Hi ,
As we travel around this country, we have often noticed interesting signs outside of various churches. Based on the message, you can often tell where that church is spiritually. For example, on Mother's Day one year, we noticed a sign outside a church that said, "God cannot be everywhere, so He created mothers." I guess that's a nice tribute to mothers, but hardly biblical! Already, this implies that
God is neither omniscient nor omnipresent. Another church was advertising a jazz music festival on Sunday morning, while another one was offering a blessing to your pets if you bring them. Another one offered wine tasting! Anything to get them into the doors, I guess!
This one claims, "Jesus loves you just the way you are!" Well, yes, that sounds great on the surface, but that needs to be clarified. That's just the starting point. That statement does not tell the whole story. To leave the message just like that is very dangerous! Jesus does, in fact, love everyone, and does, in fact, invite you to come to him as you are, a sinner! (Matt. 11:28)
But to leave the statement as it is implies that you are OK as you are, that you don't need to change. If God loves you just the way you are, then just be whatever you are right now, and He will accept you. That is not biblical! That is not telling the whole story! You are not OK the way you are! The Bible teaches that you are a sinner and need to be saved from the penalty of being in that
position. (Rom. 3:23) You can't do this on your own. That's why Jesus paid your debt for you.
So, yes, you come as you are because God loves you, but He also knows you can't change yourself. You don't change first, and then come to God. You come to God the way you are, a sinner, and in faith that He is who He claims to be and has done the work for you, and then He does the transformation.
The world gives us its errant view of origins. We shouldn't be surprised when it gives us its errant view of God's Word, too! This is exactly the same tactic that the devil used against Eve. He used a partial truth to completely derail her!
