The Pastor's Pen (August 2005)

In the Letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul asks a rhetorical question. “What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” At least it would have been rhetorical to him. Now a rhetorical question is one for which the answer is already assumed to be obvious and the question is asked to make that very point. For the Apostle Paul the answer that was obvious was that no one can be against us and prevail when God is on our side. Unfortunately, for many today the question would not seem to be nearly as rhetorical.

With so much violence, hate, and destructive behavior in the world, many would wonder today if God is in fact for us. At the same time there are those who would like to speak on God’s behalf suggesting that such events are some sort of punishment from God. In either response, where is the word of assurance that was the hallmark of the Apostle’s faith and witness? Where is the word of God’s love and grace poured out upon the world in the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ?

Some would suggest that words that create fear and engender the specter of hell and damnation are the words that are needed in these days. The belief is that somehow such words and the images that they create will scare people to a living faith. One can only wonder about such assumptions as they do not seem to have ever really been effective in the lives of God’s people. Too often the human response, even of those who profess their faith in Christ, is one of using fear and coercion. The ultimatum of believe or else rings through the land. Though some increase in numbers of church members and/or participation may be seen following such a cry, what really is its lasting impact?

Jesus came to love people into God’s kingdom. He did not come to scare them nor to coerce them. He came to offer them himself as the embodiment of God’s love and grace. The powers and the forces of this world rejected him and his gift, but some came to believe through the power and work of God’s Spirit and continued to be means by which the love of God was shared in the world. We are called to love today with a similar love for the sake of God’s creation. The reality is that such love may still be rejected by the powers and the forces of this world. But with the assurance that God is for us, we can be bold and confident to share what has been shared with us in the risen Lord and Savior. For Paul’s question is still rhetorical and we do know the answer!