Monday, February 27, 2006

Who is to condemn? (BCP)

"It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn?"

I am condemned. I am convicted. I admit it. I have said the words, in fact you can read the words here.

(You'll note I may have been in this place before as well)

I have said of other faithful folk that I'm not sure they are Christians. And I stand here today convicted by the words of Paul, those same words I used in the past to assert my own orthodoxy over and above another's. It is God who justifies. Jesus Christ "stretched out [his] arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of [his] saving embrace." (BCP 101).

I'm sitting in this deep mire of a changing theological understanding. I have nothing. I don't own truth. God justifies. God holds Truth. My sinful eyes are as blind as the sinner next to me. It is not wishy/washy for me to ascribe to the motto etched on the front of our library, "Seek the truth, come whence it may, cost what it will."

Yet I know there still exists Truth. Through the conviction of God's holy Scripture today I feel like I've seen a bit of that truth. Will you someday over lunch, or on this blog site, point to your bit of truth so that I might continue to grow in faith and believing? I hope you will.

1 comment:

The Rev. Scott Petersen said...

I feel a little like the elder brother here from the story of the podigal father. I am here already. (what about me?)

Good post