The words of one of the most revered men in the New Testament are often difficult to understand. The Apostle Paul wrote many words which to some are mysteries. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:16 “in which are some things hard to be understood, “. Yet, God never intended for true believers to have a controversy with His word. While it is true that God gives mysteries for His chosen people to search out and discover (Deuteronomy 29:29), He also declared when He spent time with the first century disciples on earth, that they should have these mysteries made known unto them (Matthew 13:11).
I recently attended the eulogy of a friend. As I listened, I was struck by the honesty of the words I heard. Oh to be sure this particular speaker had probably never cast dispersion on the soul of any she had laid to rest. However she said that my friend had his own faith and attended church when he could. He was known to be fairly regular. She also said he would not allow religion to be shoved down his throat. The sad thing is that I know all of these things to be true. In fact it is not uncommon to be able to acknowledge the truth in these statements about many people I know or talk to. You may even be one of them.
I said it is sad. I also said it is honest. Does that seem difficult to understand? Look at the three things she said and see if any of this is also true in your life or the lives of those you know or meet. First she said he had his own faith. She did not say the faith in Jesus Christ who is the only way to heaven.
Now on the other side of that thought is that she did not say his faith was not faith in Christ Jesus. Secondly she said he attended church when he could. I know there are circumstances and seasons in our lives when it is difficult for us to attended worship services regularly. Yet one of the key indicators to what someone loves and where there devotions lie is in the effort and time they exert drawing near to those who enjoy the same thing. Thirdly she said he did not like to have religion shoved down his throat. So many times this is a defensive statement meant to deflect the truth that a person would not listen to the gospel truth nor care for living their life according to the dictates of Holy Scripture.
It is sad to me partly because I remember when most of this would have been true about myself. I refused to have religion shoved down my throat. And by my definition as well as his that would mean any attempt to raise the thought that Jesus loved me and died for my sins. I felt I was strong enough to answer for my own sin. I did not want anyone telling me I was a sinner. I felt I did enough good things to balance the ledger and wasn’t any worse than the next person. To me, just having to be in the presence of someone I knew was a faithful Christian was shoving it down my throat. Even to stand across the room or have to say hello to them was a religious affront. Having to visit someone’s house and see an open Bible or pictures and plagues hanging on the wall with scriptures on them was, in my mind, their blatant attempts it shove it down my throat.
For me the lack of church attendance before I became a Christian was much more severe. My friend was raised by a godly mother in spite of her husband. They were faithful to church by reason of her faith and attendance, not through any desire of their own. Church was a habit. It carried into adulthood. It had no basis in relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He had many interests in his life and as far as a man without God as his head is able, he lived a good life. Yet his heart measured others. He compared them to himself and how he felt treated or slighted. He respected me and I him. Yet I am aware of the grudge he held against me until the day he died. Forgiveness was a rare thought in his mind and it did not come up between us.
So where is the mystery, the difficulty, in all of this? He is passed from this life. That is plain enough. But where did he go? By his own admission he did not have a faith he would boast before others about. The sad part is not that we think we know. The sad part is that he did not leave enough behind to tell us where he is at this moment. It is not the church attendance. It is not the particular brand of faith you espouse. It is not even your mind being made up enough to not listen to someone explain how the Bible makes sense to them. It is that being so difficult and so hardhearted you do not leave enough evidence behind so that your loved ones can know for certain, as much as is humanly possible, where you are.
I ask this question of everyone who has asked me to consider marrying them. Please tell me how you came to receive Jesus Christ as your savior. I ask this question of every family who asks me to oversee the funeral and eulogy of their departed loved ones. Please tell me how they came to receive Jesus Christ as their savior. My family would tell you that I was on Rattlesnake Road on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida in 1979 beside the base garbage dump. They know because I have repeated it often. My friend had never told me anything like that. His difficulty was that he was a member of his church but not of Christ’s church. His difficulty was that had a faith only partially based on the truths of the Bible. His difficulty was that he had no desire to hear the things of the gospel and only barely tolerated others speaking of their faith.
There is only one easy answer. There is only one right answer to the question. The answer is “Yes, I know Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior because I asked Him to forgive my sin and be the Lord of my life”. The evidences which follow those who have that answer bear witness to the change which has occurred since that moment. There are many who bear the marks of the amazing transformation which the indwelling Holy Spirit brings. My friend was not one of them. I wonder if you are. The change is not us making ourselves better, that is too difficult. The change is Christ in you the hope of glory. The change is easy. It happens because we honestly let go of the sad difficulty which traps us.