Christianity is a naturally offensive truth. Not that it offends, but it exposes the offense that is part of the human condition and dares to hold humans responsible. The sinful nature of man, such as it is, detests any effort of the person who would dare to point at that nature and speak about it for what it is. The rebellious man has knowledge of his Creator because it is in the Creator’s image that he has been created. What the Creator of everything calls “truth” involves every single minute, meticulous detail of reality as we know it. Indeed it is the Creator who set reality in place, Who can therefore speak truthfully concerning it.
A man is born into the world, and through the faculties gifted to him by his Creator he discovers reality and begins to make sense of it. He discovers that the very manner in which he reasons and makes observations follows unchanging Logical Laws, such that they aren’t merely what he sees, but that it is something outside himself. He discovers things that take his breath away, and calls them Beautiful. He sees another man call something red, which is actually yellow, and wants to correct him concerning the Truth. He observes violence and pain, and condemns such things as Evil, with anger.
Later on, a Christian comes up to him holding a black book. The Christian explains to the man why it is he is able to think like he does, why he finds beauty in things, why he sees evil and wants to make it right. God made this world. He orchestrates it through his meticulous, Divine Providence. And He made everything perfect. Yet something is clearly wrong. Part of the Christian’s answer puts blame in the man’s own heart. Something’s wrong because of the man himself. Of course, he doesn’t like this. Who does? Who should? The blame is very real for evil that is very real, and it deserves the highest disdain. But disdain is not enough. Crimes have been committed – at the cosmic level – and someone will have to pay for them. The scope of his evil, and the God against Whom evil offense has been rendered, creates an eternally helpless state in which the man at last finds himself.
The man takes this, and due to mere distaste (and perhaps some friends who speak more confidently than is justified), he rejects it all in an emotional fit of principled skepticism. He throws away the prospect of God. All the evil the Bible says exists, he rejects.
Along with his rejection of God, he inadvertantly rejects the only foundation available for all the thoughts and observations he has ever had. What was “evil” becomes merely “stuff I happen not to like.” What was “Love” has now become “an arbitrary urge to to take advantage of for my own survival.” Of course, he still uses the terms “evil” and “love.” And we know why.
The skeptic has surrendered all available knowledge of anything he can ever have, in favor of what he likes. And yet, he would also like to argue against Christianity now, and pass his words off as something more than mere distaste. This is the utter ruin of knowledge. He opposes himself with every word he speaks, all because he cannot bring himself to face the problem of sin.
Christians have the answer. This answer entails self-denial. And this answer is glorious.
Ephesians 2:4-94 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Titus 3:4-7 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
It is solely in the interest of every human to abandon himself to the grace and mercy of Jesus the Son of God, who, while exemplifying Holiness and Perfection, made our sin his and absorbed in his own body the fullness of the eternal punishment due sin for every man who will only believe. Unless you deny yourself, you will suffer eternal punishment alone in your own embrace. If you abandon yourself, you will be carried to Heaven in God’s embrace and experience the highest expression of the Love of God for all eternity.
Face yourself, and embrace your Savior. Crucifying your flesh will become less of a struggle and more of a privilege. You will care less for the evil in the world, the more you trust in the righteousness of Christ.
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