A Dose of Reality

“Jesus said to him [Thomas], "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ESV John 14:6

These last few weeks we’ve looked at who God is (Creator of all things and worthy of all praise), what God demands of creation (to love Him with every fiber of our being and our neighbors as ourselves), and our societal drift in opposition to God’s commands; namely, the self-centered attitude of “it’s all about me;” my wants, my desires and my gratification supersede all else.

Do you see the conflict between God’s commands and society’s attitude? That conflict can only result in separation from God. Now, this is the point where a politically correct columnist would move on, but let’s talk frankly about this separation issue. One of these days, the same God who created the world is going to judge the world. And those found wanting, will be banished from His presence forever. It won’t be fun; it will be torment; it will be hell.

But ask someone to join you in Bible study and you’ll get all kinds of answers: I know I need to be in church… I’m going to clean up my life… I’m a good person; I’m ok… I’m a member at _____church… Momma used to carry me to church every Sunday… I’d come, but the church is full of hypocrites…I’m not into organized religion…The sad reality is that none of those answers will suffice on judgment day. When we meet our Creator, all excuses and human reasoning will be out the window. Instead, a holy God will judge sinful man and sentence him on the spot.

But the same God who will judge sin has provided a means of reconciliation with Himself. And that means is through His Son, Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, God “gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). There is no catch, but here’s something very important: Jesus is the only means of reconciliation that God has provided. There is no other way to be reconciled with God; religion won’t do it; cleaning up your life won’t do it; your momma’s good intentions won’t do it. “No one comes to the Father except through me [Jesus].

Drew Jones has written a short song (The Gospel Song) that has captivated me because of the way it beautifully summarizes this central Bible truth. It goes like this: “Holy God, in love became -- perfect Man to bear my blame. On the cross He took my sin. By His death I live again.”

Amen.

Ken worships at Tharptown Baptist Church in Russellville where he leads an adult Bible study. Comments are welcome and may be sent to kenaskew@charter.net.