Quote from Forum Archives on January 16, 2003, 5:23 am

Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>

Forthright Magazine
www.forthright.net
Going straight to the Cross

A double dip today to cool your heart in this
tropical heat. What? It's cold up there? These two
articles will still be a treat.

Reality Check
by Greg A. Tidwell

"It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World" has remained
one of my favorite movies. Picking up on a dying
man's last words, a madcap group of strangers
compete against each other in a wild race for
stolen treasure buried under "a big W." Each
member of the all-star cast throws himself into
the great comic roles with ecstasy. The viewer
hardly realizes the movie's epic length because of
the fast paced gags that punctuate the storyline.

But what if you were trapped in that sort of world
-- a world where real dialogue could never exist
because every meaning is twisted and turned into
the punch line of a gag? It wouldn't take long for
your laughter to change into tears. Part of the
joy of comedy is that it provides a temporary
escape from the real world. Its enjoyment rests on
its transient nature. Perpetual farce quickly
changes from comedy into tragedy. The joys found
in "Hotel California" become a terror if "you can
never leave."

Stranger than Fiction

There are many strange stories I could tell you
concerning the sad state of American religion,
where entertainment (and even farce) have taken
the place of the Lord's service.

There is the denominational church, for example,
where the ministerial staff took lessons from
professional wrestlers so as to put on an
exhibition for their Sunday assembly.

Or the church of Christ where the preacher sent
the congregation into the parking lot with the
bottles of bubble-blow to send a "bubble offering"
up to God.

As isolated events, these travesties might be
amusing, but as part of a trend enveloping the
religious landscape, they are terrifying. In the
Lord's church we must say, "Enough is enough."
Rather than smiling indulgently at strange
teachings and practice, we must hold ourselves
accountable to a high standard of truth and
reason.

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God is Fair ... Good News! Bad News & Great News!
by Barry Newton

If you have ever suffered prejudice, you can
really appreciate just how wonderful the truth is
that God is fair. That's right. When we come
before God, nobody gets special treatment ahead of
(or behind) you because of their connections,
social status or race. That's right, being daddy's
little girl won't help or hinder. Being a member
of an ethnic minority will not make it any better
or any worse. The manner in which God will judge
the world is the same for us all.

The Principles of God's Judgment

Without favoritism, God gives to each one
according to what that individual has done. Romans
2:6,11 If someone strives to do good, God will
give that person eternal life. But if someone is
self-seeking and rejects the truth thereby
following evil, he or she will suffer God's wrath.
Romans 2:7-11

But is this truly fair? An astute person might
observe, "since not everyone has had an equal
access to a clear understanding of what God wants
from us, do not some people have an advantage over
others? For example, it would seem that by giving
His Law to the Jews, this provided the Jews with
an advantage over other nations."

Paul responded that even those nations which did
not receive God's Law show by their consciences
that they are aware of God's laws. Since God will
only judge each person by what he or she is aware
of, God is fair! Romans 2:12-15

Those who did not have the Mosaical Law will be
judged upon the basis of their conscience's
understanding of God's ways. If they are aware
that they have sinned, then they will be condemned
based upon their own understanding. Those who had
access to the Mosaical Law and who sinned will be
judged by that Law. So, in the end God is fair.
All are judged by what they know.

Good News Turned Bad?

But just how much hope for me (or for anyone else)
does such a fair system of judging inspire? Can
either you or I claim to be without sin? Can
anybody, based upon their knowledge of right and
wrong, say, "I am perfect and have lived up to the
standard of God's glory?"

As Paul wrote, "For all who have sinned without
the Law will also perish without the Law; and all
who have sinned under the Law will be judged by
the Law." Romans 2:12

Since everyone has sinned and fallen short of
God's glory and since neither Jew nor Gentile has
an advantage in judgment before God, God's
righteous judgment is not particularly wonderful
news to our ears. If we could be saved based upon
our own goodness, this would mean that we would be
saved by works.

God is Fair When He Saves Through Grace All Who
Believe

The story of the gospel is utterly amazing and
reveals the justness of God. On the one hand, the
gospel tells us that Jesus' sacrifice provided
atonement for sin. Because God has made it
possible for sinners to be cleansed in Christ, God
is not corrupt when He declares a sinner to be
righteous in Christ. The gospel reveals that God
is just and fair. Romans 3:22-26

On the other hand, the gospel teaches us that
Jesus' sacrifice is for all people since all have
sinned and have fallen short of God's glory. Once
again God is shown to be fair and just. By making
this priceless gift of salvation available to all
who trust in Jesus' blood, God has not shown any
unjust favoritism. Romans 3:22-26

It does not matter who we are or what we have
done, Jesus' sacrifice can handle our sin if we
will trust in him. Nobody deserves to be saved,
but God justifies everyone who comes to His Son.

Is this not great news? I am justified not upon
the basis of who I am, but who Jesus is! If we
have responded with the obedience of faith (Romans
1:5; 16:26), we have reason to exult in God
because we are no longer going to be judged by
God's Law but have been saved on the basis of the
grace that comes from Jesus' sacrifice. Romans
5:1-2, 6-11; 7:6

Wow! Now this is something to get excited about
and praise God for.