All or None

Stonington’s visitors and residents will recognize this familiar scene on its working waterfront. Curiously, this shed like building which has weathered high winds and vicious storms for years appears to be sitting partially on rugged shore rock and partly on a wharf held up by stilts.

Christ told a parable about foundational materials on which people construct their belief systems. He used the symbols of rock and sand and made it very clear that his words are substantive and crucial.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7)

The implication is clear. Christ’s words are powerful, life sustaining words when believed and followed. His Words are spirit and life (John 6:63). He left no room for cherry picking what one likes about him or his teachings. There are no compromises, no enhancing or subtracting, maximizing or diminishing him with ideas, theories, and adaptations. Either one accepts him, his claims, and his works as true and honest or one does not. Either he spoke truth or was a deluded exaggerator or worse still a calculating liar. We cannot honestly consider him to be a great person without accepting the glorious mysteries of his divinity, authority, redemptive acts, and his less palatable teachings about eternal judgment.

Christians have just celebrated “Holy Week,” Christ’s “Last Supper”, his  crucifixion, and his wonder filled resurrection. For some those events hold no value or may be considered nonsense! However, Jesus said that if we do not believe in him we are against him. (Matthew 12:30) There is no fence straddling. We can not build faith on a foundation of half truths. As the old hymn goes, “Neutral you cannot be.