Pendulums

READ: ROMANS 3:21-26; EPHESIANS 2:1-10

Have you ever sat and watched a pendulum clock? The rhythmic back and forth motion can be mesmerizing, even relaxing.

Many things have been likened to the swing of a pendulum. Most of them are not relaxing but instead refer to constant change. Clothing, for example, is compared to a swinging pendulum. This year, men’s ties are skinny, but in a couple of years they will be wide once again. Popular colors also follow the swinging pendulum. Currently, many new homes have various shades of gray inside, but in a couple of years colors will return to tans and beiges.

Those preaching the Word of God can also swing on a pendulum. When I was growing up, the theme of many churches was hell. Every week, we would hear, “If you don’t repent of your sins, you are going to hell!” Teaching about the love and mercy of God was almost nonexistent.

Today, those who attend most churches will regularly hear about the wonderful truth of God’s love and how important it is to receive that love. But, at many churches, the heavy topics of sin and judgment are rarely spoken about.

Both sides of this pendulum swing are wrong by themselves: the full gospel has to incorporate both parts. We are sinners who desperately need to repent of our sins—and if we don’t, we are on a slippery slope to eternal judgment. But God, in His abundant love beyond imagination, by grace and mercy, offers us forgiveness. We need only put our trust in the gift of Jesus’ blood, shed for your sin and mine. • Bonnie Haveman

• Have you taken the step to confess your sin and put your trust in Christ’s gift of love—His death and resurrection as payment for your sin? (If you have questions about what this means, check out our “Know Jesus” page.)

• Have you ever presented the gospel as God’s gift of love but skipped the need for repentance? How can you include both truths when you share the good news?

• How does the good news of Jesus affect the way you live now? How does it affect your perspective of the future?

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (CSB)