LRC, Houston - the weekends-free church in Houston, Texas

If you didn’t come from the August 23rd post at LRC Houston entitled Christology Trumps Soteriology (salvation), then you might want to go back and read that as this commentary is basically a follow up from that thread. Let me get two points out of the way. First, we are ALL sinners- all of mankind. It’s just in the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe. Meaning, I don’t think it’s in the blood. Second, the life and acts of Jesus, the Christ was an effectual demonstration of salvation for ALL men. But, unlike most in the fundamentalist camp, and others, the incarnation for me is so much more than a salvistic golden parachute.

We’ve lost sight of the bigger picture that Jesus came to proclaim!

Can you say KINGDOM?
We can now more fully participate in the divine life because of His life that He demonstrated and lived completely. For those that will pay attention, Jesus offered us a whole new level of living, a new relationship with God, that would be easier to surrender to and walk in faith. As Norman Pittenger put it, “The soteriological pre-condition for christology is broader and wider than much of our recent Christian theology would imply.”

That’s hitting the nail square on the head with the hammer.

Let’s get past the point that we’re all sinners! Come on! If anything is obvious that is, but to camp in that paradigm can get depressing. We are estranged from God. No doubts here. But, what’s the divine purpose of living anyway? Is it to repent everyday, get saved every day (can you do that?), and wallow in our sin nature? Listen, even as sinners, man was yet created in the image of God, and yet while sinners God loved us. I know this riles the self-righteous, but God’s arms are around the entire world!

There is no place God has not left Himself a witness! No place!

Another way of putting it is that this is an incarnational world! God is at work everywhere, in every culture, every “other” religion, and in the Malaysian forests where no civilized man has yet visited. There are such places. We know because we keep discovering them.

Salvation is just one of those “markers” along the journey of life. Almost all religions have some form of salvistic paradigm. We’ve got that. Now on with life, living the Kingdom, and being living epistles. The game is not over (soteriology), and the game hasn’t just begun. The GAME IS ON and has been ON for millions of years. Let’s wake up, put a helmet on, and get in there for a few plays.

Now!

Whatcha say?