Wednesday, October 14, 2015

You Can't Buy Your Way to Heaven

You Can't Buy Your Way to Heaven


This past week I got into a theological discussion with a buddy of mine from seminary.  In short, our conversation discussed where our understanding of sin comes from and how our sin is dealt with in the light of God’s grace and mercy.  Sounds riveting, right?!  I bet you wish you were there! 
          Well, you are in luck!  You can see what we said first hand by visiting my Facebook page.  I know it is really tempting not to whip out your smart phones right now and log onto Facebook but it can wait until after church…
In all honesty, I am not sure what was accomplished in our conversation.  If exchange did anything for the poor soul who actually read the thread, maybe it showed that Christian discourse can be civil and thoughtful.  The conversation certainly didn’t change our stance on the issue, but I do think the conversation lead us to a better understanding of each other and of God.
Ultimately, the conversation reminded me that the gospel of Christ is not spoken in a vacuum like a one line quote on somebody’s Facebook page.  Even more, the conversation served as a reminder that the gospel can be twisted by picking and choosing which Bible verse we like the best. 
While some gospel truths are more universal in nature than others like John 3:16, most gospel truths must be understood in a particular context.  In other words, the gospel must speak to us where we are in our particular time, place, and circumstance.
Perhaps the most universal truth about the gospel is that God finds us where we are and loves us there.  God finds us in our tears, in our illness, in our weariness, in our dying, in our suffering, in our sinfulness, in our affliction, and even in our pride and joy.  And every time, God greets us with his love.
The universality of this gospel truth rings loud and clear in today’s lesson.  After Jesus informs the lawyer that he can’t earn his way into heaven through good deeds, Jesus looks at the man in love and says, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
The temptation in Jesus’ response is to say that we, too, must sell all that we own and give it to the poor if we are interested in earning salvation.  If this is our response, then I am afraid we have missed the point just like the lawyer missed the point.  The lawyer went away grieving because he knew that he couldn’t do what Jesus asked him to do.  He couldn’t sell his possessions and give it to the poor. 
And the lawyer’s response is exactly the point Jesus is communicating.  No one can earn their way into heaven.  Even if the lawyer did choose to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, he would still be lost because salvation would still be about his actions and not the action of God in Christ. 
If salvation is given to the hands of mortals, then we are basically saying that we are in charge of our own salvation.  This way of thinking about salvation leads to a faith that believes we can squeeze our way into heaven if we do it just right.  The fundamental problem with this way of thinking puts our salvation at the center of our lives instead of God who is the author of our salvation.
Jesus further emphasizes his point with the famous saying, “it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needed than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  In case you were wondering, it is in fact impossible for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle.
  Even Peter, the one who often speaks before he thinks, recognizes Jesus’ point when he says, “Then, who then can be saved?”  And to that Jesus says, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” 
But then Peter falls into the same trap as the lawyer in understanding that salvation can be earned by saying, “But Jesus look at me and all that I’ve done.  I have followed you!  I am worthy of salvation because I gave up everything to follow you.”  Jesus doesn’t directly affirm or deny Peter.
Instead, Jesus says that those who follow him for the sake of the good news will receive 100 fold in this age and in the age to come receive life everlasting.  Do you notice anything peculiar on this list of things one will receive by following Jesus?  On his list of what his followers will receive in this life, Jesus includes persecution.  And when persecution enters the picture, Peter is rendered speechless. 
Peter, like the lawyer, believes that salvation can be achieved by mortals.  Peter believes that Jesus is a great human king sent by God to destroy the rulers of this world with a sword just like his ancestor King David.  And because Peter doesn’t understand the nature of salvation in Christ, he can’t believe persecution is a part of the equation.  Peter doesn’t understand that the nature of God’s salvation of Christ is not from this world.  God’s salvation doesn’t come through human hands, not even through the human hands of Jesus. 
  Peter will soon discover that he, too, cannot achieve salvation on his own.  During Jesus’ trial, Peter is questioned and asked if he is a follower of Jesus.  Like Jesus predicts, Peter denies Christ three times before the cock crows three times.  Peter is afraid of death because in Peter’s mind death is the end of the story. 
Peter has not come to believe that Jesus’ death is the way to eternal life.  And because he doesn’t understand the nature of God’s salvation in Christ, there is no way he is going to suffer persecution for Jesus’ sake.  And because he does not understand, Peter submits to the same temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden and trusts in his own righteousness for life.    
