"DO" versus "DONE".

So this week at our Alpha course we talked about the difference between the "DO" plan of most religions and the "DONE" plan of the Christian faith - check out the talk online by clicking on the Exploring Faith and Jesus Christ link on our website front page www.reedleyfbc.com. It's based around the defining, crucial moment of the death of Jesus Christ on a Roman cross. It's radically different. Yet it can become a stumbling block. I'm not the first to spot this - I think a guy by the name of Paul talks about this somewhere in the Bible. There's something in this message of the cross or the "DONE" plan that offends. Does it offend because it requires us to be willing to accept that its our bad stuff, our junk and mess that put Jesus on the cross? Or, does it offend because it makes salvation seem too easy? I think its both - but in our western sophisticated culture - its probably the latter that makes it a bigger offense.
It seems too easy to accept that its all been "DONE". Let me "DO" something. I'm not referring to doing something as big as say George Bernard Shaw suggested when he declared "I'll pay for my sins myself" - that will end you up in a whole heap of trouble - but many people want to do small things to make it feel a more reasonable offer from God. Hand-outs aren't that welcome in our sophisticated society.
It weird when you think about it. We are this capitalistic culture where the game being played is getting the best deals and making the biggest gains ...and yet ......a gain, the biggest gain and the best deal - eternal life because of what Jesus has DONE rather than what we can DO - doesn't count and is rejected! It's like some self righteous morality or some weird consciousness kicks in and we say "I can't accept the DONE plan - I'll do the DO plan".
But that same righteous morality - is going to bring people so near but yet so far.

Isn't human nature so weird. Every day most of our culture get up to kick butt and win - and win at all cost ...but then when the biggest win is within simple grasp - we refuse it because its too easy.

But here's what's so important - this offer comes from God. This offer does not come from someone who is wired the way we are. It comes from a different source a different type. Yes it was delivered through God becoming incarnate - God becoming fully human - but the nature of the salvation is of another type. It's divine. Every thing about salvation shouts "different than what we are" - guilty but pronounced not guilty; owe a huge debt but the debt is cancelled; unworthy but made worthy; should be punished but made an heir of God. Most of us know the whole salvation thing is of a different type - due death get eternal life.

But come back to this weird reality - here's this offer but because of how we're wired we refuse it because we need to "DO". How can you "DO" anything for something that is of a different type?? Can you see it??? When we say I've got to "DO" something to get it ...we shrink salvation down to human terms and yet its beyond human terms. How weak would a salvation be that operated at the human level. Don't you want your salvation to be something bigger, more, greater than you??

So this "DO" versus "DONE" plan comes full circle. It's really a human versus God battle. That's the age old trouble. That's what got us into needing salvation in the first place - we've always wanted to be God. Our desire to "DO" only reaffirms why we need the "DONE" plan.

Think about it.