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1.29.2005    |    "separate the wicked from the righteous"
The Gospels provide us with some hard truths. Among the hardest for the "I'm ok, you're ok" Christians are those verses in which our Lord tells us, in no uncertain terms, that not all shall be saved. The why is obvious to those who read Genesis, and who have eyes to see and ears to hear the evils that men commit day in, day out.

In Matthew Chapter 13, Jesus tells those who will listen about the kingdom of God to come:
Matthew 13:47 Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Sheep and goats again; not all shall be saved, but the righteous shall. What is useful for us in the here and now is to see that it is not up to us to decide who shall be saved and who not. It is clearly up to God. The most useful thing that we can do while we rent this space on earth is to attempt to live up to what our Lord has told us He expects. And protect others from those who fall short in ways that threaten us.

I am here to tell you that the hardest part is to not judge those we may think of as falling short. And I am guilty, as charged, with judging others.

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posted by John Luke at 10:45 AM

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About this site and the author

Welcome. My name is John Luke Rich, (very) struggling Christian. The focus here is Christianity in its many varieties, its fussing and feuding, how it impacts our lives and our society, with detours to consider it with other faiths (or lack thereof).

Call this blog my way of evangelizing on the internet.

Putting it differently, we're only here on this earth a short time. It's the rest of eternity that we should be most concerned about. Call it the care and feeding of our souls.

I was born Jewish, and born again in Christ Jesus over thirty years ago. First as a Roman Catholic; now a Calvinist by persuasion and a Baptist by denomination. But I'm hardly a poster boy for doctrinal rigidity.

I believe that Scripture is the rock on which all Christian churches must stand -- or sink if they are not so grounded. I believe that we are saved by faith, but hardly in a vacuum. That faith is a gift from God, through no agency on our part -- although we sometimes turn a deaf ear and choose to ignore God's knocking on the door.

To be Christian is to evangelize. Those who think it not their part to evangelize perhaps haven't truly understood what our Lord told us in Matthew 28. We must preach the Gospel as best we are able. Using words if necessary.

Though my faith waxes and wanes, it never seems to go away. Sometimes I wish it would, to give me some peace of mind. But then, Jesus never said that walking with Him was going to be easy...

Final note: I also blog as Jack Rich on cultural, political and other things over at Wrong Side of the Tracks

Thanks for stopping by.