As part of last Sunday's discussion it was rewarding to know that all of us are in agreement about my assertion that you don't have to be a Christian to be a good father. In many other churches that I've been in over my lifetime, the discussion would have devolved into spiritual elitism. This would have negated the truth that Jesus put forward. Which begs the question of how do we frame the need for Jesus as savior to anyone who is 'good'? We've already studied the story of the rich young ruler who asked Jesus "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" We discovered that the answer Jesus gave wasn't what we teach today. It begs a further question of how does anyone inherit eternal life? As I already shared with you, the only difference between me, and an unbelieving father is eternity. If qualification for eternity were based upon my goodness, I would never qualify. You see, unlike the rich young ruler, I haven't kept the commandments since my youth, and my 'works' ledger would be seriously in the red. As a young man, I lied constantly, I stole, I coveted, and there were times I could have killed if I'd had the means. I was an angry, tormented child, who had delusions of grandeur. Yep, I was messed up. BUT; to those on the outside looking in, I was a 'good' child. I don't know how many times I heard someone tell my parents how well behaved my brother and I were. I didn't use profanity, I wasn't a bully by any means, and I tried my best to please my Mom and Dad. On the other hand, as I began to grow into young adulthood I wrestled with sexual issues, ego issues, and the desire to live life my way. Still as a young adult, if you looked from the outside, I was admired for my chastity, and my honesty, (after getting a whipping for something I did not do, I decided I would tell the truth even if it hurt me.) By this time, I'd developed a sterling reputation, with people applauding my work ethic, my perseverance in the face of adversity, and my devotion to God. Yay!!! I would be commended by my peers as a virtuous man, a Christian man. Yep, all of that made me qualified for eternal life. Ehhhhhhhhhnnnnnttttt! NOPE! Like Paul said, this stuff is garbage (not the word he used.)
How do I inherit eternal life? If it isn't about the Ten Commandments, and professing a faith in Jesus Christ, then what is it? If my life as a 'christian' isn't enough, then what makes eternal life available to me? If that's the case, then why am I writing these lessons, and why are you meeting with me to talk about being Christian fathers? It was while I was thinking about this question that I came upon an answer for myself. I can't speak to the answer for you, because you may already be there. If I give you my answer, and you apply it to your relationship with Christ, then I may have messed you up. So, let me give you an example that came to me this week as I was talking with a customer.
When Glenda and I first moved to Harrison, we lived about four miles outside of the city limit. The first thing we had to do before we could build a house was put down a water well. Having grown up in the city, I didn't know the first thing about wells. All I know was that I didn't understand how water pulled up from a hole in the ground could possibly be 'safe'. Didn't I need to filter it? What about 'germs' and other contaminants?
The man who sunk the well told us that it would take about a month or two for the water to 'settle' down. He explained how the casing and other factors that we'd introduced into the water would affect the taste. He did a quick test for Ph, and minerals, at which point he declared our water safe.
As time went by, the water lost it's sulfur smell, and became very sweet to the taste. My Mom and Dad built their house next door and by the time they'd moved in, they were very surprised by the quality of the water. They'd grown up in Oklahoma where much of the water table there contained high sulfur content, and also was saltier. When people came to visit they were pleasantly surprised by how good the water was. I've only known one person who couldn't drink the water, and I'm sure that's because of the calcium content. About ten years ago, Mom, Dad, Glenda, and I all went through a bad time of intestinal issues. Dad and I took samples from our well to be tested because we weren't sure if it was something in the well water. It was what the man who tested our water said that is the crux of what I believe inheriting eternity is all about. As we questioned him about the results we were given a gem of truth that helped me to finally begin to live in the freedom of Christ Jesus.
He tried to explain that our water was pure, and even better than the water you would get in the city. There weren't any 'biological' contaminants in the water to explain our spate of stomach ailments. "Water is water," he told us. "People mess it up." "It isn't 100% pure, but then nothing is." As we were told when the well was first opened up, we had a slightly higher calcium content than would be in municipal water, and far less 'treatment' chemicals. If you took a clear glass of water from our tap and put it next to our municipal water, the city water would have far more 'content' than ours. (I miss our well water after moving into the city.) After moving to the city, I put a water filter in our house, something I'd never had to do when we were on the well. Our water here in the city contains more iron and other minerals than our well water. GOOD IS GOOD, but people mess it up! We quantify goodness to justify ourselves. That is why Jesus said 'There is only one who is Good." By becoming 'man' God had allowed himself to experience being 'LESS.' We'll never understand this sacrifice, because we look at ourselves as being good. We justify ourselves by our own filter instead of God's.
My good deeds, my efforts to be worthy of eternity contaminate the pure flowing water of God's Spirit in my life. He alone is good, and 100% pure. To enter into eternity I have to go through the filter of His Son. My best efforts are like the rich young ruler's. Jesus didn't leave the young man hopeless, but gave him an answer that many men (fathers) are unwilling to do. Give up everything you have, sell it, and follow Him, then you will have eternal life. The "selling" is the valuing of your life here, the "giving it" to the poor is the realistic appraisal of your worth, and the following is your filter. Like my old well water, it tasted good, but had lots of minerals in it. Like the city water, it may be safe, but it's got lots of other stuff been added to make it safe. ONLY Jesus is the living water by which we can drink and never thirst again. He is 100% pure and He purifies me by my trusting in his life.
Good deeds, and yes, even good men abound, but this isn't the basis for eternal life. If goodness, and righteousness were comparable to the salvation offered by Jesus, then there would be no need for Jesus. It's a hard thing to say, but there are many 'good' people who will not go to heaven. They look like they are pure, they taste like they are pure, but they have 'biologicals' that keep them from being pure. If I told you that I'd poured you one glass of water from the tap, and another from the bowl of a toilet, which one would you drink? It's all water! If I poured them into identical glasses you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. God can. Just like you, He doesn't want heaven contaminated by our sin and the things we think are pure. The filter is Christ.
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