Refer to STEP 10: I believed that God still has a purpose for my life—a purpose for good and not evil.
Salvation is easy—it doesn’t require anything from you or me. That’s God’s part. He did it all; that’s what grace is all about. The only thing either you or can do is make it more or less desirable to a sinner—the people Jesus liked the most.
If a Christian is smug and self-righteous, legalistic and condemning, haughty and judgmental; not many sinners will be attracted, will they? You know the people I’m describing: the ones Christ displayed anger toward—the heartlessly religious.
Sadly, evangelical Christianity has far too many people like this. They are the ones who condemn homosexuals, telling them they deserve AIDS. They call women who have aborted their babies murderers, forgetting that they, too, were no better. The self-righteous lift up a version of Christ that is not the New Testament version—not even close, and yet these are the people most feared in our churches. Their bitter sting keeps many from embracing God’s love, acceptance, and mercy. The only legitimate fruit they display is self-control, except for their biting, acerbic tongue.
If you display love, joy, long suffering, and a genuine concern for those in need; then you are lifting up Christ the way you’re meant to, and that’s very attractive to sinful, fallen people, desperate for answers.
The choice is yours. If you’re smug and self-righteous, you will have a great impact for the Kingdom—a negative impact. If you display love and graciousness, you’ll also have a great impact on the Kingdom—all positive.
