Exceptions

For the past month or so, God has really been challenging me to be honest in my beliefs about Him. It started innocently enough: catching up on over a year’s worth of Francis Chan sermon podcasts. (Two months down, at least 15 months more to go!) He has a talent for pointing out the obvious, yet ignored, parts of Scripture so that even one sermon will inspire me to confession and repentance, even while I’m cracking up at his jokes.

The underlying theme for me seems to have been how God used very inclusive terms throughout the Bible. When He does or says something, He doesn’t go half way. He doesn’t stop short of His goal. Even — or especially — when it comes to our salvation, He doesn’t make exceptions: nothing short of holiness will do. Thanks to Jesus’ embodiment of this trait, holiness is actually possible for us!

I, on the other hand, assume exceptions when applying biblical principles to my life. For example, Continue reading…