The Page That Divides Us

Over the last few weeks, I've been involved in a few discussions regarding Messiah and his identity. Conversations where the veracity of the New Testament and the role of Yeshua have come under question. It doesn't take much for these kinds of conversations to turn sour. Heaven and Hell seemingly hang in the balance; one is called an idolater, the other accused of denying the Son of God.

To dismiss the question would be to ignore the Sovereignty of our One God. If God had a son, would He not take issue with those spoke against his son? On the other hand, would God tolerate us giving our worship to an impostor? Someone is right and someone is wrong, the question is not easy and the ramifications are not simple. And yet, we should all be wary lest we turn against our brother with hatred and deny the character of God in our hearts and our speech. We tread on thin ice. No wonder our culture has signed an unwritten agreement of silence. But we cannot be silent.

Too often we relegate God to the background in our discussions. We do this in different ways. Sometimes we use Him as a symbol for all that is good and moral. As love takes the place of God, our Father becomes nothing more than a metaphor to hold us together, and the differences are smoothed over as irrelevant. Sometimes we run out ahead in our zeal for truth. We take it up as our divine duty to uphold the truth against all who would dare deny it. Truth becomes our Master and the will of our Father is forgotten. God is Love. God is Truth. God is NOT an abstract idea.

He is our Father and our King.
We are His children--brothers and sisters trying our best to serve One God.

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I want to tell you about this friend I have. He's a pretty cool guy, loves to dance. He cares about this earth and extends kindness to everyone he meets, but a bully he will not tolerate. He saved my life once. Those who have never met my friend claim he is imaginary--like santa, either a harmless fairy tale or dangerous lie. But I have met him and he is real. You might think he would be angry that there are people who would deny his very existence. He hasn't spoken to me too much on this issue except for this: whoever is a friend to me is a friend to him.

This illustration is probably overly simplified, to be sure. The point is that we are not simply arguing about ideas and theologies--we're talking about a person. My Dad has said that a person who denies Yeshua has never truly met Him. It seems so absolute and so irrational--it grates our logical culture of tolerance. And yet, if He truly sits in heaven speaking on our behalf, no less can be true. We can question, challenge, and midrash all we want (and we should), but in the end each one of us has his own unique relationship with the Creator.