Look up...and Live

In the band Coldplay’s signature ballad, “Viva La Vida”, the band’s lead singer, Chris Martin, paints a picture of a ruler that has been deposed by revolutionaries and faces the prospects of an uncertain future. Although he had possessed unparalleled sovereignty – “I used to rule the world / Seas would rise when I gave the word” – he’s now the low man on the totem pole: “Now in the morning I sleep alone / Sweep the streets I used to own.” Apparently, he had angered his subjects somehow: “People couldn’t believe what I’d become / Revolutionaries wait / For my head on a silver plate.” Most disappointing – and alarming, though, are his conclusions regarding his fate in the afterlife: “For some reason I can’t explain / I know Saint Peter won’t call my name.”

Although the song isn’t intended to be autobiographical, Mr. Martin has alluded to having strayed from his Christian upbringing in several interviews. And perhaps unintentionally, he has succeeded in capturing the sentiments of many would-be followers of Jesus. Anyone that has ever tried to share the good news of the gospel with someone has no doubt heard the despairing response: “I’ve done too many wrong things…God wouldn’t want to save a person like me.” Of course, this conclusion is not supported by the Scriptures and we recognize it as evidence of deception. But to the person living in darkness, not having yet seen the great light, the desperation is real.

As gospel priests, though, it is our responsibility – and privilege – to be transmitters of that great light and proclaimers of the good news. That good news begins with the heart of God, opened up for us in Ezekiel 18:32: “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone…therefore, repent and live.” A story from the annals of Jewish tradition tells of what happened in heaven when the Egyptian army was drowned in the Red Sea at the time of the exodus. The angels and hosts of heaven began to rejoice and celebrate the miraculous victory, but God rebuked them. He said, “My creatures are being destroyed, and you rejoice?” Indeed, “He is not wishing that any should perish,” and that ‘any’ includes everyone from the most upstanding and moral citizen to a terrorist that has taken the lives of thousands of innocent people. Rather, He wishes for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

The good news goes even further. Not only does God desire that His creatures repent and live, He has provided them with the means to do so. He has made it clear in His Word that whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, between Christian and Moslem, or between American and Chinese; neither are there exceptions for the most egregious of offenders; the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for any – any who so choose – who call upon Him. It really is just that simple: if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved (Romans 10:9, 12-13).

Would that his truth would see the light of day in all the desperate hearts and dark corners on this planet. Eventually, we know, it will: the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). Let us live in faith for that day, and walk in such a way that we shine the light, and the good news of the gospel, wherever we are.