Buckets of cold water.

                

         

                                              
The other day a friend said something that gave me a moment of pause, he said, "what people need to be saved from is God." My first reaction was emotional; saved from God, what are you talking about! God is the one who saves us and gives us eternal life!

As I thought about the statement my theological training and discipline kicked in and poured a bucket of cold water on my initial emotional response. Now, before I go any further, let me note by way of observation how many people would continue to argue, debate, or reason from their original emotional response? How many have been conditioned to believe that their "gut feelings" are some how inerrant or are sanctioned by God as truth because they have a spark of divinity within them? How many believe that truth is subjective and arises from within?

Those with a Christian worldview know that truth is not subjective; they know that truth is outside of themselves. Those who view the bible as that truth will always allow the bible to inform and shape their natural logic and reasoning, now notice, I said that those who believe the bible will allow the bible to shape and mold their thinking, they do not suspend their logic and thinking, no, they have their logic and thinking sanctified and informed by the truth of God's word.

How then did God's truth inform my logic and reasoning when my friend said "we need to be saved from God? The first splash of cold water came from Psalm 7:11 "God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day.

Another bucket of cold water came from Psalm 82:8. "Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you." And then a monsoon came from Hebrews 10:31, "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Then finally, the mother of all tsunamis came from the lips of Jesus himself, And anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life,  and anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment" (John 3:36).

So, what my friend said about man's need to be saved from God was theologically spot-on. Those who are in unbelief are already under the righteous wrath of the judge of the entire world. Man is separated from God due to his sin; God's righteous judgment sits upon the head of all who are in unbelief.

Now the bible presents us with a wonderful theological word, it called reconciliation---Jesus is the bridge that reunites man with God, Jesus is the one who bore His Father's righteous judgment for those who believe unto salvation.

Believers allow your logic and reasoning to be molded and shaped by the inerrant word of God---and may many cold buckets of water be poured upon your faulty emotional reactions.