Extreme positions vs. taking the middle ground

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mark 12:30).

Most Americans believe that extremes are bad. People speak of a bitter winter’s night as "colder than hell"; during a sweltering summer’s day, these same people might say that it’s "hotter than hell". Hell, it seems, is a place of dangerous extremes.

We have all kinds of sayings that label extreme positions as bad. Left wing politicians are dangerous anarchists, while those on the far right are rigid in their thinking. Saying that someone sees everything in terms of black and white is an insult, because it implies an inability to see various shades of gray. In the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the little girl always rejected uncomfortable extremes for a nice middle ground where everything was "just right."

Of course, we have our share of extremists—Bill Mahr and Rush Limbaugh are as far away from each other as two personalities can be. Yet while each man has his devoted followers, most people are wary of extremists. Fanatics often make us feel uncomfortable, whether in the political arena or the sphere of religion. Those who believe in Political Correctness want us to accept each other without controversy or conflict; taking an extreme position makes it impossible to ignore our differences.

A lot of people hold to the credo of "moderation in all things." But the Bible doesn’t say that. God’s Word takes one extreme position after another, and offers no apologies for doing so. God says that if you don’t believe in Jesus, you are a helpless pawn that Satan can push around as he pleases. God says that friends of Jesus have exclusive access to heaven. God says that to be a friend of Jesus, you must reject everything impure and depend on Christ alone as your savior and leader, your teacher and supporter. God hates the corruption of sin, hates it so much that He will allow nothing sinful to enter His home. God also loves us so much that He sent His Son to suffer the penalty for our sins so we can be forgiven.

God sees everything in terms of black and white—bad or good, sinful or holy. Through Jesus, you can be moved from darkness into light. Take His offer seriously—there is no middle ground.