Stellar Quote

I’ve been listening to the new Casting Crowns album and there’s a great quote in the song, “What This World Needs.”

People aren’t confused by the gospel. They’re confused by us. Jesus is the only way to God, but we are not the only way to Jesus.

That’s powerful. Sometimes we get so hung up on the exclusive truth of the story of Jesus, that we forget about the grace which is his central message.

We (and by we I particularly mean those who work in the church) have been guilty over the decades of defining the way to God pretty narrowly. The Bible says it’s enough to confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead. But then we want to add a bunch of legalism and imperitives. It’s just human nature to want to add what we do to what Christ already did for us.

There are people that I love and who I know love Jesus who disagree with me on all kinds of theology. Some of it is even what I consider pretty important theology. But we can agree on one thing: Jesus is the only way to God, but we are not the only way to Jesus.

Someone once challenged me to make sure that those around me clearly understood what I was for, instead of what I was against. Good advice. For the record, I’m all for Jesus.

Let’s work hard today not to confuse those who are watching us.