Religion that goes too far?

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people!  If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.  He is `the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.'  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:8-12a).

People like religion, but only to a point.  They like religion if it makes them feel good about themselves; they like to hear sermons that say “You don’t have to change; God loves you just the way you are.”  People like religion that paints a rosy view of the future; they like hearing a funeral message assuring them that everyone goes to heaven.  People like religion that urges respect and tolerance for all people; they believe that the world could be at peace if everyone just accepted each other without imposing standards. 

But people don’t like it when religion makes demands.  When a religion says that some types of behavior are wrong, many get mad and accuse the faithful of being narrow-minded.  When one faith claims that other religions are wrong, people angrily respond that such divisive talk results in conflict where there should be tolerance.  When a religion urges its followers to spread the faith, others react with hatred, saying that people should just keep their beliefs to themselves.

People want a religion with no rules or expectations.  They want a religion that doesn’t limit their behavior or challenge their priorities.  In reality, they don’t want religion—what they want is a placebo, a sugar pill that does nothing but make them feel good.  But a placebo can’t cure what’s wrong inside.  A placebo can’t save you from death.  You don’t need a placebo—you need Jesus, the Author of Life.

After Jesus returned to heaven, the apostles carried on His ministry, healing the sick and teaching about the Son of God who died to rescue sinners from damnation.  One day, Peter and John came upon a man who could not walk; acting through Peter, God healed the man completely.  This miracle drew a large crowd, and the apostles used this opportunity to preach about Christ.  At the end of the day 5,000 people converted to Christianity.  This alarmed the Jewish leaders; they had Peter and John arrested and held overnight.  In the morning, they demanded answers from the two followers of Christ. 

In today’s reading from Acts, we hear Peter’s reply.  By anyone’s standards, this is tough stuff.  He doesn’t speak of a religion designed to make them feel good about themselves.  He doesn’t speak of a Savior who offers one more option for getting into heaven.  No, Peter gives the kind of witness that makes people angry.  He calls them sinners.  He claims that faith in Jesus is the only way to avoid suffering in hell. 

What was Peter thinking?  Didn’t he know better than to say such things?  Didn’t he have a staff of speech writers go over his message in advance with a fine-tooth comb?  How could he hope to win people over by demanding them to change and follow Jesus?

Peter didn’t need a speech writer.  Peter wasn’t saying his own words.  Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Those challenging words came from God Himself! 

God’s words make people mad.  God’s words label them for what they are—sinners.  God’s words threaten them with imprisonment in hell, with Satan in the cell next door.  God’s words also tell us of His mighty power.  We are told of how He created the universe in six days just by speaking.  We are told how He wiped sinners from the face of the earth through the waters of the Great Flood.  And we are told of His mercy and kindness.  We are told how God gave the Ten Commandments so we could understand the ways of righteous living.  We are told how He pardoned us from sin by giving His Son to die in our place. 

But these words make people angry.  They don’t want to be told about miracles because they are too blind to see anything more than coincidence and good luck at work in their lives.  They don’t want to be told about hell because they don’t want to change their behavior.  And they don’t want to hear about Jesus saving us because their pride won’t let them depend on anyone but themselves.  They demand that Christians give a reason for saying what we do, but they reject our reasons as unreasonable. 

It’s not surprising, really—God has warned us about this over and over again.  Paul writes, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate" (1 Corinthians 1:18-19). Human wisdom is foolish—let me give you one example.  Comedian Bill Mahr makes fun of religious people because there is one thing he knows: no one can know the truth.  Think about that for a moment.  He is sure that no one can know the truth.  He doesn’t see the fallacy in his own argument!  If no one knows the truth, then Bill Mahr cannot be sure that religion is false!  Human wisdom is definitely flawed.

People say they value diversity.  I understand why.  They study history in school and see it soaked with blood.  Many conflicts were sparked by religious differences.  So they blame religion for that violence; they believe that religion divides people when it should be uniting them.  They react badly to any message that separates people into believers and non-believers, saved and lost, blessed and condemned. 

But people do not value diversity.  Children make fun of kids who are too fat or too thin, too smart or too dumb, too trendy or too shy.  In high school you can be ostracized for how you dress or who you hang out with.  People stare at couples where one person is white and the other is black.  Conservatives do not value liberals, and the feeling is mutual.  We don’t feel comfortable with diversity, no matter how much we claim to support it.

Thankfully, through Jesus God reaches out to everyone.  In 1st Timothy chapter 2 we read, God our Savior…wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.  When we are adopted into God’s family through faith in Christ, we are united as one.  Ephesians chapter 2 says you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  The only way that diverse people can truly live together with mutual respect and support is when they are united as Christians under the headship of God’s living Son.

In Acts chapter 4, Peter speaks of Jesus as the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.  You’ve seen arched windows and doorways, but do you know why an arch does not collapse?  It all depends on the capstone.  Stones leaning in from the left are held in place by the capstone.  Stones leaning in from the right are held in check by the capstone.  Stones pressing down from above are supported by the capstone.  Of all the stones in the wall, the capstone is the only one capable of maintaining the arch.  It must be perfect in shape and exceedingly strong. 

Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected.  We all build walls around ourselves, beliefs that protect us from fear, doubt, and confusion.  But these walls are no more stable than a house of cards.  We need the kind of structure only God can provide.  Sadly, many look at Jesus and see a strange looking stone that doesn’t fit anywhere in their plan.  They walk away, considering Him unnecessary or even worthless.  But the stone that was rejected has become the capstone of God’s temple, the only building strong enough to shelter us from every storm of life.  Jesus has borne the weight of all, and because He lives we have a secure place as part of His Church.  In Him we stand firm, united with all sorts of different people who serve the Lord together with a common purpose.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.  Jesus is the only means of salvation from sin, death and hell.  Only Jesus was sinless; no other person could carry out God’s plan to save us and bring it to perfect completion.  Jesus is the only one who could offer God restitution for all the ways we’ve angered Him; Jesus made that restitution by dying on the cross as a sacrifice of atonement.  Only Jesus can raise us from the dead to live forever; He proved His authority over death by rising alive on Easter morning.  Only Jesus can open heaven to us; He is seated at the right hand of God, where He speaks to the Father in our defense (1 John 2:1). 

Some people may not like it, but Jesus is our only hope for a right relationship with the God who made us and who will judge us. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). John writes, No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also (1 John 2:23).  And Revelation closes with these words from the Savior: Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.  Jesus is the only gateway to eternal life and happiness.

This is a truth that must not be watered down or kept to ourselves.  This is a truth that demands to be broadcast with power and conviction.  To put a muzzle on it is to risk letting the unbelievers in your life die in fear and spend eternity being miserable.  There is no other way to God’s side than by Jesus Christ.  He demands that we repent our sins, not wallow in them like a pig in mud—we must repent to receive His forgiveness and be washed clean with His blood.  We must reject all other religions as wrong paths leading to dead ends, because God has said I will not give my glory to another (Isaiah 42:8). 

Some will resent hearing such a message.  But don’t let that concern you.  Scripture says, the word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12).  God says, my word that goes out from my mouth…will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).  Peter saw proof of that when he shared the word of God in all its fullness on Pentecost; Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day (Acts 2:41).  After Peter healed a man who could not walk, he and John were arrested because 5,000 people converted to the Way of Jesus after hearing about the Savior.  Talk of Jesus may not be popular with everyone, but all people do need to hear the truth.  They need to hear about Jesus, who said at His trial: for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me (John 18:37).