If
you could communicate something to those you care about most before
you die what would it be? Surely there must be something important
you’ve learned that’s worthy of passing on to the next
generation—something that’s meaningful and valuable. What would
you say is most important? What would your story be about?
Having
been brought up in the Oregon City Followers of Christ group, I was
taught mainly with stories. These weren’t stories that would point
to the gospel but mostly stories from within the group about
healings, miracles, things Walter had said, things the elders had
taught and how the FOC in Idaho was wrong, etc. The stories were
mixed with biblical directives but always pointed to the group in
Oregon City as being a special place, the place to be for a chance at
salvation—if you were good enough. The following story is one of
many that haven’t left my memory after all these years (probably
because it seems to be at the core of FOC theology).
I
must have been in my late teens when this older man lay sick on his
deathbed. As far as I know this man had always been a church member,
he was a father and husband, and the son of an elder. From my teenage
perspective, he was the kind of man that should be able to speak of
real hope and wisdom. As he lay there in a room with his brothers by
his side he said this: “I’ve never been drunk, I’ve never
committed adultery, I’ve never killed anyone, and I think I’ve
got a real good chance of going to heaven.” The brothers all seemed
to be in agreement that their brother was on good ground because of
his own record. As the story was retold to me at home by one of the
brothers of the sick man, he built upon the story with his own
comment: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could say the same
things before you die?”
Somehow
this story affected me. As I recall the impact of this and other
stories there is a realization that I liked stories like this because
they fed my misguided notion of being spiritually advantaged because
there was something good in me and something extra-special about my
church. Having a head start on everyone else in the world outside of
my group, now I just needed to earn salvation, so I listened for the
instructions of going to heaven. When I messed up in my pursuit of
being righteous, I would simply start over, and I started over a lot.
Even when I could control the words and actions, there were the
thoughts to deal with everyday. With this heavy task of self-achieved
righteousness ahead, questions often arose in my mind about real
hope, purpose and happiness. I continually wrestled with that
deathbed story.
What
the dying man said sounds right if you read the scriptures merely as
a compendium of instructions. But if you read the story in the
scriptures and see the hero of the story, it’s shocking. There is
no place or people group that can save me and I can’t be good
enough to make myself right with God. But there is one story that can
bring light out of darkness, it’s a story of the innocent dying for
the guilty, the strong standing in place of the helpless, the
righteous one suffering and dying for the unrighteous -- that is the
good news. If it doesn’t shock you then you haven’t really heard
it. If the story of Jesus doesn’t rattle your very core and change
you, it will become an offense that forces you to stand upon your own
record.
And
on the last day, when it matters most, your own record will be
contrasted against Jesus’ perfect one and then you’ll see there
has ever only been One who was good enough to earn salvation. Will
He be your Hero?
