What I Believe

I want to tell you what I BELIEVE but first: A modern-day parable:

Put it on JC’s Tab

by Sunny Snaith

You are part of a large group of people who go to a nice restaurant for dinner. You get so caught up in the conversation that you forget all about the bill, ordering an expensive entree, several appetizers, a nice dessert, and many expensive drinks.

The waiter comes to the table and asks if everyone is finished and if he should bring the checks. Suddenly you realize there’s no way you can pay the bill. What are you going to do? Then JC generously offers to pick up the check for everyone, just write "Put it on JC’s tab" on the check. You breathe a sigh of relief and thank JC.

Then you realize that the person next to you doesn’t understand what just happened:

He didn’t hear the waiter, so he isn’t thinking about the bill -- he’s still eating like it’s all free.
He heard the waiter but not JC, so he’s fretting about how he’s going to come up with the money.

Either way, you feel compelled to explain the truth to him:

There is a bill to pay and it has run so high that he can’t afford it.
JC has offered to pay the bill and he should accept this gift.

After you’ve explained the situation, the guy sitting next to you may still refuse the offer:

He’s in a manic fit and refuses to acknowledge that there is a bill to pay.
He understands that JC has offered to pay but he still feels obliged to pay all the money he has and promises to pay the rest later (so he hasn’t really accepted the gift).
He refuses the gift, being too proud to accept charity from anyone because he doesn’t want to feel indebted or grateful to them.
He refuses because he doesn’t want to be associated with JC.

The only thing you can think of to do is to ask JC to go and talk to him, which he does. Of course, the guy may still refuse, but you’ve done all you can.

Then you see a guy at the other end of the table ordering a platter of caviar, three bottles of the finest champagne, and seven cheesecakes ‘to go’, since JC is picking up the tab anyway. Obviously this guy doesn’t realize or appreciate the gift he’s been given, for he shows no sign of gratitude or respect.

You explain to him how wrong his actions are in hopes that he may fully realize the gift he has received.

I BELIEVE ...

I BELIEVE that God exists and that He set out a moral law for us to obey.

I BELIEVE that we have turned away from God by breaking his moral law and sinning against him, thereby earning for ourselves the prescribed punishment: death and damnation.

I BELIEVE that, although He is compassionate, God is also just: the debt cannot be ignored, it must be paid.

I BELIEVE that God’s love for us is so great that, through Jesus Christ, He offered to pay our debt by taking on himself the punishment we deserved.

I BELIEVE that this sacrifice was made once for the sins of all men, if only they’ll accept it.

I BELIEVE that accepting this gift also means accepting the responsibility to share it with others.

I BELIEVE that a full understanding of this gift instills a sense of gratitude, respect, worship, and love toward God.

I BELIEVE that this understanding warrants an attitude of selflessness, returning to God the gift of our life through changing our attitudes and actions.

I BELIEVE that God loves us and wants to have a personal relationship with us, involving spending time together and learning about each other (through prayer and reading the Bible).

I BELIEVE that He saved me from death, so I will spend the rest of my life giving it back to Him.

Sunny's God Page