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Jesus "Plus" Thinking
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The other day I came across the story of the Kursk. Remember the Kursk, the pride of the Russian navy? August 12, 2000, was to be her banner day. Five high-ranking Russian naval officers even made a special trip out to sea to view a demonstration of her tremendous strength. But then came two explosions, enormous thundering booms that registered 1.5 and 3.5 on the Richter scale. It's still a bit of a mystery, but something went dreadfully wrong that day.
The seven-ton vessel immediately took on water and plunged 350 feet to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. Most of the 118 crew members died instantly. Those who remained were left to spend their last hours in freezing, horrid conditions.
Aren't we just like those poor sailors? Are we not equally helpless and hopeless? Like them, we are submerged - not in frigid salt water but in sin. We need to be lifted up - not from the murky depths of the Arctic Ocean, but our failures. In Romans, chapter 3, verse 10, the Apostle Paul puts it this way, "There is no one righteous, not even one. " Like sailors, we've hit the bottom.
And we are horribly deficient when it comes to saving ourselves. We aren't strong enough. We aren't big enough. We don't need muscles; we need a miracle. I wonder if we always appreciate the full gravity of our situation?
If we do, why is it that we seem to get hung up on Jesus "plus" thinking? Jesus "plus" thinking appeals to our sinful natures. Those who are infected see a role for themselves. Jesus "plus" thinkers don't dismiss Christ. This thinking wants to add something to what is already complete. Let me illustrate:
Jesus + our parental heritage Jesus + how much I give
Jesus + perfect church attendance Jesus + evangelism
Jesus + comparing myself to others Jesus + my church's doctrinal stance Jesus + my position in the church.
I think you get the picture.
Jesus "plus" thinking dismisses the gravity of our problem. Separating us and God is not 350 feet of ocean, but insurmountable imperfection and sin. By thinking we can somehow assist in our salvation; we not only make light of sin;we mock God. It's like saying we can push to the surface with our own moral muscle. Inmates incarcerated in Jesus "plus" thinking find work but never joy and very little peace. Ask God to rid our hearts and minds of such dangerous thinking.
Grace-filled thinking on the other hand, showcases God's mercy and love. Trusting in God's grace makes nothing of our efforts and everything of his. It grasps the role of works not as a cause for salvation, but rather as giving our gracious God glory, saying thank-you, and serving him. This kind of understanding comes from the Holy Spirit and takes God at his word when he says: It is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.
It's not about what we do; its' all about what Jesus has already done. God grant us the kind of faith that leaves Jesus "plus" thinking at the bottom of the ocean.
- Minister of Discipleship, Jerry Kastens
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