Friday, May 6, 2011

Saved by an Idea?

I just drove by a church sign that read "An idea is salvation by imagination."  What?  Why would you ever want to imagine that you are saved?  I know that is not what the quote means, but unfortunately for these folk, that's exactly what is happening.

Now let's be fair, this isn't really a church at all.  It's a group of people who believe just a choice few verses from the Bible and hold no belief in the divinity of Jesus. According to their website, "We have historic roots in the Jewish and Christian traditions, but today individual Unitarian Universalists may identify as Atheist, Agnostic, Buddhist, Humanist, Pagan, or with other philosophical or religious traditions."  So they aren't a church at all, apparently they just use the name for the social and economic benefits it affords them.

Now, back to their sign - salvation by imagination.  The quote is from Frank Lloyd Wright whose father was a Unitarian pastor.  However, those of us who belong to the church that Jesus Christ started with the apostles know that the Scriptures do not teach us to save ourselves through our own ideas.  In fact, in Acts 4, Peter preached this: "Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (italics mine). 

I wonder what members of the UUA imagine they need to be saved from?  2 Corinthians 7:10 reads, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."  True salvation is preceded by an acknowlegement of a need to be saved and turning (repenting) - not thinking or imagining. 

No scripture is clearer in explaining our salvation than 2 Timothy 1:9 "He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace."

I would love to say to my friends who are imagining their salvation, you can know you're saved.  It is a gift from God.  You don't have enough imagination to save yourself and you can never conjure up real salvation in your mind.  It comes from one source - the heart of our Heavenly Father through His son, Jesus Christ.  I urge you to find the truth and reject mere humanistic reasoning.  "We do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved."  Hebrews 10:39

1 comment:

  1. There is no way one can imagine what it would be like to be save. But these days I am not surprised at what people will come up with so that they can continue to live their own way in life. Sad but their eyes are closed to the truth and if they don't open them soon they will spend eternity in hell.

    ReplyDelete