Some years ago, two Jehovah’s Witness members showed up at our house to save our souls. While my wife would have preferred I not deal with them, I let them in to have a chat. I have no fear of doing this; they are always very nice people who have my best interests at heart. All they really want is for me to go to heaven, which is, I think, a nice thing. After some discussion, I asked them why they were JWs. They seemed confused, so I told them that as women, they would not go to heaven. This seemed to insult them, so I went deeper: Revelation 7 and 14, I told them, says that only 144,000 men who have not defiled themselves with women will make the cut, and since they were, in fact, female, they would be excluded. They tried to tell me that the verses were metaphorical, which makes no sense at all, since they believe in the perfection of the Bible. I said, “The Bible says that only people who will get to heaven are men who are virgins, at least as far as sex with women. Which means that, according to their theology, Gay men will make it, but they won’t.” They left.
I have found that people who are focused entirely on saving souls often believe that the Bible is inerrant; except, of course, when it comes to the parts that are metaphorical because they contradict their belief system. I have also found that those folks who say they are “bible-believing Christians” don’t really know the entire Bible; they simply regurgitate what their pastors have preached to them. I believe in salvation, which means I believe in judgment of each person. But I don’t see it the same way they do. I try to read the words of Jesus and take them seriously, so when Jesus sent the goat people to hell (who called Him Lord) for not caring for others as if they were Him, I think He was telling us something important. When Jesus told His disciples again and again that they needed to bear good fruits (do good works) to find favor with God, I think He meant it. And while the Apostle Paul did write that all one needs to do is say “Jesus is Lord” to make it, he was also pretty fixated with rules and regs. Salvation is both simple and complicated. Deciding who is or isn’t going to heaven is also not in our job description. Why, then, do some folks spend so much time fretting over it?
I hope I go to heaven, and I hope you do too. That hope, however, is not my main concern today. Good theology tells me that my most important task today is to help people who need help today. Bad theology tells us that worrying about tomorrow matters more than people’s needs. Good theology tells me that I need to see the spark of God in every person: Jew, Muslim, Atheist, and all the rest. Including Christians. Bad theology tells me that as long as someone claims the label, they will be fine. The story of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25 tells me otherwise. I can tell people whatever I want about myself, but I will be defined not by what I say, but by what I do and how I treat people. My imperfections get in the way of doing that as well as I can, and that is where God’s grace comes in. Like Jesus said, “Worry about today; tomorrow will take care of itself.” (Matthew 6). Thanks, Jesus – that’s good advice.
Prayer – Lead us, O God, as we navigate today. When we see a need we are able to help, encourage us to do that. Amen.
Today’s art is “Salvation Angels of the Four Elements” by Tess Dutoit.