We are disordered people living in a disordered world. If we are honest, we can all recognize that our desires, thoughts and actions do not consistently align with the greatest good. And if we are observant, we can see that the world we live in also has its defects: disease, injustice, war and catastrophe.
This is not the divine intent for us and for the cosmos we inhabit. Instead, that divine intent is fullness of life and goodness. In fact, God is Himself that which life and goodness directly express.
Our current condition, however, is a result of our own disordered exercise of our will. We have made our bed -- and now we have to sleep in it.
Fortunately, God knew from the beginning of time what we would do -- and He made provision to redeem us from this plight of our own making. He does this by entering into humanity as Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary. As the God-man Jesus, He explains to us our nature and His. He also demonstrates His divinity through miraculous and instructive displays of His power.
Then, having set the stage, He allows Himself to receive upon Himself the cosmic consequences of our disorderedness -- an ultimately painful death on a cross. Like a soldier throwing hiimself on a grenade to save his friends, Jesus dies on our behalf.
But that's not all He does. He also demonstrates God's power to overcome death by rising from the grave Himself. In doing so, He provides us assurance that we too will be raised from death when our lives abide in His.
This is the great redemption we have in Jesus -- that despite our own willful pursuit of disorder and its deadly consequences, we can be saved into the newness of life and goodness that is alone God's to grant.
We invite you to come hear more about Christ and His redemptive work at RBCC. Even more than that, we invite you to experience Him with us. The authentic Christian faith may not be what you think it is -- even if you've been to church 100 times. But you can only discover this for yourself if you come and check us out. So don't be shy. We'd love to meet you!
