Salvation Ain't Pretty!

Have you ever come across a story from the Bible that you found just repulsive? Have you ever read anything in the Bible that made you cringe? I know I have. There are a number of accounts in the Bible that describe gruesome, frightening, or even disgusting situations. If you need a few examples check out the prophet with dirty underwear in Jeremiah 13:1-11 or the man having a tent peg driven through his temple in Judges 4:14-24.

These are some sickening examples of bizarre stories in the Bible but why would God include such gut-wrenching events in his Word? It is because these accounts show God’s pattern for our salvation—and salvation ain’t pretty. Think about that for a moment. What is our salvation? Our salvation is a payment for all of our sins. That means salvation needs to pay for all the horrifying things people do in our world. Our salvation needs to make up for murder, war, drug addiction, stealing, hate, lust, and all other sins.

With all of the terrible sins in the world our salvation had to be bought at a huge cost (and it was). It cost the life of Jesus. Our salvation was won on the cross. The cross was a Roman method of execution. Death is never pretty and crucifixion is one of the most horrific ways to be put to death. Jesus was whipped, beaten, spit on, and then he was hung on a cross to die of exposure, dehydration, and starvation. But while this is a gruesome scene it accomplishes so much. It accomplishes our salvation—our forgiveness.

When He instituted the Lord’s Supper Jesus says this describing his upcoming sacrifice: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28). The writer of Hebrews goes on to explain that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22). The price of salvation is the shedding of blood. This is God’s plan and he has shown that throughout the entirety of his Word. The sacrifices of the Old Testament reflect the pattern found in the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. The war and brutal bloodshed of the conquest and period of the judges shows the cost of sacrifice for the salvation of God’s people. And the illustration of Jeremiah wearing a soiled pair of underwear shows God’s relationship to us. Despite our “dirty” sinfulness he chose to pay the price and claim us as his own.

The love of God for you is deep and the price he paid to claim you was great. Our salvation is glorious in that it results in an eternal life spent it heaven surrounded by the love of God, but please remember the lengths God has gone to in order to secure that salvation. He willingly subjected himself to torture and died a grizzly death to win our forgiveness. That is how much he loves us. While salvation has glorious results the way it is accomplished sure isn’t pretty.

Thanks be to God for suffering such an un-pretty punishment for our forgiveness!

Christ Christ Everywhere But Only Jesus Saves

The story of Christ is the cornerstone of our faith: God came to earth. He was born as a man. He performed miracles. He healed the sick. He helped those in need. He was killed—sacrificed—for the benefit of humanity. His death saved us. This is a familiar story to anyone who walks into a church on Sunday. However, this story is usually familiar to those who do not attend church also. This is because the Christ story is not just a central theme to our faith. The Christ story is a central theme of life.

Think about this: how many times have you watched a movie where one character sacrifices their life for the benefit of others? Armageddon, Children of Men, Gran Torino, and the Matrix are just a few examples of this theme. The same pattern can be found in literature. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Lord of the Rings, The Old Man and the Sea, and The Lord of the Flies all have central Christ figures in their plots. These lists do not even begin to number the countless examples of the gospel pattern that can be found in the art of our world. Christ is all around us in the media of our lives. His story is everywhere.

So why is the Christ story all around us? Why is it so prominent in our culture? Many people have tried to answer this question. The famous psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, tried to explain the similarities of plot found in mythology and literature with the idea of a collective unconscious. The basic understanding here is that there is a universal disposition of all mankind to seek self-actualization and the divine. Jung saw this as the heart of all religious belief and as a shared reality for all people. For Jung, the similarities in human art were all a part of our shared desire for perfection.

There are other attempts to explain the Christ story’s prominence in our world as well. Joseph Campbell, a prominent author, posed this theory: the myths (stories) of all cultures and times are merely creative products of the human psyche. He expressed his belief in the 1949 book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. With his book, Campbell gave structure to the underlying myth (or story) of all culture. This underlying myth became known as the “monomyth” or “hero’s journey.” You can probably guess what this “hero’s journey” looked like—that’s right, it looked like the story of Christ. Campbell’s book is used almost like a text book for aspiring writers and Hollywood producers. Campbell’s plot behind the “hero’s journey” is now at the heart of nearly all major motion pictures and novels.

So what is really going on here? Is the Christ story central to mankind because of the work of Joseph Campbell? I say no. I think Campbell stumbled on to a central piece of the human understanding of the world but I do not think it is simply an evolutionary drive for perfection as both Campbell and Jung seem to profess. I believe humanity’s shared understanding of the “hero’s journey” comes from our created nature. I believe all of humanity shares an appreciation for the Christ figure because we naturally need that Christ figure.

Colossians 1: 15-17 states, “¹⁵He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Here God tells us, through the words of Paul, that all things were created by Christ and that it is Christ who holds all things together. Might this be a better explanation for humanity’s connection with the Christ story? I think the evidence speaks for itself when we understand we were created in the image of God (which is Christ according to verse 15) and we realize that all things are connected through this image (verse 17). This means that all of mankind is united by Christ.

Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This means we are all sinful and we all need the redemption found in Christ. Perhaps our universal understanding of the Christ figure is God’s way of revealing that need to us. All of creation truly does cry out in testimony to our savior. The next time you read a book or see a movie that displays the Christ story or a Christ figure I urge you to think about the unity with all humanity you have in the power of Jesus Christ to forgive your sins.