The Shepherd That Took Our Place

The Shepherd That Took Our Place

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Hebrews 13:20-21  May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, . . .

 

I have heard people say that the way that you know that Christianity is true is because of changed lives.  I know a criminal who has become honest through Jesus.  I know of drug addicts and alcoholics who have become sober through Jesus.  I have seen people start to live the way they ought to live through Jesus.  That is how I know that Christianity is true.

 

True, but if you are really going to say that is how you know that Christianity is true, then just keep this in mind.  Every single religion and moral community in the world can produce changed lives, and they do.  All moral, structured communities that have shepherds have a set of rules on how you live and can shape people.  They can take dishonest people and make them honest, they can take addicted people and give them self-control, and they can produce changed lives.

 

In fact C. S. Lewis in his book The Abolition of Man compares the kind of lives that Jesus, Moses, Confucius, Buddha and Mohammed wants you to live, and he says that they are not that different.  What Jesus says is that all shepherds basically tell you how you should live; but I am the only Shepherd who became a sheep and does not just tell you how you have to live, but I came to live the life that you should have lived and died the death that you should have died in your place.  So when you come to God in my name, He delights in you now.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining