Statement #4: To experience God's love and plan, we must individually believe and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. There is no controversy in this statement, just a moment of truth. Will you decide, based on the urging of your mind and heart, to make this eternal commitment? Like Magnus VonHayden mentioned in one of his comments, this is a contract, like a marriage. 
For many, even those who are moved by their own sin and the offering of divine forgiveness, there are still a few questions to be answered before they pick up their soul pens. To stay with my skeptical stance, I am purposefully ignoring the work of the Holy Spirit in evangelism, though most of you would probably see this as ignoring the sugar in a batch of sugar cookies. What about the billions of people who never get the chance to hear the terms of the contract? I'm talking about children, the mentally ill, people in third world countries, and so on. Are they subject to the penalties of rejection? In other words, do they have to burn in hell for an eternity for their ignorance? What about all of the violence and injustice that God commanded Israel to do in the Old Testament? If I am to believe that God is loving and just, I must have a resolution to these concerns. Christian history is filled with stories of arrogant men fighting over doctrine and leadership resulting in cheating, stealing, lying, abuse, and murder on a massive scale. If the gospel does not have the power to change its people for the better, why should I sign up? There are many more reasons. If you want them, just go to exchristian (dot) net and spend some time getting into the heads of some former church goers. The testimonies may frustrate you or make you angry, you also might get a little depressed, but I hope, at the same time, it challenges you. What can you say to defend the questions of skeptics? Is your faith strong enough to stand on its own two feet, or do you prop it up against the company of like-minded individuals? I'll save my personal feelings for the final post of this week, but for now, I would be interested in hearing yours.
Skeptic #4
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The "contract" analogy I find very interesting... especially after Magnus VonHayden's comment a few posts ago. If we consider salvation to be a contract agreement with God - it feels so "rule" oriented to me, not Grace covered. Just my opinion though.
If we are participants in a binding contract, than that would mean we would have to hold up to our end of the terms. And to use Magnus's mother's word, what does that mean when our actions look 'reprehensible' to others?
This is not meant to be a judgmental statement. I'm not saying that we're not in a contract with God... but this is what we have to remember. WE cannot hold up our end of the bargain. I don't care who you are, how good you are, how well meaning, how determined you are to live a life that is blameless, sinless, good. You'll aim and miss, time after time if you are trying to do it by your own efforts alone.
I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine, my boss actually, who said "I took a look at your friend's blog. It's not really my kind of thing. I find it to be too introspective... it doesn't have anything to do with what is going on in the world."
I found this statement very revealing. I said to him in response, "I understand what you're saying, but doesn't all change in the world have to start within us? Don't we first need to figure out who we are and why we're here before we can take any action?" We need to know what propels us into the action of making the world a better place before we just start acting without motivation from within.
I know it seems like I shifted gears, but stick with me. Living a meaningful life, I believe HAS to start in knowing who you are, and not only just what you believe, but what God says is TRUTH about you. Then said "contract" almost isn't even necessary. Sure you know it's there, and that you signed it... but the contract itself isn't what "scares" you into living a "good" life.
It is gratitude for Grace. A natural outpouring in response to a "life long love affair" with the Creator of the Universe, the one who tends to your soul and caresses your heart. This may seem too mushy-gushy for a person who feels safety in the contract analogy. But I believe God in not interested in believers who sign a contract of salvation, and then file it away with their taxes in the back of the cabinet.
I don't remember the last time I thought about the marriage contract I signed with Laurie. That's not what keeps our marriage going. It's day to day, moment by moment. It evolves.
The contract exists. The vows were spoken. But it is just a legal impetus, nothing more.
EXACTLY!
I know that I am "young" compared to one that has seen a life full-lived, but, in my limited view of personal history...
It seems like all things start out super ambitious and REALLY serious about rules, standards, the "contract." Universities, jobs, chores (child-raising), and then, marriage. It's all fresh and new and, for those who aren't completely against rules, everyone is just all over the "structure" of what they have started.
I'm sure that, it is similiar to Spiritual Life in Christ. This is where it gets sticky when it comes to when we actually get "saved". But, either way, if someone pushes us in a corner and says we're going "down there" if we don't ask Jesus into our hearts, OR, if we're all alone and God just reveals Himself to us, we, because we are humans and designed to follow structure, tend to grab hold of some sort of rules, way to do it, etc.
But with time, LOTS of time, years of time, ANYTHING we do tends to just become part of who we are. People in school just know that you raise your hand before you talk, because it's respectful, not just because you will get sent out of class if you don't. Employess don't have to think "if I don't finish, my boss will be mad". They know the flow, have some sort of possessive-ness about their department, and want to finish because it's part of them (people who love their fields, of course). When I had my first baby, I was all about the things people/books told me to do, and became more obsessed with some absent person's pressure, rather than learning to know my son's true needs. When I had my 3rd child, I naturally tuned into her needs and it was so much more smooth with her. It was natural for me to be able to tune into her needs. When I first got married, I had to remind myself not to flirt. It was just a habit. It was also LAME when it came to "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts"! I was going off of youth group lessons, pressure from people that didn't even know us, etc. Even the "shoulds" that I really needed to stick with weren't smooth because it was more about me doing it "right", not about my invisible union with the one whom I loved and would live until the day I die with. I didn't even think about HIM, most of the time! Just ME looking good as his wife. And now, it's only been a little more than a decade, but, I live for HIM in our marriage, more and more, not me and what I deserve, what I get out of it. And it is getting to be who I am.
I don't think that you can preach ANYthing involving time and experience to someone. You can give them ideas, but they have to learn for themselves. They can sign the contract, but, do we really know the end in ANYTHING we take on?
That's the beauty in coming to know God because of a personal experience.
And that is what you are thinking about, Frank.
Arranged marriages seem like they would be SO much more rocky than ones of people in love. Even people in love have to REALLY get to know each other, how each other ticks, what works best with them, before it works right.
The contract would be there, I GUESS, as a reminder of who they are, since we humans are SO forgetful, but, you'd think that having the man/woman right NEXT to you would be a good reminder.
That's the question, how do we live knowing that GOD is in us at all times? I'm sure the temptation to cheat and disobey wouldn't be there as much...
My darling Mrs. Frank - I love that you began to experience some freedom in your parenting style and your ability to be a loving wife. And that you ultimately have learned that the best way that you can do or be those things to others is to be the best YOU! Not the best parent some book said you should be... Not what your Mom, or all the other well meaning ladies in church, said being a good wife is... (Phew!)
I may end up referencing this book I'm reading a lot. But it is what's fresh in my mind, and it keeps seeming applicable, and I really love this concept. Here's the gist...
If I really wanted to learn how to play the piano better, I could take lessons, and practice (for years), but I will never have the natural ability that others I know have... Let's say my ability is a 2 now, and after all of my hard work, I end up as a 4. Even though I've grown in my ability, I'm still not and expert.
But there may be something else that I have a natural talent for, and I'm already at a starting level of a 5. If I invest my time & energy into improving those skills, I could even end up as a 10 - and pretty easily, if it's what I'm built to do.
She also stated that the only way we find out what we're good at, what are calling is, is to start taking action. The trial and error of trying new things. In order to be directed, we first have to MOVE.
But, the main point still being... this world does not need a bunch of 3s and 4s, especially Believers that are mediocre. It needs us to be 10s. Why not be 10s in our faith, too?
weeenk, I'm SO about the idea of starting at a 5, naturally. I just saw a little of this last week when my kids ALL learned how to ride a bike in ONE DAY! It was the weirdest thing ever. You may say we waited too long to teach them BECAUSE it was so easy. (The 8 year old just got on and started peddling. He had the most fun. The 5 year old took a few minutes, but was soon conquering only a little frustration before it led to complete feeling of accomplishment. He saw how his brother did it with no struggle. The 2 year old had the most struggles, but they were few, and watching her brothers, she didn't seem to think the struggles were so bad, and conquered her little issues quickly and was soon peddling her cute little legs around)
I, on the other hand, caught a glimpse of that "it's just time" thing, related to, when we find out what we're "natural" at, we start out way more advanced than people who start when they're 2 years old and struggle all the way to adult hood, THEN they like it, or, lamely, give it up and all of a sudden find what they are really good at and just take off (Like starting to play piano in high school and end up AMAZING at it within months).
I think this is related to Spiritual things. That old cliche, "You just know". You just "get it", when it's time.
And that's where the skeptic steps in with "it's all a bunch of fairy tales." And then I say, hm, WHICH fairy tale do you like best?
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