Green Card Gospel

I'm afraid that the Gospel of Christ has become a "Green Card Gospel". We have been taught that Christianity is all about escaping hell by repeating a certain prayer. Really? Is that it? What about loving your neighbor? What about learning to judge less? What about blessing those who curse you? What about following Christ? I think these things are much more likely to lead us to true salvation than simply repeating a prayer on a tract. The Green Card Gospel is easy - as it requires no discipleship. It requires absolutely no love. This is evident in those who accept it, as they are often quite obnoxious about their new citizenship. Their "get out of hell free card" guarantees them a membership into an elite Country Club of mansions and feasts. And who wouldn't want that? Yet we must remember the words of Christ: "Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter" (Matthew 7:21).

U2 lead singer Bono once said that he would rather be called a Christ-follower than a Christian. To me, this makes sense, because it reflects how Jesus preached. "Come and follow me" he would often say. We must be careful that time and carelessness do not allow these words to be morphed into, "Repeat after me".

Thoughts on HELL

At some point in our lives, we have all seen the Bible tracts saying, "embrace Jesus or suffer in torment for eternity."  But the question remains, can a one-page Bible tract capture the heart of the Gospel? Many of us still have questions lingering in the back of our minds about such cut and dry statements. For example, what if a child dies before accepting Christ?  Does God send that child straight to everlasting torment? Personally, I would hope not. And so I'm encouraged when I read in Matthew 19:14, "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these"'.

Another example would be Jews who were burnt to death in the holocaust - Does God send them straight from earthly fire to eternal fire because they did not accept Christ as their personal Savior? Many of us find that idea extremely troubling and lacking in any sort of justice. And so we are comforted by Jesus' words in Matthew 5:3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven". I have yet to see this verse on a Bible tract, probably because "poor in spirit" has been changed to mean "those who accept Christ as their Lord and Savior". Yet I believe that Jesus intended "poor in spirit" to be taken as literal.

The Bible obviously talks about hell. So who is hell reserved for? To answer this question, Jesus once told a parable about a poor beggar named Lazarus. Day after day, year after year, Lazarus would sit outside a rich man’s gate and beg for food.  But the rich man could not suspend his luxury for one moment to offer Lazarus even the crumbs from his table (Luke 16:21). After they died, Lazarus went to heaven while the rich man went to hell. According to the Bible, this rich man may have even called Jesus Lord! Yet ultimately it didn't matter: "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 perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.  Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.'" (Matthew 7:22-24).  

Little did the rich man know that, every time he ignored Lazarus, he ignored Jesus. Jesus warned that when we do not accept the "poor in spirit", we do not accept Christ. "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Matthew 25:45). However, the reverse is also true - the Bible says that some people can invite Christ into their homes and lives without even knowing it! "Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’" (Matthew 25:37-40).

As Jesus once said, "Don't be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God's Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to eternal life and those who have continued in evil will rise to judgment" (John 5:28-29, NLT). The rich man could have "done good" and risen to "eternal life" had he offered Lazarus at least some sort of help. As James 2:24 says, "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone."

A similar story with a more positive ending tells about a man who took care of somebody when even a Priest would not. Unlike the Priest, this "Good Samaritan"was probably not well versed in theology, Scripture or converting lost souls. Yet Jesus still used this Samaritan's actions of "loving your neighbor" (Luke 10:27) and "showing mercy" (Luke 10:37) as a prime example of how to live and follow the "greatest commandment" (Luke 10:27).

Some people insist that the Good Samaritan doesn't actually know God, even though Jesus used him as a prime example. Jesus never talked about this Good Samaritan's religious doctrines, for example. However, as 1 John 4:7 states, "Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God"  (1 John 4:7).

All of us have failed in these areas in some way. And there is forgiveness when we fail (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet we are still called to attempt to "Be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48), learning to find God in the least of these around us, such as in a wounded person with a different faith and ethnicity (as the Good Samaritan did).

I am thankful that Scripture affirms God's justice - God will show mercy to the merciful, and withhold blessings from the greedy. For this reason, someday I hope to be handed a Bible tract that says, "If you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew 6:14). 

In conclusion, I believe that God's grace extends further than our minds can grasp - to children (John 19:14), to the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3), to "those who have done good" (John 5:28-29), to "Good Samaritans" (Luke 10:25-37), to those who inadvertently welcome Christ, God's Son, by welcoming "the least of these" (Matthew 25:37-40), to those who do not hold grudges (Matthew 6:14) and to those who accept God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The only other option is to believe two things:

1) The eternal torment of hell is reserved for children, babies, the poor in spirit, those who do good, good Samaritans, those who welcome the least of these, those who freely offer forgiveness, and those who accept God's forgiveness.
2) When Jesus suggested otherwise, he was mistaken..

And that, I cannot accept.