John 3:16, 17
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
That may be the word for it. The world is a crazy place right now — when was it not? It’s also completely crazy to think that God would care enough to get involved in our craziness, but He does because God is love. In fact, He so loves us, that He gives the most extravagant gift. God gives Himself. He comes Himself, in the person of His Son, to live where we live and to die in our place. He actually sacrifices Himself for us — for you and me! We are under a death sentence because of our sin, but He launches a rescue operation, a very costly one. The circumstances of our lives on this planet and the compromised condition of our individual hearts should convince us that we need nothing less. We’d have to be crazy not to recognize our problem and be willing to admit it to Someone who wants to save us from the unbearable weight of it.
Our real problem is no longer the long list of sins we’ve committed. Our pressing problem is separation, that we are distant from God and full of ourselves, that we are desperately insecure, demanding our way, overrun by fear, constantly in tension, not always a blessing to others. Jesus has intervened, taken on our sin, died our deserved death and offered us His abundant life. The greatest gift from the greatest gift, Himself.
Do you believe this? Do you believe in Him? Will you give yourself to Him, holding nothing back? In Him is eternal life — a direct, death-defying connection with the source of life, with God, that changes everything starting now. How crazy is that?!
Lord, your love is incredible. And it really is for me?! I am grateful beyond any ability to express it. Let my whole life reflect this love to a world out of answers and almost out of time.
Dialog discuss: The Great Commission charges us with the responsibility to make disciples and baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is also a Cultural Commission that flows out of Genesis 1, which gives us a responsibility to care for all that God has created. In fulfilling the cultural mandate, we work fervently for social justice and to help the poor. No one can read the Scriptures and come to any other conclusion. Chuck Colson
The beautiful thing about all this is that the “Great Commission” and the “cultural mandate” are not in any way contradictory, despite some still-remaining 20th century obsessions with choosing one or the other (evangelical vs social gospels and all that). We can’t do one without the other. We make disciples most of all by modeling God’s love (or, perhaps more accurately, by allowing God’s love to live through us) – that love cannot avoid working for social justice and helping the poor. That love cannot help but give the great news of salvation, reconciliation, restoration to God’s glorious purpose for us. That love cannot possibly sidestep the extraordinary privilege of being called to rule over and care for all of Creation.
Doug gives a great outline of the problem…desperately insecure…overrun by fear, etc. The solution is not as clear. Just how does a people who are “full of ourselves” give themselves to Jesus holding nothing back? There has to be a first step here. Maybe God himself takes that first step for us by sending financial and cultural erosion and maybe even collapse.