DECENT PEOPLE
Isn’t it true that most people are decent? Decent, as defined in the dictionary, means “conformed to the current standards of behavior; good enough; acceptable.” Even though most of the people in the news have gone out of the bounds of what we call normal and even though most of the characters in novels, plays, TV and cinema are at least dysfunctional, (in order to provide an interesting story), most of the real people around us are decent.
There are more terrorists per capita in Iraq than in most other countries, but truly, most of the people who live there are termed "decent people.” I always thought I was decent; and my mom and dad and extended family; even the neighbors. I don’t think I have ever been physically exposed to a murderer or a prostitute or a child abuser in my whole 64 years of life.
Fifty years ago, when I was an atheist, it was brought to me that maybe I was good enough to go to heaven when I died. I didn’t know much about the subject, being biblically illiterate, and I figured I was decent and probably would pass God’s inspection (if there was a God.)
Oh, I know that even decent people have a dark side. Some nice women are horrors when you get them angry. Some men are known to fantasize about other women when the mood strikes them but they would never be unfaithful. And children can be pretty bratty and spoiled but when they turn 25 they change almost overnight into hard-working, soft-spoken, courteous adults whom their teachers would never recognize. They were decent after all.
You can imagine my surprise, then, when I found out that decency won’t get us into heaven!!
You have to be better than decent. You have to be perfect. Yeah. It’s stated quite clearly in the Bible. Many of the world’s religions have rejected that idea and even some so-called Christian ones have done so. But I would guess that if you want to know something about the Judeo-Christian God and his requirements for being included in his program for eternity, you really ought to read the book his closest followers wrote about it. Moses, Isaiah, Paul, John, they all knew quite a bit about the Judeo-Christian God’s mind and they were among the many who contributed to the Bible. The Bible itself says that it was written by God, actually, using the brains and hands of the human writers. It says God moved them and inspired them to write what is there so we humans would know in black and white, exactly what is in God's mind. It’s quite clear, too, what God is saying in the Bible.
He says that sin is not only horrendous. It is sometimes “decent.” God says that as far as he is concerned a man who fantasizes about a woman is as guilty as one who cheats on his wife. Now, you may not agree, but God is the person who holds the keys to our eternity. After we die, we are pretty vulnerable. We have no defenses or escapes. We are at God’s mercy, so I think it is wise to pay attention to what he thinks.
Some other “decent” sins are things like shirking responsibilities, being addicted to food, telling white lies, disobeying traffic laws, leaving work early or sleeping on the job, or bringing ”things” (small bits of company property) home. Saying things behind people’s backs, repeating rumors, “using” and manipulating people. The list is long and everybody does these things. Decent people do them.
“Who, me? You say I am going to hell? Oh, come on. I don’t sin! Aren’t you being a little extreme? Aren’t you being simplistic?” No, no, no, no, no. I am not saying anything. It is the Bible that is saying it and therefore it is God who is saying it. I didn’t like it either when I heard it. It took me awhile to accept it. I struggled for quite awhile. Had lots of objections.
The basic message of the gospel, the good news that Christ’s apostles took to the world is that all those little white sins, as well as the big evil slimy ones are enough to keep all of humankind out of heaven. It says there is none who is righteous, no, not one. Think of that. Out of all the decent people on this earth, not one is righteous and Christ said that you have to be more righteous than a Pharisee to get into the Kingdom of God. He also said that the Pharisees would not make it either. So, where does that leave us? Without God and with no hope.
But the gospel is good news. The surprise is that when Jesus Christ died on the cross all those white sins, all the drippy, oozing, rotten ones and all the Hitler-sized ones were laid on him and he took God’s punishment for them there in the three hours of darkness that the Bible talks about on that evil Friday afternoon. He took mine and yours and everybody’s The only thing he asks in return is that we believe in him.
Believing in Christ. This is not believing about Christ. Some people don’t even do that but the Devil does. He believes. But he doesn’t believe IN Christ. If we are watching an action film and Bruce Willis is going to attempt to rescue a dying girl from a crashing airliner, he asks the police to believe in him. Not about him. They believe he is there. They can see him and touch him. But he wants them to believe in him. Believe he can deliver what he has promised.
Unlike Bruce Willis, Jesus Christ is really able to deliver everything he promised. And he promised a lot. He promised forgiveness of all my sins, adoption of me as a son of God and a glorious future beyond the present world and time-frame in eternity. He can deliver all that. He also promised condemnation and punishment to those who oppose or don’t believe in him. And he can deliver that too!
Jesus said that whoever believes in him shall be saved; rescued; from the penalty for their white sins and their greasy, filthy, foul-smelling ones too. He says all we have to do is believe in his ability to deliver. Believe that he is the Son of God and that God has raised him from the dead.
Tonight, when you are quiet in your bed. Before you go to sleep, why not do this: Ask quietly, as one would do in a prayer, maybe silently within yourself, if I am right. Say something like, “God, are you really out there? And if you are, is the guy who wrote this paper right about you? Should I read the Bible and learn more perfectly what you think about my decency?” See what happens. Can’t hurt, right?
