To God Be Glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus

With so much division between various groups in society it is not surprising that people long to hear a message of love and reconciliation. People expect Christians and the “church” to be loving and welcoming and accepting and affirming of all people, without exceptions. Anything less is viewed as hypocritical and contrary to what Jesus did and what He taught His disciples to do. It is said that the only people Jesus condemned were the “religious” people who thought they were better than others. The truth, however, is that Jesus pronounced God’s judgment on ALL people (John 3:16-21) and offered forgiveness only to those who repented (turned from sin) and believed in HIM for forgiveness and life. Jesus never accepted people in their sin, but rather commanded them to “Go, and sin no more!” The beauty of the Gospel is that it reveals God’s grace to sinners and offers freedom from the guilt and power of sin. God’s desire is not to“accept” the sinner, but rather, to transform us into a “holy temple” in which He dwells by His Spirit! In Jesus, God makes a way for sinners to be redeemed, forgiven and adopted into His family. As we confess our sin and trust in Jesus for forgiveness He builds His Church, the “called-out assembly,” and creates a place where we can know we belong. Through faith, we are united to Christ and to each other as members of God’s “household of faith.” May each of us experience this wonderful oneness, produced by the very Spirit of God, so that together we may live “to the praise of His glorious grace!”