Shit Theology

A few months ago, I was having a conversation with a guy about life. He was asking me some very pointed questions about religion and God, among other things. In the course of the dialogue, he asked me if I thought a child molestor or murderer could go to heaven. My reply was that they could if they put their faith in Jesus Christ to atone for those sins and to forgive them. My friend, at first glance at least, began to cringe and look like he was struggling with my form of Christianity. I then pointed out a few things to help clarify my theology: (1) Paul was a murderer who even took part in the death of Christianity's first martyr, Stephen, and received deliverance and forgiveness for his killing Christians (you can imagine that they were a little hesitant to receive him into their small group when he was converted). (2) David (as a Christian) committed not only murder, but the sin of adultery. (3) Jesus pointed out that if we have lusted in our hearts after a woman, we have all committed adultery (which he agreed with me that we men, at least, have all done that). (4) Jesus pointed out that if we have hated someone in our hearts, we have committed murder (which he also agreed with me that we have all done that). He then followed this up with one of the clearest pieces of theology that I have heard in years. He said, "Jason, if that is the case I am a piece of shit." With that, I responded to him and said, "Sir, I am a piece of shit, too, and we all are. That is why Jesus came to die, so that pieces of shit like us could be forgiven of our sins and delivered from their stinch and sway in our lives, and so that we could be saved from a burning hell.

Now,when some of you read the word that I just said, you will care more about the appropriateness of my saying that word than you will with the theology or truth that I am representing. If that word offends you, then you have probably missed the greater point I am trying to convey, which is that we all suck when we are compared to God. These words might be offensive to some, but it is only because they fail to see the real world in which they live. People will stress out over someone using the word that I just used, and then turn around and use the word "poop" with their grandson. You say tomato and I say tomotto, but we're talking about the same thing.

The point is that we are all sons of Adam or daughters of Eve, and without Christ saving us from the genetic disease called sin that we have, we are helpless and hopeless to die and suffer in a real place called hell. This is not some made up fairy tale, but a true geographical location that Jesus died for us to escape. But the reality that many often miss is that people do not go to hell, because they are pieces of shit, but because they fail to value Christ as the most awesome treasure in the universe. It is much like C.S. Lewis has said, "We have settled for the mud pies of this world, when the greater joy awaits us with a holiday at the sea." We settle for the treasures of money, sex, people, recreation, position, and other things that are known as the stuff of this life. Man's greatest crime is not merely doing wrong, but failing to love and honor Jesus as the greatest treasure. We have settled in pursuing and loving the pleasures of this life, and have not given ourselves wholly to the purpose for which we were created, which is to love Christ. In living this, we not only find peace and forgiveness; we find true joy and life everlasting. This is what every piece of shit in the toilet of this existence needs to hear.