Skip to main content

Tinkerbell


I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)
 
          Remember Tinkerbelle? You know the fairy who was brought back to life by the belief of the audience? There are people who preach a Tinkerbelle faith. All you have to do is believe. Oh, and clap your hands. If you believe, you clap your hands. What brings Tinkerbelle back to life, the faith or the hand-clapping? It’s the faith, which produces the applause.  All you have to do to become a Christian is have faith…that produces righteous behavior.
          A long time ago, someone in my Sunday School class asked, “Why can’t you just believe?” I asked too many questions and probably argued too much. Some things never change. The women in the class were generally more than fifteen years older than I, so they were probably wiser or at least more settled and knowledgeable in their beliefs. If you’ve ever had to be around a kid at the age when they ask a thousand questions in five minutes, you’ll have sympathy for my classmates.  
          The good news (for me) is that I appear to be in good company. Ravi Zacharias’s mother asked him the same question, and C. S. Lewis doesn’t seem to have been able to study what he was supposed to in school. I’m sure that reassures the poor folk who have to deal with my questions and opinions. I hope they have the benefit of knowing that my questions are real questions, not part of some game designed to gratify my ego. I fully believe there are answers. I’ve dealt with people (generally atheists) for whom questions are moves in a game. 
            Paul makes it clear that faith is the key. All you have to do is have faith, but if you believe, you will do something. Clapping your hands doesn’t quite do it for Paul. He suggests a better way to prove you believe is by becoming righteous. This righteousness might not be overnight. Few people are granted freedom that quickly. For many of us, the key doesn’t turn in the lock very well. We may feel stuck in the stinking cell of whatever sin we’re in. We may be tempted to try other keys, but faith is the master key. Given time, it opens all the locks. Keep trying it because God isn’t Tinkerbelle. You are. Your faith doesn’t bring God back to life. You’re the one whose life is lost, who is trapped in the stinking cell. You are the one who is freed to live only by the use of the key of faith that produces freedom. And how do you know you are free? Righteous behavior – applauding (AKA living) the principles that God teaches.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more