Even our best intentions and our best work can lead us to follow a false narrative of salvation, a narrative that says salvation depends on what we do.  Sooner or later, this false narrative will catch up with us and leave us empty.  Sooner or later, we will get in the way of our own salvation.  Sooner or later, this false narrative will have us worshiping ourselves and our actions instead of the God who gives us salvation.    
Sooner or later, we will be confronted with the reality that it is impossible to be saved by human hands.  Nothing in this world, no organization, no political agenda, no lifestyle routine, no perfect observance of the law, none of that—no matter how good and wholesome—will lead us to salvation—even our best efforts will fail us.
I don’t mean to say that God can’t use non-profits and government and lifestyle trends to shed his light on the true narrative of salvation.  Rather, we must recognize that these temporary earthly solutions will eventually fail us and leave us wanting more. 
Churches die.  Churches change.  People die.  People change.  Communities die.  Communities change.  Political agendas fail.  The best football teams lose.  The way we acted in our 20s and 30s may not work in our 40s and 50s.  I hope you are starting to get the picture.  We live in a world that is passing away.  We live in a world where even good things pass away.       
But the good news says that God’s Word never passes away, God’s truth never dies.  Even if something or someone we love or depend on for life passes away, even if our best efforts fail us, even if that thing that used to work no longer works, there is good news because God’s eternal Word is always breathing life into something new; God’s Word is always giving us hope for a new beginning. 
Ultimately, the good news says that there is death and resurrection.  Salvation isn’t a self-improvement project.  Salvation isn’t earned through our good deeds or lost because of our bad deeds.  Rather, salvation is a death and resurrection project. 
Salvation is a process that involves repeatedly dying to the illusion that we can save ourselves and growing in the knowledge and love of God’s grace.  It is about recognizing failure and death not as a measure of our self-worth rather as a chance for the new life that God has already accomplished for us in Christ. 
Peter eventually came to understand the nature of God’s salvation but not before he witnessed death and resurrection.  The knowledge of salvation came after Peter saw Jesus go all the way to the cross and beyond to say, “I love you.”  Peter’s knowledge of salvation came after Jesus sought him ought to give him another chance at life.  On the beach Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?”  Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” 
And from that moment forward, Peter’s life changed forever.  Peter certainly wasn’t perfect but he was free because life no longer depended on Peter.  Instead, his life was completely left to the mercy of God.  Peter’s quest for salvation was no longer the object of his living because God took care of that in Christ.  Instead, Peter’s life became a generous response to the free gift of salvation.
Peter was free to give up all that he had and follow the way of Christ.  Peter was free to be a “fool” for Christ because he knew in his very being that God’s Word was eternal truth.  Peter was free to accept persecution as a gift of following Jesus because he knew that love is stronger than death.  Peter received 100-fold in his new life in Christ.
During Stewardship Season, this is the point in the sermon when I am supposed to talk about how the giving of your money is a part of your spiritual health.  I am supposed to talk about how stewardship is a generous response to the free gift of salvation.  I am supposed to talk about when you give everything you have, you will receive 100-fold in your new life with Christ. 
Instead of giving you a prescription on how much money you should give to the Church or to the work of God, I want to ask you a couple of questions that might help you answer that question on your own.  Perhaps these questions are the best way I can help you see how Jesus is meeting you where you are in your particular context.
In your daily life, what or who do you depend on to get through the day?  What or who helps you endure the changes and chances of this life?  Where is God in all that?  Where does God want to be?  What do you need to know from God so that you can trust more and more that God’s ways are better than your ways?
          What kind of impact does the free gift of salvation have on your daily life?  What might God be calling you to give up so you may know more and more the gift of salvation? 
How does your living, your work, your leisure, your giving reflect how thankful you are for the gift of salvation?  What do you need from God to help you grow in generosity?    
          Friends, as you prayerfully consider these questions remember that Jesus is looking at you in love.  Remember that Jesus doesn’t expect you to have the correct answer in your pocket.  The only thing that Jesus really cares about is that you know how much you are loved.  
May you have the grace to really know God’s love for you through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son our Lord.  May you have the grace to grow in the knowledge of this love and live freely with Christ.  Amen.
    

          
 
  
     
          


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