“Just as I Am”....the Wayfarer 3/20/16

“Just as I Am” 
3/20/16

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.

And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar,

And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.

And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

But the other answering rebuked him, saying, dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

(Luke 23:34-43)

I take today’s title once more from a hymn sung regularly and heard often both in the past and still today in many churches.

Both the words, and music, are moving, meaningful expressions of the Love of Christ that is available to any and all willing to meet his requirement of redemption through repentance.

Some may note that the scripture used in the opening is previously used, as will be the case from time to time when appropriate.

The emphasis placed of both first and last verses of what is quoted points out the fact that that redemption is absolutely available to all!

Somehow, over the years, the message of love, preached by Christ, has been overshadowed by the condemnation of those who should be proclaiming it loudly and often instead of presenting only that condemnation, which if, the only thing being heard, denies the power and intent of the sacrifice given by Christ.

Christ prayed for those very people crucifying Him, even as he was ridiculed and reviled by those to whom he offered that forgiveness.

There was no condemnation from the cross, only the expression of love, regret for the ignorance of the message He had given, and most importantly then and now the rejection of that message.

Throughout His ministry, those who constantly sought to bring Him to that cross, refused to hear that message, and criticized even the fact that He gave it.

The fact that He chose to associate with those deemed unworthy by the self-righteous of the time, and took the message of God’s unending mercy and love to them, was unacceptable to the people claiming to be God’s representatives on earth, and the chosen leadership of God’s people.

Jesus addressed this with the following:

“But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

(Matthew 9:12 & 13)

 This was given in response to that very criticism given by those religious leaders for stooping to the level of people they refused to accept among themselves, and chose to ignore and denigrate instead of lift up and make proper correction to behavior found by God to be unacceptable.

Christ’s message then, and that which should be ours now, is that there is none condemned by God for ignorance, station in life, or inability to present themselves as equals with the self-righteous of the world, but that, that condemnation to only applies to those refusing the message of love and refusing to give the required repentance for that redemption made available through Him.

That condemnation was meted out equally to those who attempted to judge their fellows as being unworthy of that love.

Then, as now, more followed the teachings of the Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers, scribes and the priests of that upper class, made rich on the backs of those they were supposed to be serving, instead compliance with the love given them through a covenant being ignored, perverted and denied by their actions.

Many today would willingly turn to Christ, were it not for the fact that they are unwelcome amid those claiming to be His people, as would Christ himself be unwelcome in their midst, for the same reasons he was hounded by those religious of the time, who themselves outwardly claimed, and claim, a perfection that was, and is, mere whitewash masking the corruption within.

When we come to meet Christ, we must come to meet Him, just as we are. We must meet Him on the terms HE laid out and in understanding that we are not perfect creatures, and will only be perfect creatures after the mortality we inherently have is ended, and the body is no longer the container of the eternal soul that will be released from that body despite any desires to remain in it.

When that meeting finally occurs, while in this body, or without the confinement of that body, there can only be the plea of comprehending our own sinfulness, divestation of the trappings of any self-worth and righteousness, and acceptance of the fact that we are incapable, inept, flailing and faltering creatures as long as we are in that body; without having first accepted the blood shed to allow eventual perfection, when that judgment is given, based on having heard the message of love given by Christ for us, and whether that message is then accepted and repentance given, or rejected in favor of those things that separate us from that love.

There is no perfect human being, living, except Christ Jesus, without sin, to include those among us who claim that sin so longer exists in their lives, proclaiming themselves the betters of those just like them, to whom that same opportunity for forgiveness of sinfulness was given.

To give only condemnation, denies the promise made by Jesus, that whosoever will may come, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but inherit eternal life.

That denial is a failure to remember that we too have the obligation of forgiveness of others… an obligation that is required in return for our own forgiveness as was stated in the model prayer given us by Jesus.

That denial comes through forgetting that:

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets:

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God:

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God:

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

(Romans 3:21-26)

All have sinned and come short! There is no justification, or remittance of that sin to be found in the teachings of men, but may only be given through Christ Jesus himself, through the love he gave to provide that remittance.

If we are ever to reach those reachable, teach those still teachable, it will need to be done through the message of God’s love and God’s righteousness, and that the promised grace is still available, not through any denomination, church or preacher, but through Christ Jesus himself!

Condemnation given by the Holy Spirit does not come through those preaching only condemnation, nor will it be accepted by any who fails to recognize what sin is, because the condemnation of man defines sin through the eyes of man. The condemnation of the Holy Spirit is what must be felt, and may only be felt when that love is given and shown in the lives of those who truly follow the commandment that we love one another as He loved us.

