Who Are You To Limit the Grace of God?

You know, as humans we get caught up in judging others all the time. Literally, all of the time. We judge others based on parenting choices they make, the clothes they wear, the things they say. We're constantly judging others. I think this may be one of the most significant crosses that Christians today bear. This human tendency to judge. It is the plank in our eye. It is the plank in MY eye.

While I wait on the Beans at their myriad activities, I tend to spend time listening to Tony Campolo. I know many of you must think that there's nothing else on the MB channel :). Sadly, if I posted every single time something he said made me want to, my blog could be renamed the TC recap blog...

Yesterday while waiting on JujuBean to finish her ballet lesson, I enjoyed a radio show Tony did where he talked about judging people. On the show he was asked, Can non-Christians be saved? What an interesting question. After all, each of us is taught that our faith is right and is the key to salvation. Right? The Jews believe that, the Christians believe that, the Muslims believe that. We all know that we have the way to salvation. It stands to reason, then, that without it no one can get to heaven, right? And yet, Tony, a noted evangelical (now red-letter Christian) found an answer to that question that is so obviously right. It's so... well... so Biblical. After all, the Bible says not to judge. It also says that God will look into our hearts and read what is there.

Christians have long gotten caught up in the idea that we can tell who is saved or not. You know, look at so-and-so, he's a thief and surely not going to be saved. Or see sister-this-and-that, she's such a lovely person she'll be saved. And some of those that we put at the top of the pillars, on the inside are rotting away. And, yet the outside is so important to us. So hearing Tony's response to the question was very enlightening. It was such a great reminder to me.

"Can non-Christians be saved? I don't know, who I am to limit the grace of God?"

Who indeed. I can't tell who has been or will be saved, but I can tell who I'm supposed to love. That's awfully easy, isn't it? As a Christian, I'm supposed to love everyone. And, that IS the hardest commandment, isn't it?

Happy Limitations!