THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION
I recently encountered a situation that made me reconsider how I see the gospel can be spread and how the love, mercy & grace of God can be reflected by us humans. The situation was the death of my 27-year-old nephew. In his early high school years, he demonstrated a quick and keen mind. He loved to debate and was a fierce competitor in both mental & physical challenges. Sadly, mental illness struck him in his late high school years and drastically changed his life. It took many years and difficult trials, but he got the help he needed. While the illness forever changed him in many ways, he was able to live on his own to make his own way.
During one of his difficult bouts with mental illness, he professed his faith in Jesus Christ and that salvation altered his trajectory both in this life and the life to come. I’m not going to lie to you and say that everything was instantly made well for him. In fact, it took several years for his situation to stabilize after his profession of faith.
But once his life trajectory changed, he began to move forward in a powerful way. We learned from his pastor that he attended church regularly and developed his faith to the point where he was able to help others with their spiritual and earthly difficulties. In fact, the pastor overheard one conversation where our nephew offered spiritual guidance to another man at the church. The pastor’s observation was that our nephew’s guidance was theologically spot on and that had the pastor himself been participating in the conversation, there was little more he could have added. What a powerful observation about a man many people would have written off as a victim of mental illness who had nothing to offer society.
Our nephew also volunteered at the food pantry where he literally acted as the hands and feet to minister to those in need. He arranged for a shopping cart to be given to the pantry so food could be carried from the pantry to the cars of people who were unable to walk in. He made frequent use of the cart and whether it was at the food pantry window or at the car, he used it as an opportunity to show Jesus’ love and speak of Jesus in scripture.
I hope these few anecdotal stories about a remarkable young man may get you to pause and think about God’s grace of salvation. If you are already a Christian, consider how we view those who don’t look like us, talk like us, act like us, or think like us. If they are a human being, they have an immortal soul. Jesus Christ himself came to die for them and us on a lonely cross on the hill of Golgotha outside Jerusalem. Jesus shed his life’s blood to save them and us... If Jesus came to die for them, who are we to say they have no value? Mental illness or otherwise, they are image bearers of God and God paid the price for each of us, to redeem us from our sins, no matter our circumstances, and be reunited with him.
Also consider how much of Jesus’ love a young man with mental illness was able to share, in spite of the obstacles his mental illness presented him. If that young man was able to accomplish that much with the additional burdens he carried, what then is our excuse? We who have no mental illness, if we fail to share the gospel and show Christ’s love, grace, truth, and mercy to others?
If you are not a Christian, may I offer you these thoughts? Our nephew struggled mightily and did not always succeed. There were failures that set him back or even required starting again from scratch. By the standards of this earthly life, he may not have been seen as a success. By heavenly standards, he overcame the obstacles in his path to succeed. I can say with confidence that our nephew was a Christian and because of his salvation, he will be in heaven. He may not have gotten everything right in this life. In fact, there were some important things in this life he got flat out wrong. But, when it comes down to it, he got the answer right to the most important question. He answered the question correctly that matters the most. It’s the question that if you get it right, everything else will pale in comparison. It’s the question, that if you get wrong, nothing else matters. The question can be found in Matthew 16;13 where Jesus stands with his disciples and asks the question, “but who do you say I am?” Your answer to this question will determine your trajectory in this life and more importantly, in eternity.
Two thousand years ago, Peter got it right. He answered, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Today, just as then, the question and answer will overshadow everything else in your life.
Questions like: Who did you marry, where did you live, how big was your 401(k), what country club did you belong to, what social justice movement you supported, whether you stood or kneeled for the national anthem, what college you attended, or what union local you belonged to will fade into inconsequential details if you get the one most important question wrong.
So, what is your personal answer to that question? Stop and consider. Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? If so congratulations, no matter what other questions you get right or wrong, your salvation is assured.
If you aren’t sure about the answer but want to be, know that it’s very simple. Paul writes in Romans 10:9,” if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with all your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved.”
It’s that simple folks. Get the one question right, and you get an A. Get the one question wrong, and no matter how many other earthly questions you get right, you still receive an F. Your theology doesn’t have to be perfect. One day when we’re in heaven, God will take care of all our questions about him.
So, who is Jesus to you?
