Just once I would like to attend a funeral where the pastor would say, “Even though Uncle Charlie spent most of his life as a lying, cheating, neglectful parent and someone who couldn’t always be trusted, he will be with us in heaven by the grace of Jesus.” The truth is all of us are Uncle Charlie in some fashion (just change the list of sins) and none of us will ever see heaven if it wasn’t for the grace of Jesus. How often we spout heresy at funerals by saying such things as, “Surely Uncle Charlie will be in heaven because he was such a good man.” Uncle Charlie’s goodness or lack of goodness is not the Gospel.
So often we believe Uncle Charlie was saved by grace but once that occurred he then had to “do all the right things” to stay saved. We are fearful that if we don’t take this stance then people will continue on in their rottenness and something seems wrong about that. Well, there is something wrong with that. Paul puts it so very well in II Corinthians 5:14. “For Christ’s love compels us . . .”
There it is. After Uncle Charlie accepted Jesus, he ceased what he had been and what followed was a life filled with love for Jesus. When we love someone we don’t want to disappoint them. Continuing to be rotten would be very disappointing to Jesus. The point of being saved is for us to have a better life and that can’t happen if we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to begin to direct us toward better behavior.
We try to be faithful not to be saved but because the “love of Christ compels” us to be so.
Written by Roger Bothwell on January 6, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org