One of the consequences at the parsonage after our Wednesday Bible Study (WBS) has been the lively discussions that follow around our dinner table. This week it was the topic of hell as the fiery place of punishment. One of the quotes from C. S. Lewis made the point that God allows His creation to reject Him, or as we usually say it, we have free will. Our motto then, making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world ought to be well understood. The recent tragedy in France where over 80 people lost their lives points to free will as a deep-seated trait in our human nature. How we define or rationalize the actions that stem from it does not change the fact that self-determination is at work. We learn from Jeremiah 17:9 and Matthew 15:19 that at the root of our being is an incorrigible desire bent toward evil and rebellion against God. But this is precisely the reason why the Father sent the Son – to undo that heart and replace it with His Spirit. This is essential salvation. So, when we speak of the transformation of the world, what do we mean? What do we want to transform? Are we talking poverty, illness, war, injustice and hunger? All these for sure. However, we preach salvation in Jesus Christ because this is what changes the evil heart into a heart from which flow rivers of living waters, i.e. the Holy Spirit. This makes the disciple who can confront a selfish world. The theologian Jurgen Moltmann says that the causes of misery are no longer found in the inner attitudes of men, but have long been institutionalized. I could not disagree more. The spring for all human misery is but one, sin. To paraphrase a Jewish saying, “Change a heart and you change the world!”
“See You in Church”
August 1, 2016