“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow…”
Isaiah 1:18
In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says that all clear thinking in the universe is based on two observable phenomena. First, human beings all demonstrate, by word and deed, that they believe in an objective, rule of right and wrong that they didn’t make up but that governs human behavior and is employed by people when they disagree. Secondly, they knowingly break that rule.
The response, “Well, nobody’s perfect”, perfectly illustrates his point. The very idea of human imperfection, if rationally approached, has ramifications that go to the heart of what it means to be human. Rats may gnaw their way into your house and eat your food. But when they do, the rats are just doing what rats do. As far as we can know, there is no evil intent. The same can be said for every animal and plant, except one—mankind.
When people do us wrong their intent is weighed and innocence or guilt of violating the rule of behavior is assessed. If a person walking down a crowded aisle, into which my foot protrudes, trips over my foot, I will ask to be excused (from wrongdoing) as I did not mean to trip them. Generally, a reasonable person will agree there was no intent, and all is settled. However, if I see another person coming and purposely extend my foot tripping them, that’s an entirely different situation.
Now, enter our scripture. In weighing right and wrong, whether we think about it or not, we are employing a standard against which to measure. Since everything is not necessarily black and white to us, things are seen as good, better, best and bad, worse, and worst. That is, we are using a scale, and the scale has preferences. It is not a mindless scale, but a scale designed by a mind based on a constant.
Christians call this mind, God. The top of the scale, the gold standard, is God’s own perfection. Now, because God is love and seeks us to join in a love-based relationship. It is God’s desire to elevate us to the divine level at the top.
Knowing we are not perfect, God says let’s talk, get to know each other, and have a relationship that will lift you up to share the divine life. If you never hear the offer, you have an excuse for not responding (but not for wrong behavior because that you do know.). If you hear the offer and ignore it or reject it, you are without excuse.
It's not a choice between churches or personally held truths. It is a choice to share the divine life or reject it. Sharing it is heaven, standing apart from it is hell. There’s nothing blind about the choice, nothing unreasonable, and nothing imaginary about it.
Accepting God’s offer doesn’t make a person perfect. It starts them on a journey that leads there. It’s no easy road. Things can and do go wrong. People lose direction and wander off the road. Some are always trying to find shortcuts. Still others refuse to ask for directions.
Thomas (the doubting guy) once said to Jesus, “Lord we don’t know where you are going, how can we know the way?”
The reply is memorable. “I am the way, the truth and the life…” Which is the short answer to how to find God.
Maranatha
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