My coworker responded to my previous letter. He actually responded in February, but other things have made me unable to start a response to him, and still others have kept me from blogging. Below the fold you can read what he wrote.
It’s Not About Me 2011-02-10
Part of the reason I haven't gotten around to this is the number of times I've read it. My coworker is a nice guy, but reading his "thoughts" has me slightly disturbed. The absence of personal responsibility for moral actions has me confounded.
Why do I believe that God is worthy of my worship? Indeed a very appropriate question for anyone looking for answers.
I have to tell you since you asked your question I have thought about it and started to answer it several times. But each time my answers started with, “God did this in my life” or “He answered this or that prayer” or “I can see him working either in my life and other people’s lives”. All this is true and do I see lives changed and people who now have hope where once there was none. All these answers are evidences that God “is” and is active in the lives of people. We can discuss the details some other time if you want but each time I reviewed my answer, it just wasn’t right. The main reason God is worthy of worship was not in my answer. The point is it’s not about my life or anyone else’s life that makes him worthy of my praise and worship.
The reason God is worthy of my worship and the worship of all mankind is because he is who he claims to be. He is the all-knowing, all-powerful and ever-present creator God. He is God who created the heavens and the earth and everything contained within it. His Word tells us that He created the universe with the sun, the earth and the moon. He spoke the stars into existence and created every living thing. His Word tells us that His creation is evidence for all man to see and to know that He exists and that we are without excuse.
The Bible tells us He created man and that when he created man he said “let us make man in our image”. The word “us” of course refers to a concept which is difficult for us to get our heads around but the “us” is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They were all there at the creation and all three are all one God. Man is made in the image of God was created with a soul which means he can live for eternity. The Bible states that after creating man He said, “It is very good.”
We are told that God created mankind for a reason and that is because He wants a relationship. He told the first man and woman to multiply. He looked forward to having a personal relationship with each person. But at the same time he chose not to force his will on us. We are given a choice because he wants people to love him for who He is and because they want to have a relationship with him. He doesn’t want meaningless worship or mindless obedience. In his sovereignty he graciously gives us the freedom to choose whether or not to submit to his rule.
Having made us in his “image” he has provided us with everything we need to know and understand him. He’s given us the ability to think and reason. He used several different men to deliver his messages throughout the centuries to pass along to us and had them write it down for all to know. This is His Word, the Bible. He gave us the ability to understand what he’s telling us in his Word but we have to read and study it in order to know him.
In his infinite wisdom he knew everyone would not belief in Him because they would be led astray by Satan’s lies. Many would forget Him and some would question that he even existed. He knew many would turn away from Him and device their own schemes to worship something else, some man-made object or themselves. So even before the world and man was created he had a plan save us. This plan was to send his Son to be the ultimate sacrifice for mankind to reconcile us to him. He sent his Son to earth to die for our sins and make a way for our willing submission to him. Because He is a God of grace and mercy He would offer his own Son as the perfect sacrifice and take our sins upon himself and nail them to the cross. He paid our penalty. After Jesus died on the cross he was laid in a tomb and on the third day he arose from the grave. His love for mankind, his grace and mercy is part of God’s character and who he is. That’s not all of God’s character but that is part of it. What he has done for us shows that he is worthy of worship. The only thing he asks us to do is to “believe in the one whom he has sent” and accept him as their Lord and Savior. Raising his own son from the dead proves that he can do it and he has promised to do the same for all who believe and are faithful to him.
The reason God is worthy of my worship is because of the Gospel…the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was foretold several times in the Old Testament that the Messiah was coming. The Gospels of the New Testament tells of Jesus’ birth, life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension. These along with the rest of the New Testament tell us the beginning of the early church and that Jesus is coming again one day and the dead in Christ will be raised to be with him in glory.
My worship and praise of God is because of who He is and the Gospel story of Jesus.
So, it’s not about me at all or what he has done for me physically on this earth. It’s not about us or any human being. Answered prayer, changed lives and everything He does for us is just evidence that He is there and that he cares for us. It’s not about us rather it’s all about God, his glory, his mercy and his grace. It’s about him loving us so much that he sent his one and only Son to die on the cross for us in our place. As Paul puts it, it’s about the Gospel or “Good News” of Jesus Christ. He is worthy of my worship because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is worthy to be worshipped and worthy of all glory.
Now, I'm trying to figure out a diplomatic way to point out the inconsistencies of the message my coworker is trying to convey. He seems to mean well, but it comes off as if he's endorsing tyranny. I'm going to have to be *very* diplomatic with my response.
August 17, 2011
Exchange with a Coworker: "It's Not About Me"
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