It's Just Plain Weird

One reason for fearing to sin is because it puts one more nail in our already tightly sealed coffin. This fear is in the terror category. Another is because, having been freed from the coffin, the last thing we want to do is bring grief and dishonor to the One who showed us such mercy at great cost to himself. This is not terror. This is respect fueled by gratitude.

Alas, such “respect” is not an evocative word to most, especially when we are supposed to be on the giving side rather than the receiving side. It is difficult to get sentimental when we think of what we receive as a right and it is usually insufficient to our expectations. What I felt that morning in the truck was neither terror nor respect. It was a momentary “oops.” 

Disrespect rather than respect characterizes much of twenty-first century Christianity and, frankly, this is just plain weird. In the same parade we wave placards of God’s love to the drumbeat of coarse disrespect for his total holiness; and the world flatters us with applause for our “coolness.”

Ironically, the world has a clearer understanding of the implications of our disrespect than we do. It giggles when we scorn straight talk about God’s mercy in light of what he hates as well as what loves. It understands better than we that the Christian message has always been:

In light of the mercies of God,

we should present our body as a living sacrifice,

holy and acceptable, unto God,

which is our reasonable act of service (worship);

and we should not be conformed to this world.

But be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

The mercy of grace received will result in respect which wants to live in a way which speaks well of it.

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ALL FIRST-ROAD ARTICLES

INDEX FOR THIS SERIES

Previous:  The Sad Face IsNot the Issue