As I age and continue to grow and change, I am increasingly aware that the more I know, the less I know. What I believe today will change tomorrow...
I grew up hearing and accepting that being sincere wasn't enough to "save" you; you had to have a specified experience of accepting Jesus into your heart by faith and then you could be assured of being saved. I was given a "house of cards" belief system that kept me imprisoned in a mindset that demanded perfection and certainty of belief. I'm not saying that I think everything about that was bad or wrong (there were great blessings for which I am grateful), but there were implied and spoken messages of condemnation for all those who didn't have such beliefs, and that presents a major problem for me now.
In his second letter to Timothy the apostle Paul commends him for his "sincere faith". So now when I reflect on my life and am tempted to be discouraged or disheartened over things I said and taught for many years that I don't agree with now, Paul's words to Timothy comfort me. From childhood my heart has been genuinely sincere about Jesus' God and his deep love and affection for all humans. I wonder if the only thing I have to offer him is sincerity and a humble heart that is wide open to him and to all that is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.
I appreciate what Walter Brueggemann says: "In the end it is not *human righteousness but the abiding trustworthiness of Yahweh that matters decisively." This is the place of rest for me.
*human right-ness
