Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear people.

We’ve done our walk/jog—now I await the call to breakfast. It’s definitely cooler this morning—in the 40s. Lots to pursue today. Sawmill work will probably take the lead. But I want to finish getting the garden planted.

Taffy was just meowing at the door—so I let her in along with her kittens. They are playful active little critters now—capable of being a little annoying—like playing under my desk here and using my legs as tree trunks for climbing—with claws that are a bit longer than the thickness of my sweat pants. OK—two of the kittens have already formed a little pile for taking a nap.

I continue to be in dialogue with a friend convinced of CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALISM—that none will be ultimately lost. But if that is true, my little bald head has to do a lot of coughing and sputtering—and psychological gymnastics—because if lost, as in our reading, does not mean LOST, what in the world does it mean? If perish does not mean PERISH, what does it mean? If saved or found does not mean SAVED or FOUND from being LOST, what does it mean? What is the meaning of ETERNAL LIFE (or the opposite thereof)? And I have to wonder how there can even be a GOSPEL (GOOD NEWS) if there is not really any GOOD NEWS?

Moving right along…have a blessed day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

It is good to bear in mind the fundamental reason for God sending “His only begotten Son.” John 3:16 says, in so many words, that mankind was hopelessly LOST and doomed to “perish” apart from this remarkable display of God’s love. Jesus says the same thing in different terms in Luke 19:10 that “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was LOST.” The very sound of the word LOST has a chilling ring to it in the Biblical sense. And it’s supposed to. It is this LOST condition of man that is the theme of Luke 15. Jesus presents this profound truth with three different story pictures. First is the illustration of a shepherd seeking and finding his LOST sheep. Then we are told of a woman seeking and finding a LOST coin. Tomorrow’s reading presents the illustration of a father being reconciled to a LOST son. In each case, that which was LOST was something very valuable to the owner and generated great rejoicing when found. Self-righteous Pharisees and natural earthlings, however, don’t seem to get the picture, partly because they just don’t like a picture that requires abandonment of SELF. (Make sure you read carefully the first part of this reading—14:25-35.) But there is no other way to legitimately interpret the main message here (that follows through the entire body of scripture) that we all are valuable in the view of our Maker, yet hopelessly LOST without Christ as Savior and the redeeming love of God.

If the LOST condition of mankind is truly at the center of the heart of God, you can rest assured that it is His desire that it also be at the center of the heart of all true members of the Family of God. Let’s maintain our Biblical evangelistic perspective and be reminded that MEN WITHOUT CHRIST ARE LOST—hopelessly and eternally. Let that basic New Testament truth sink down deep into our world view and saturate our vision. Don’t let it evaporate. Because, “Where there is no vision (of this sort) people perish” (Proverbs 29:18)