Stumbling Stone

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble

  and a rock that makes them fall,

   and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. (Romans 9:30-33)

          I come back to one of my favorite arguments about God. One of the reasons I am so certain He exists is because He is the only god whose offer of salvation is not based on works. God is the god who doesn’t abide by man’s rules. This is the mistake that the Jews have made. They misunderstood the Law, seeking their salvation in it. Everything about the Jewish culture as prescribed by the Law is beautiful, sometimes in savage ways, but it was never meant as the means to salvation.
         All of that does not mean that many Christians haven’t made the same mistake. Like Sisyphus, they spend their lives trying to roll a boulder of works up the side of the mountain, only to have it crash back into the valley. It’s Human to think in terms of some Law. It disturbs us that someone like Mother Theresa (or pick your own favorite “good” person) might not be in heaven, while someone like Jeffrey Dahmer (or your favorite “bad” person) might be there, having repented at the last moment. It’s not fair.
           Except it is. Salvation is not based on our works. Man is never given control. We can never say that we’ve earned it. That’s what the Jews want. That’s what we want but that means God is no longer god, we are. That’s our natural goal, not to be “like the Most High” but to take His place. That’s why the Jews tripped over the Stumbling Stone when He came. When we trip over Him, that’s our reason, too.