This is my least favorite of several signs Ih ave ground my teeth at over the years in front of Broadway (formerly Baptist) Church which is at about 40th and Broadway in Kansas City. I think you can tell by the sign's message why the church is no longer Baptist. It's like they put up these signs just to annoy me or something. And so my diatribe follows:
First of all, who are we to say we were never unforgiven?
Secondly, what about original sin (no matter how you theologize about it)?
Third, what does the cross mean then? Any which way you turn the term "atonement", it still spells forgiveness.
Fourth, it's not so much that my sins weren't forgiven, it's that I didn't even know I needed forgiveness until I was face to face with unmerited grace...
Fifth, maybe it's just me, but I sure know that I am in need of grace, so that those things that I know I ought not to have done, and those things I ought to have done do not so much weigh me down with my own guilt.
I just am glad that Roger Williams and/or John Wesley don't live in Westport. They might have conniption fits. And I am so glad that in my consternation and my imperfection, that by grace I am saved through faith.
If you have other interpretations of this sign, please comment....
1 comment:
What I want to know is if you got out of your car to take this picture or if it was a drive by:) And the sign definitely doesn't compel me to go in. I think original sin is a doctrine that has many levels of understanding. It's necessary for justification and to move forward in sanctification. Even though God wipes away it's affects upon our soul it still resides in the flesh. And the more aware we are of it, the greater the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to do something about it. If anything, we should daily confess our sin condition- not pretend like it's not a problem to God.
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