October, 2009
Pastor's Message
REFLECTIONS FROM THE PASTOR
As Christians who live in a religiously diverse community,
it behooves us to reflect on....
WHAT IS GOD'S RELATIONSHIP TO NON-CHRISTIANS?
First answer:
God loves them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is that so, so obvious? Well, you'd think so, but I recently heard a minister say "I believe that Jesus is the only means of salvation."
As we exchanged notes regarding this, The Rev. Karen Cronenberger Chamis (First Presbyterian Church of Roselle) shared with me this link and quote from Belonging to God: A First Catechism
"Question 51. How will God deal with the followers of other religions? God has made salvation available to all human beings through Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. How God will deal with those who do not know or follow Christ, but who follow another tradition, we cannot finally say. We can say, however, that God is gracious and merciful, and that God will not deal with people in any other way than we see in Jesus Christ, who came as the Savior of the world."
[Karen says, regarding this quote from the catechism: " When I read it... it makes me proud to be a Presby!" Me too, Karen.]
In other words...If you wanna know how God relates to non-Christians, read the gospels! There you'll read testimony of life-giving love, mercy and grace. Thank you very much, Jesus, God, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (Paul, too).
If you were taught that only through Jesus can anyone: "go to heaven" "be saved from Hell" "get eternal life" "live abundantly" "live with God" "be a good person" "be a patriotic American" ... you should now be pleased to know that we Presbyterians look a little deeper into the gospels and strive to follow more closely the example that Jesus himself set for us.
(My thanks to Elder Bob Harrison for discussing these reflections with me.)
Pastor Chris
