Christ is the Answer? What is the Question?

Years ago I preached in a small city where an evangelistic campaign was advertised by having the members of all the churches involved attach bumper stickers that proclaimed, "I Found It." After weeks of this a few wags applied a bumper sticker claiming, "I lost it."

I suppose the campaign was based on Jesus' words, "Seek and you shall find." But find what? The text mentions in a few verses later a narrow and demanding way that leads to life (Mt. 7:13-14). Why do I need that? To paraphrase Descartes, if I am reading this, am I not living? Actually no, not in the profoundest sense, I am just existing.

This universe was made by and is subject to a Holy God. His holiness is so profound he cannot partner with or have companionship with what is unholy. That gives me a problem, for I as all responsible humans have sinned. This separates me from God, so that the scriptures assess me as "dead" in sin. I am dead because I am separated from God who is the source of real life, that which culminates in eternal life. Eternal life? To live, not just exist, forever? Yes, to live, to thrive, to know joy and relationship to the Eternal God, to share in his doings forever! If that possibility exists, surely I want to know about it. And especially when the alternative is existence in eternal darkness, away from his comforting presence, with all the wicked and defiled who have ever cursed this earth with their existence, in what is called an eternal "death," in loathing, anguish, and absolutely no hope for the condition ever changing.

I am not sure what those people with the bumper stickers had found. The things of the Spirit are too profound and full of awe to be summed up in cheer leading slogans. But the Bible does tell us what we can find: God's provision for the forgiveness of the sins which separate us from Him. And that is not by God just saying, "Hey, you have some decent inclinations, I'll just overlook your sins." If he did that and took me into his fellowship, he would be in fellowship with what is defiled, and would no longer be Holy. That isn't going to happen. The gospel tells us how God punished sin and how we can acquire the benefit of that so that our sins can be set aside justly, enabling us to have "life abundantly," here and hereafter.

The religion of Christ is not just belonging to a "jivin'" church. It is about relation to God, living in harmony with him, and reverence in our assembled service as well as in our daily lives. It is about the joy of living in harmony with the purpose of the universe.

Want to know more? Let's talk. Come visit us (see our website: www.nwchurchofchrist.net), or leave us a note, or contact us by email: dalsmelser@aol.com