Letter to Uncle M

My uncle passed away.  A few months ago, he seemed very near death.  However he slowly, yet miraculously, appeared to be recovering.  He relapsed suddenly and is now gone.  I am not a theology professor, or a preacher, or a biblical scholar, so hopefully I have remained logical and theologically on-target.  But after I had seen him in the hospital while he was ill, knowing that he must certainly be fearful of death, I was compelled to write him the following letter to remind him of a hope that is real:

For My Uncle, at the Beginning of Life:

Uncle M, I know you are probably a little bit scared sometimes at this time of your life. You already know that it's normal to worry and wonder what is going to happen. Maybe a good analogy is surgery. When you are about to have surgery, you have hope going in that you will be better off afterwards, but you don't really know for certain that everything went like it was supposed to until you wake up and are reassured by those standing around you. In life, it's easy to have doubts and be worried, especially when you don't know how God will judge you. Let me assure you that God is not only just, He is merciful. I'm going to get a little philosophical here, but please bear with me. There are many examples of what I'm talking about. Here are three:



Example 1 - King David, author of the Psalms, killer of Goliath. In the 11th chapter of Samuel, the bible describes how David who was then a King took a liking to Bathsheba, a beautiful woman that was someone else's wife. In fact, she was the wife of a soldier that was devoted to David's army. He was a man who opted to finish a war when given the option to go home. David not only had an affair with that man's wife, he had him sent into a dangerous battle with the intent of getting him killed. Pretty despicable stuff. David later married that woman, and they had Solomon. God was just with David but also blessed him and loved him. Certainly not because of, but in spite of his failures and his sinful nature.



Example 2 - Before he became the well-known Paul the Apostle, Paul was a powerful Roman citizen who persecuted Christians. He didn't just call them names and make fun of them. He had men and women dragged out of their homes, beaten, and even murdered, simply because they were Christians. He probably left a lot of widows and orphans in his wake. Not only did God forgive him of all of that, He used him and made him one of the world's most famous author's and messengers. Paul himself went through quite a bit of suffering even after he became a follower of Christ, but God gave him a gift by forgiving him and helping him to see the truth. All Paul had to do was accept it.



Example 3 - The criminal on the cross. When Jesus hung, nailed to a big wooden beam, two other men, both criminals, hung close enough to him for them to speak to each other. One of them sarcastically told Jesus to save them since he was the Christ. The other, who truly believed, admitted that he was punished justly for his crimes and asked Jesus to remember him. Jesus assured the man that he would be with him in paradise. What a comfort that must have been to a man who was struggling for his last breaths. Even though that man could not go back and undo any of the mistakes he may have made, Jesus knew his heart was in the right place. The criminal's life was not miraculous like David's may have been, but Jesus' words to him are proof that God cares for even the very least of men. Without knowing it, the criminal knew the meaning behind what is in Romans chapter 10 vs. 10: "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."



Finally, I want to remind you something that you already know. Even though I was raised in the church, this never really clicked for me until about a couple of years ago. I never really got it. I didn't get why Jesus had to die to save anyone. It seemed odd for a God of the universe to require a sacrifice when he could just choose to forgive. But there is one important premise which defines our Christian faith. Simply put: the penalty for sin is death. That is the point of the whole thing. That's the reason why Christianity matters. I still don't know exactly why death is the penalty; maybe because God is good and is life, and where there is no life, there can be only death. All sin, no matter how small is infinitely apart from God because He is Good. The only bridge over that gap between men and God is the fact that Jesus who was both God and man suffered the penalty of sin: death. Only a man who was blameless in the eyes of God could satisfy this requirement. That is why you and I don't have to. That is why you and I, who have not lived perfect lives, will still be forgiven and welcomed into Heaven. Our God, who requires justice, loves us enough to have found a way around His own requirement for death and replaced it with forgiveness and life.



In Matthew chapter 19, the disciples ask Jesus: "Who can be saved?" Jesus answers: "With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible."



I love you, and so does your God.