Saturday, May 26, 2018

without guilt


Jesus says something interesting about guilt today in The One Year Bible, from John 15:1-27. He tells His disciples that if the religious leaders hadn't seen Him perform miracles, they wouldn't be guilty. But they did, so they are.

That brings up the church's teaching about those who haven't ever heard the gospel. To hear the gospel and reject it is one thing. But to die without ever having heard it is something else. The church teaches that those who never hear the gospel can be saved through their "invincible ignorance."

So that brings up the next question. If pagans who never hear the gospel are saved by their ignorance, then why should we evangelize? Wouldn't it be better to leave them in their ignorance to be saved?

But that is a fundamental misunderstanding of what a relationship with Jesus does in our lives. He makes us better people. He helps us live better lives. He doesn't just "get us into heaven", but rather He begins our experience of heaven on earth, in this life. And He makes us BIGGER people. Therese of Liseux was wondering about big people and little people one day, and her friend taught her that whether a cup is small or large, it can be filled up and be completely full. In heaven, we will all be completely full.

But some of us will be big cups, and some will be small cups. Which do you want to be?

God, thanks for helping us to become bigger cups.