While in Seminary, one of my professors had mentioned a quote that he was struggling with: “Jesus stands on the other side of any line we would draw between those who are ‘in’ and those who are ‘out’.” So I thought I’d take a stab at it. Here are my thoughts:
God doesn’t show favoritism; rain falls and sun shines on both the good and evil. Therefore, why would we draw a line between those who are in and those who are out? What right do we have to do so? Isn’t God Judge?
Drawing a Line
I think that when we draw a line between people, we’re not only taking God’s place as judge, but even going completely against what we were called to do as Christians. For, as Christians, we are called to reach out to the outcasts, love our neighbors as ourselves, and to love one another as Jesus loves us. In other words, by dying on the cross, Jesus reconciled everybody to the Father. It was sin that separated us from God, but Jesus who reconciled us to Him. Therefore, as Christians, we are/were called to erase the line that divides people, and group everyone together in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But by drawing a line, we are allowing sin to separate again, putting Jesus on the other side of sin. So by drawing a line between people, we are actually claiming the side of sin, which is the opposite side of the line as Jesus.
Here’s another way of looking at it
When we feel distant from God, it is not because He moved, but because we did. By saying that Jesus stands on the other side of any line we draw, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Jesus steps onto the other side of us, but by drawing the line, we are actually separating ourselves from the side that Jesus is standing on. For as Luke 5-6:5 shows, God is not a God of division, but a reconciling God, bringing together both those who are in, and those who are out.
Please Leave a Reply