There are more terrorists per capita in Iraq than in most other countries, but truly, most of the people who live there are termed "decent people.” I always thought I was decent; and my mom and dad and extended family; even the neighbors. I don’t think I have ever been physically exposed to a murderer or a prostitute or a child abuser in my whole 64 years of life.
Fifty years ago, when I was an atheist, it was brought to me that maybe I was good enough to go to heaven when I died. I didn’t know much about the subject, being biblically illiterate, and I figured I was decent and probably would pass God’s inspection (if there was a God.)
Oh, I know that even decent people have a dark side. Some nice women are horrors when you get them angry. Some men are known to fantasize about other women when the mood strikes them but they would never be unfaithful. And children can be pretty bratty and spoiled but when they turn 25 they change almost overnight into hard-working, soft-spoken, courteous adults whom their teachers would never recognize. They were decent after all.
You can imagine my surprise, then, when I found out that decency won’t get us into heaven!!
You have to be better than decent. You have to be perfect. Yeah. It’s stated quite clearly in the Bible. Many of the world’s religions have rejected that idea and even some so-called Christian ones have done so. But I would guess that if you want to know something about the Judeo-Christian God and his requirements for being included in his program for eternity, you really ought to read the book his closest followers wrote about it. Moses, Isaiah, Paul, John, they all knew quite a bit about the Judeo-Christian God’s mind and they were among the many who contributed to the Bible. The Bible itself says that it was written by God, actually, using the brains and hands of the human writers. It says God moved them and inspired them to write what is there so we humans would know in black and white, exactly what is in God's mind. It’s quite clear, too, what God is saying in the Bible.
He says that sin is not only horrendous. It is sometimes “decent.” God says that as far as he is concerned a man who fantasizes about a woman is as guilty as one who cheats on his wife. Now, you may not agree, but God is the person who holds the keys to our eternity. After we die, we are pretty vulnerable. We have no defenses or escapes. We are at God’s mercy, so I think it is wise to pay attention to what he thinks.
Some other “decent” sins are things like shirking responsibilities, being addicted to food, telling white lies, disobeying traffic laws, leaving work early or sleeping on the job, or bringing ”things” (small bits of company property) home. Saying things behind people’s backs, repeating rumors, “using” and manipulating people. The list is long and everybody does these things. Decent people do them.
“Who, me? You say I am going to hell? Oh, come on. I don’t sin! Aren’t you being a little extreme? Aren’t you being simplistic?” No, no, no, no, no. I am not saying anything. It is the Bible that is saying it and therefore it is God who is saying it. I didn’t like it either when I heard it. It took me awhile to accept it. I struggled for quite awhile. Had lots of objections.
The basic message of the gospel, the good news that Christ’s apostles took to the world is that all those little white sins, as well as the big evil slimy ones are enough to keep all of humankind out of heaven. It says there is none who is righteous, no, not one. Think of that. Out of all the decent people on this earth, not one is righteous and Christ said that you have to be more righteous than a Pharisee to get into the Kingdom of God. He also said that the Pharisees would not make it either. So, where does that leave us? Without God and with no hope.
But the gospel is good news. The surprise is that when Jesus Christ died on the cross all those white sins, all the drippy, oozing, rotten ones and all the Hitler-sized ones were laid on him and he took God’s punishment for them there in the three hours of darkness that the Bible talks about on that evil Friday afternoon. He took mine and yours and everybody’s The only thing he asks in return is that we believe in him.
Believing in Christ. This is not believing about Christ. Some people don’t even do that but the Devil does. He believes. But he doesn’t believe IN Christ. If we are watching an action film and Bruce Willis is going to attempt to rescue a dying girl from a crashing airliner, he asks the police to believe in him. Not about him. They believe he is there. They can see him and touch him. But he wants them to believe in him. Believe he can deliver what he has promised.
Unlike Bruce Willis, Jesus Christ is really able to deliver everything he promised. And he promised a lot. He promised forgiveness of all my sins, adoption of me as a son of God and a glorious future beyond the present world and time-frame in eternity. He can deliver all that. He also promised condemnation and punishment to those who oppose or don’t believe in him. And he can deliver that too!
Jesus said that whoever believes in him shall be saved; rescued; from the penalty for their white sins and their greasy, filthy, foul-smelling ones too. He says all we have to do is believe in his ability to deliver. Believe that he is the Son of God and that God has raised him from the dead.
Tonight, when you are quiet in your bed. Before you go to sleep, why not do this: Ask quietly, as one would do in a prayer, maybe silently within yourself, if I am right. Say something like, “God, are you really out there? And if you are, is the guy who wrote this paper right about you? Should I read the Bible and learn more perfectly what you think about my decency?” See what happens. Can’t hurt, right?
posted by Biblical Christianity at 3:10 AM
1 Comments:
Hello Tom.
Just wanted you to know that I get a lot out of your site. Some articles make me really take a good look at myself. Thanks and God bless you.
Russ
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