salvation

I've always believed that if someone hasn't heard of Christ, he still might in his own way worship God and be saved by Christ. In much the same way Abraham was. Or even a Muslim in a culture dominated by Islam might be. C.S. Lewis seemed to think so when he wrote of the Arab man in The Last Battle who worshiped Aslan with the name Tash. And Billy Graham mentioned something similar late in his career, for which he received a lot of flak.

I still believe that. Very much so. In fact, I think we need to look in the other direction. It might very well be the case that the Christ we worship and call by name is very different from who Christ really is. I feel like our perception of Him has been tainted so much, by our culture, and by our wants. We want Him to be loving, but in a way that isn't loving. We want Him to save us all, without the discomfort that comes with true sanctification.

Whenever someone in the church dies, I always hear someone thanking God for taking him or her into heaven. And a lot of times, I can't help but wonder. Really? Who are we to know? To judge? To assume? God does as He pleases. When I die, someone will probably say something similar. But how will I be judged?

"Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers."

- Matthew 7:22-23

And how will the church be judged?

"I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead."

- Revelation 3:1

Stop taking your salvation for granted. Work it out, with fear and trembling. I feel like today's Christians are way too confident. And that confidence rubs off on me.