My wife asked me to get the cinnamon out of the pantry. Being the good guy that I am I opened the door and stared and stared. For all that I wanted to help I could not see any cinnamon. Finally I said, “There isn’t any here.” Now came the bad part. She nudged me aside, reached out and picked up the cinnamon. How could that be? How could I stand there with it right in front of me and I could not see it?
I know lots of people who claim to have read the New Testament including John and still worry about being good enough to be saved. They tell me they are afraid they might be lost over one small sin they don’t know about! They are as bad as me looking right at the cinnamon and not seeing it. John tells us in chapter 5 that Jesus Himself said, “Truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” How can it be any plainer? Believe in Jesus and skip judgment.
Then there is Ephesians 2. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” It isn’t our doing! And let’s try Galatians 5, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” The yoke Paul is speaking of is the yoke of salvation by our behavior.
So dear cinnamon seekers, allow me to nudge you and point out to you the Good News that is right in front of you. It isn’t about us. It is all about Jesus.
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 25, 2014
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org