"Who here is bad?"... The speaker surveyed the congregation with spoof solemnity. It was a typical Sunday morning, the "bit before the kids go out" at church. I must have been about 6. "Who here is bad?"... I knew all about sin. I'd had it explained to me, and everything, and quite frankly it seemed to make a lot of sense. Disobedience, lies, unkindness; I could think of lots of things that I had done which would make me sad if someone else did them to me. And it made me sad that I had done them, and I imagined it would make God sad too, going by what I knew of Him. So, naturally, I raised my hand. And everybody burst out laughing. "Oh, dear, dear", chuckled the speaker, "I'm sure you're not bad -- maybe naughty occasionally, but not bad". But nonetheless he summoned me up to the front, where I was made to hold a piece of paper emblazoned with that word in bubble letters as part of his interactive family-friendly warm-up act before the sermon.
I remember feeling acutely embarrassed to be the cause of so much mirth. But I also remember feeling indignant: my laughing audience were those same respected figures of adult authority who had taught me about sin to begin with. And now they were amused at me...for what? for taking them seriously? And why had they not put their hands up? Was all that stuff they told me empty talk to them, something they didn't quite believe enough to apply it to the reality of their lives? If so, what about the bits to do with Jesus, and forgiveness? -- the bits that enabled me to put my hand up to sin without fear of judgment (at least, not of God's judgement). Was that just talk as well, or was it real? It's hard for me to say to what extent this childhood memory is an accurate account of the occasion as opposed to an ingenious bit of re-framed sense-making narrative. But certainly it feels like a mini-milestone in my personal history -- an early realisation of the fallibility of adults and the importance of testing and discovering faith in Jesus for myself.
The other day, I came upon an online Christian 'comic' (think XKCD, where all the jokes have been removed and replaced with tenets of reformed theology) which troubled me a little. To quote this particular instalment:
Aargh, it doesn't do to be disdainful; I should check my attitudinal trajectory. After all, the comic maker probably primarily just wants people to encounter Jesus for themselves, and I am all for that. The Romans Road (even navigated at high speed) is not a path to be scorned if it leads (some) people there. And it is fair to say that the Bible is uncompromising about sin: there's that bit in Genesis alluded to above...
But I can't say the same for you. I know (and know of) some remarkable people. Chances are, if you are one of them, the bits I see of you are mostly beautiful, and awe-inspiring, and reminiscent to me of the fact that human beings were made originally in the image of our Creator. (Not to say that I don't recognise that image as broken -- but (at my 'best') that brokenness inspires compassion in me rather than disgust and (at my more frequent 'worst') at least a sense of remorse for my lack of due compassion).
So I don't think it's just social self-preservation, or lack of theological correctness, that makes me reticent to tell you "YOU ARE BAD". I also dispute that it is "the sickness that needs to be diagnosed before the cure makes any sense" -- because I happen to think that Jesus is amazing and real and radical and worth pursuing and investigating and encountering whether or not you consider yourself to be in "need" of him to begin with...
[1] Cue everybody's best Agent Smith impersonation...
* Thumbnail picture CC from Franco Folini on Flickr.
I remember feeling acutely embarrassed to be the cause of so much mirth. But I also remember feeling indignant: my laughing audience were those same respected figures of adult authority who had taught me about sin to begin with. And now they were amused at me...for what? for taking them seriously? And why had they not put their hands up? Was all that stuff they told me empty talk to them, something they didn't quite believe enough to apply it to the reality of their lives? If so, what about the bits to do with Jesus, and forgiveness? -- the bits that enabled me to put my hand up to sin without fear of judgment (at least, not of God's judgement). Was that just talk as well, or was it real? It's hard for me to say to what extent this childhood memory is an accurate account of the occasion as opposed to an ingenious bit of re-framed sense-making narrative. But certainly it feels like a mini-milestone in my personal history -- an early realisation of the fallibility of adults and the importance of testing and discovering faith in Jesus for myself.
The other day, I came upon an online Christian 'comic' (think XKCD, where all the jokes have been removed and replaced with tenets of reformed theology) which troubled me a little. To quote this particular instalment:
There's drawings, too, to remind you that it's a comic and not just corrective instruction. Apparently, SINFUL HUMAN NATURE is short and green with spiky hair and a scowl, and liberal, naive Christians who deny its existence look a bit like beatniks. And eventually the writer gets around to how great grace is and how we don't need to feel as miserable as he just tried to make us feel after all because of Jesus. It all feels a bit like barrelling down the Romans Road at 110 without bothering to stop for chapter-and-verse.YOU AND I ARE BAD.Do you feel OK saying that?Somehow this Biblical truth has become unpopular, even taboo…even in some Christian circles.Start reading at the beginning of the Bible and you'll get 6 chapters in before learning that mankind had become so utterly dirty and corrupt that God regretted creating us.Because we're bad.Why did the perfect Son of God have to endure the wrath of God the Father so reconciliation between God and man could be a possibility?Because we're bad.We're born as the offspring of Adam, with corrupt hearts that don't want anything to do with God.This is the fallen state of mankind; the sickness that needs to be diagnosed before the cure will make any sense. [1]
Aargh, it doesn't do to be disdainful; I should check my attitudinal trajectory. After all, the comic maker probably primarily just wants people to encounter Jesus for themselves, and I am all for that. The Romans Road (even navigated at high speed) is not a path to be scorned if it leads (some) people there. And it is fair to say that the Bible is uncompromising about sin: there's that bit in Genesis alluded to above...
"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart." (Genesis 6:5-6)...and that popular memory verse in Romans which arguably makes for a pretty good précis of the good news about Jesus...
"For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:22-24)...among many other examples. And yet, I'm not sure I do feel entirely "OK" saying "YOU AND I ARE BAD" -- at least, not in capital letters, uninvited, in your average conversational scenario. I will happily, as evidenced already, hold up my hand to being "bad" myself: I peer into my heart from time-to-time and have a hint at least of just how messy it can get in there. In fact, for me that's one of the reasons for taking the Bible seriously to begin with -- it seems to have a pretty good handle on what I'm like.
But I can't say the same for you. I know (and know of) some remarkable people. Chances are, if you are one of them, the bits I see of you are mostly beautiful, and awe-inspiring, and reminiscent to me of the fact that human beings were made originally in the image of our Creator. (Not to say that I don't recognise that image as broken -- but (at my 'best') that brokenness inspires compassion in me rather than disgust and (at my more frequent 'worst') at least a sense of remorse for my lack of due compassion).
So I don't think it's just social self-preservation, or lack of theological correctness, that makes me reticent to tell you "YOU ARE BAD". I also dispute that it is "the sickness that needs to be diagnosed before the cure makes any sense" -- because I happen to think that Jesus is amazing and real and radical and worth pursuing and investigating and encountering whether or not you consider yourself to be in "need" of him to begin with...
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. (John 1:14-18)If there is a chance that you yourself are "bad" -- that you are one of the "sick in need of a physician" whom Jesus speaks about with such compassion (e.g. in Matthew 9:9-13), what better way to find out than by daring to approach him...
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." (John 12:44-46)In summary: JESUS IS GOOD. Now, there is a statement worth capitalising.
[1] Cue everybody's best Agent Smith impersonation...
* Thumbnail picture CC from Franco Folini on Flickr.
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