Christianity is a religion full of self-proclaimed losers. Think about it: in order to accept Jesus as my redeemer, I must first accept the fact that I am sinful. Living outside of the church will let you think of yourself as a good person because you are not generally a bad one. Inside of the church you are a fallen sinful being who desires estrangement from God. Every sinful act we make shows just how much this is true of who we are. If I am to claim the salvation of Jesus, I must be someone in need of it. All to often we forget that.
“Before I came to know Jesus I was a good person. I lived a fairly good life where I didn’t hurt people on purpose. Then somebody told me about Christianity. In order to come to know Jesus, I had to become the bad guy. Nothing in my life changed right then, but, if Jesus died for my sins, then I must be somebody really bad. I must be someone who deserves to die. Even though I thought of myself as somebody good, I am so bad that I deserve death, but you will never guess what I found instead – Love.” I have heard more than one person articulate this type of reflection, and then I have watched them forget. Soon enough that realization, that I am flawed and broken, is replaced by the idea that ‘God will just forgive me.’
At what cost do we buy our carnal desires. “They spit on Him, and took the staff and struck Him on the head again and again. After they had mocked Him, they took off the robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.” Matthew 27:30-31
I am not so sure, knowing that I caused that, that I could ever call myself a good person. I killed Jesus. I did it again, the last time I sinned. I will do it again, as I ever fail my Lord in so simple a task – “Follow Me.” As Christians we cannot ever claim to be good people – we killed God. I yelled crucify just as much as the assembly.
I am not a good person, but let me tell you about the kind of love that accepts me anyway. I killed Him, but death cannot hold on to Him. Even this day He loves me still. Even this day He gently beckons – “Follow Me.”
~JCPunk
