Coughing on Each Other

This afternoon I watched a clerk in a drugstore cough on her customers.  I wonder how many people will become ill because they went to the drugstore to purchase something to make themselves healthier.  She reminded me of me and all my colleagues who sometime stand behind a pulpit.  There we are advocating a Christ-like life without ourselves measuring up to the standard we promote.  To stand before others proclaiming the need to live by high standards requires one of three things.  A. Ignorance on one’s own faults.  B. Hypocrisy.  C. Confidence in the grace of God that covers our lack of personal righteousness.

I was informed yesterday that someone told someone (Don’t you just love the grapevine?) that I was a heretic.  I thought that interesting because we are all heretics in the eyes of those who don’t agree with us.  So that was nothing new.  There are thousands of opinions in the world and thus all of us are heretics in the eyes of thousands. It’s a good thing we no longer burn heretics at the stake because the air would constantly be full of smoke. But I was curious and asked, “How so?”

“He doesn’t believe in obedience. He believes we can be saved without obeying God’s law.”  Actually there is a bit of truth in that.  But it is not really accurate.  Here’s what I believe.  Obedience has little or nothing to do with our salvation.  Salvation is a gift from start to finish.  However those who are saved will obey for three reasons.  A. They are extremely grateful for their salvation.  B. Once saved Jesus’ lives in us and motivates and enables us to obey because God’s law is written on our hearts.  And C. it’s the smart thing to do.

I’m truly sorry for coughing on you.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 25, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA

Rogerbothwell.org