This morning, I'm finally able to read some more of "Crazy Love," and this is what I've discovered, learned, and wanted to share! I will write word for word what Francis Chan has written, as I cannot put it into words any better. Enjoy!
....In the last chapter we discussed various inappropriate responses to God's love. Now we are going to look at scriptural examples of poor responses to God's gift of love. Before you discount or ignore what I am about to say, read these passages objectively, without preconceived opinions staunchly in place.
My examination of lukewarm Christians in chapter 4 was by no means exhaustive. However, it did serve as a call to examine your heart in light of the points I listed. As I see it, a lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron; there's no such thing. To put it plainly, churchgoers who are "lukewarm" are not Christians. We will not see them in heaven.
In Revelation 3:15-18, Jesus says,
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cove your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see
This passage is where our modern understanding of lukewarm comes from. Jesus is saying to the church that because hey are lukewarm, He is going to spit them out of His mouth.
There is no gentle rendering of the word spit in Greek. This is the only time it is used in the New Testament, and it connotes gagging, hurling, retching. Many people read this passage and assume Jesus is speaking to saved people. Why?
When you read this passage, do you naturally conclude that to be "spit" out of Jesus' mouth means you're a part of His kingdom? When you read the words "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked," do you think that He's describing saints? When He counsels them to "buy white clothes to wear" in order to cover their "shameful nakedness," does it sound like advice for those already saved?
I thought people who were saved were already made white and clothed by Christ's blood.
...I've spent the past few days reading the Gospels. Rather than examining a verse and dissecting it, I chose to peruse one gospel in each sitting. Furthermore, I attempted to do so from the perspective of a twelve-year-old who knew nothing about Jesus. I wanted to rediscover what reasonable conclusions a person would come to while objectively reading the Gospels for the first time. In other words, I read the Bible as if Id' never read it before.
My conclusion? Jesus' call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a "Christian" without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd.
But please don't take my word for it. Read it yourself.
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