The day I received salvation, the condemnation of that Holy Spirit was the only condemnation needed, and could only come through the realization of what sin was through that condemnation, It came through the realization that God loved me, cared enough about me to allow the sacrifice of His own Son so that that sinfulness could be forgiven.

It was only through the love providing the condemnation of that holy Spirit, that I could see that what might seem to be good and worthy in the eyes of all around me was inadequate to God, and fell short of the mark required to be given the mercy and grace being offered through that sacrifice.

What touched my heart, and allowed the cleansing of my soul, was not all the rantings about the evils, or the threat that I was doomed to hell, not even comprehended without the knowledge of what sin is that allowed that cleansing, but the comprehension that came with the finality of the love provided, assurance that I need have no fear of that condemnation, if I only recognized the need for repentance, in return for the proffered love and redemption of my soul, not the body that contains it, but the being confined within the corruption of that body.

It was not the threats and condemnation of men that forever changed my life, and my approach to life that day, but the promise of that love, and the still small voice placed within my heart to whisper, and shout when needed about the deviation from what is required of me while still in that body.

It is still that Holy Spirit that manifests itself each day in my life through that voice that comforts and gives guidance whether I like it or not.

I remain, still confined to an imperfect and corrupt body, and shall as long as I continue to breathe the air of a corrupt and sinful world. That body, by its very nature, will sin in some form, noticed by me, or not, each and every time I try to take the lead instead of paying attention to that voice.

Humans are a sinful creature, and will sin, this is not saying that we are to simply accept this without resisting, only the realization of the fact that imperfection must exist in each of us as long as we are still confined to this imperfect body.

For me to deny my own imperfection, would be to deny the perfection of Christ Jesus. To deny the need for continued repentance would lead to a righteousness, not of God; but, that of an imperfect human, unacceptable still to God.

To continue to hear that still small voice, I must listen to it, not give in to my own puny abilities to meet those requirements of what has been given me.

Communication with God is the only means of continuing to hear that voice, which though silent, small and still, will scream from within when needed the most if, and only if, I allow myself to listen for it.

Condemnation to be given is not mine to give. Judgment to be made is not mine to make, on any but myself.

Who to listen to, and who would mislead, is not mine alone to perceive, but must be provided through the efforts of that same still small voice.

When to speak about evil is not a choice given me to make through the eyes of carnal man, but must be guided by that same still small voice that requires I obey when others would deny its existence, either by outright denial of its existence, or proclamation that it is only the possession of those claiming perfection that they do not possess.

What is required to be given is love and that message of Christ’s love for any and all willing to listen.

I cannot preach anyone into heaven, nor can I curse anyone into hell. I cannot pray anyone into heaven who refuses to accept that love, given by Christ, not by me, and I must not preach anyone into hell by any failure of my own to preach that message of love that has been given to all.

 As I came to Christ, just as I was, finally coming to the realization of who and what I was, so too must any who would seek Him and the promise given through that simple message of warning, and love that He spoke:

“Repent: the kingdom of heaen is at hand!)

The repentance given is not to be given to man, but to God, through Jesus!

In closing I return to the opening, and to those last verses quoted:

“But the other answering rebuked him, saying, dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

(Luke 23:40-43)

Just as this malefactor realized who he was, and who Jesus truly was and is, and, through his statement made the required repentance, so too must each seeking that repentance and  promise of redemption, made by Jesus to all willing to concede their humanity and sin, and make that same request for redemption.

Just as that conviction that came about, only through the Holy Spirit to that malefactor, not though condemnation given by man, but by that Spirit, and the realization of the love having been both preached and shown by Jesus, so too must any other come to him just as they are.

Any condemnation given through any sermon preached by me, or yet to be preached by me, must not come through my words, but through the love available, and through the scriptures quoted and finally through that same touch of that Holy Spirit that touched me so long ago.

I can offer no absolution or redemption through myself, through a church, through baptism alone, but may only make known that redemption available through Christ Jesus.

It is a gift that is not mine to give, nor withhold, but one I may only attempt to show to be available to those willing to accept it through meeting the requirements set, not by me, but by Him, to be received.

I may not claim any righteousness nor perfection, just the humanity that exists within me, that daily requires the constant attention of that same Holy Spirit that initially gave me the promise of redemption and eternal life, and a continuing willingness to come just as I am, no longer a sinner, without hope of redemption, doomed to the condemnation of God, not man, but now can proclaim myself to be a simple sinner saved by the grace of that God, through the acceptance of who I was, before having the faith in Christ Jesus, and with the recognition of the ongoing requirement of that repentance, faced so long as confined to this imperfect body.

I must also remain a faithful, though unworthy soldier in the battle with those that daily steal lives and souls of others who have not yet come to that simple recognition of the need to come, “Just as I Am,” stealing also the love, hope, and promise of eternal life given by Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen

the Wayfarer