I've had a kid emailing me and asking me a billion and one questions. I'm signed up to answer questions from one of "Cru"'s evangelistic websites and boy if this kid doesn't just love asking questions. Ultimately I believe it's a good thing that he asks them, sort of, even if it gets a little annoying to see another message in my inbox every 30 seconds or so.
This morning he was asking me just exactly how much sin someone good get away with and still get into heaven. I was tempted to reply with "None" and leave it at that.
It can be a little frustrating when you've talked about the cross from a million different angles and someone still doesn't get it. But none of us get it do we? Or even if we're hearing the music, we're quick to forget the lyrics, begin to sing off key until someone wiser than us asks us if we know what we were singing in the first place.
That's why I like Psalm 107. It vividly paints a God who rescues wicked, foolish and evil people. And then it asks those who are wise to consider this kind of steadfast love.
As soon as I get uppity about answering this kids "stupid" questions, I'm beginning to not reflect my creator. I'm out of sink with the music of the kingdom.
So I was tempted to tell the kid that with his kind of attitude, he probably isn't going to get into heaven anyway. Which reminds me of how people often state "If I were God I'd let everyone into heaven." Come on really!? Most people would have other people going through the emotional and physical torture tantamount to American Idol contests for the ones they'd want in. Why do people ever go on American Idol?
The fact is people don't like people much. It's why we're to consider the wondrous nature of God's steadfast love. And as the verse above says, we should "attend" to it.
I was also tempted to send the kid the link to our four spiritual laws and be done with his queries once and for all! Not very incarnational I know, but neither is emailing. But alas, the better nature that dwells within me wooed me to yet more patience, patience that I don't have, and I sent him yet another angle of my take on the gospel. We'll see, maybe the coin will drop this time for him, and subsequently as I bear with these sinful youngsters with all their problems, the coin will drop with me - so to am I.
And to keep things interesting I did begin my response with "you can't sin at all and get into heaven".
