In response to the Spiritual Reflections column of October 18:
True, Jesus did not say, “Whatever. If it feels good do it.” But what he did say was, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18, ESV).
That is not the language of the progressive but of the redemptive.
Jesus did usher a radical, counter cultural call to the people of his day and to all the people who would come after. But it was not a call to move forward beyond the reach of God’s word, to press on to a place they had not yet arrived. His was a call to return to a place they had left behind, to a relationship with God they had long since abandoned in favor of a religion that satisfied their own personal interest and cultural inclinations. He did not push them forward. He called them back.
Jesus did not call people to an ideal, he called them to himself, to a relationship with God through faith in himself. He called then and he calls now for people to understand and embrace the nature and purpose of his life and death and subsequent resurrection. God did not take on human flesh to change culture but to change hearts. He is not merely trying to make the world a better place to live by advocating lifestyle changes and behavior modification but to make the people of the world better from the inside out by setting them free through faith from the effect of sin and the perpetual slavery to the fear of death that accompanies the guilt that accompanies sin.
There is vast difference between the results of a call to a progressive lifestyle and the call to faith in Christ. The first will get you celebrated and honored. The latter will get you crucified and buried. The first may make life more palatable but leave you in your sins and subject to judgment. The latter will confront your sin, challenge your assumptions, change your heart, and give you eternal life.
You are always free to choose. Remember though that life is more than the 70 years or 80 years we live on the face of the planet, and your choice will have eternal implications. Choose wisely.
Pastor Dale McIntire
Cornerstone Community Church
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