plan for you – he plans to bring you to eternal glory through
faith in Jesus Christ. Everything about the Christian faith is about Jesus
Christ. Sure, we need to speak simply; but not so simply that we forget who and
what it’s all about. Let’s keep Christ the focus of our faith because without
him there simply is no Christianity. Next
time I’m invited to write I’ll be explaining why, simply said, there is no
Christ without the cross. |
