Would You Risk Yourself?
Posted: April 29th, 2009 | Author: Peter | Filed under: church, culture, salvation | 4 Comments »We talk about dying for Christ. Dying for faith. And Christ died for us. And he died for his enemies.
Would you?
Moreover, would you give up your own salvation for them?
Paul wrote in Romans 9:3, “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race…”
Often, we’re not even willing to lose an argument. Or a culture war.
Sometimes loving people means compromising. And that’s dangerous, scary, messy, dirty, scandalous, uncomfortable stuff.
I still hear youth pastors admonishing kids to avoid non-Christian friends. “Don’t be unequally yoked.”
When self-preservation sets in, Christianity becomes a pretty pointless endeavor.
._. wat.
Peter,For many it is about being right, having the correct interpretation, or winning the argument over loving, good, right relationships. So very sad and sometimes i am the one who falls into this trap. i pray i am more generous. i think that comes out of becoming more secure, which is a process!Adele
If he wants me to.Giving up my salvation… man that's a hard one. But just knowing a little about how much God loves me and experiencing His joy… I wish everybody knew this. So, I could see how with such a strong desire for people to know the good news, Paul would be willing to give up his salvation. But personally I don't think I'm there yet.
Man! I really like what you said. But it sure didn't seem to spark much talk. Too scary? I think this could be a core ideal all Christians must desire. Paul desired his fellow man to receive the good news so bad that it was not just his life he was willing to give but his salvation. But it does say "I could wish" does that mean he might be willing but wasn't for sure? I'm going to study this some more. Hmm…