Your Christian Litmus Test

Here’s a good litmus test for our understanding of how “God loves YOU, God cares for YOU, Jesus died for YOU” and how YOU view this love…made personal to YOU by well-meaning evangelical pastors looking for a new convert.

Another favorite idea with Bible-believing Christians in the evangelical world is predestination, meaning that God chose YOU before He ever created YOU, which admittedly is a lovely thought.

Take the predestination litmus test:
Suppose YOU are wrong.  YOU were not among the chosen.  Jesus died for others, but He did not die for YOU personally. 
Now, think of the person YOU hate the most.  
The individual who has wronged YOU in unthinkable ways.  Maybe someone YOU are waiting for God’s vengeance against, the peer who always escapes accountability or justice or seems to get ahead while YOU don’t.  Think of the ex-husband, ex-wife, or rebellious children who have hated YOU with every ounce of their being and proclaimed that to YOUR face.  Think of the person who abused YOU, took YOUR promotion by taking credit for YOUR ideas, did unthinkable things to YOU, stole from YOU, or committed other crimes or insults against YOU.  Just being real here, but if YOU are such a perfect Christian that YOU don’t harbor any negative emotions or thoughts regarding anyone…think of someone who hurt someone YOU love.

Now tell yourself that instead of YOU (not chosen),
God loves “that person.”  God cares about “that person.”  Jesus died for “that person.” 
And chose “that person” YOU hate, not YOU.
To fulfill Scripture, it happened before that person had done anything good or bad
so that election might stand apart from works.
This is the danger of the personal YOU focus.

“What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!  For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” (Romans 9:14-16)

You see, if God loves His Image-bearers (as a group and as individuals) and cares for them and died for them, it makes more sense.  If God loves the group and the individual, Jesus died so that “in Him” they could be saved just as the Way was predestined.   Yes, it means that some of those people are like the thief on the cross next to Jesus—even someone YOU secretly hate in your silent moments can come to a saving faith.  The grace of Christ means none of us is beyond redemption because none of us earns His favor.

Prayerfully ask yourself whether YOU have unwittingly made yourself more in the scenario than a sinner in need of forgiveness. 

Lord Jesus, thank You for level ground at the foot of the Cross and how any of Your Image-bearers can find refuge and forgiveness there. Your grace is beyond our understanding, the power of Your blood is sufficient to cover any of our sins. Help us to see that it is not a contradiction for You to love Your Church, Your people, Your world, and in the miniature, each man, woman, or child whom You have called…personally. Turn our focus, O Holy Spirit, toward magnifying Christ and minimizing ourselves. With right mind, clear and sober assessment, focus our hearts on considering that we bring nothing to the equation except a repentant heart wanting nearness to Jesus. Give us right minds in these terrible days in which society screams for us to seek self. May we seek You and live. Amen.