Jesus doesn’t have Conversations…

Now before you pick up a stone…let me define the title further so that the statement makes sense. I am not speaking of dialogue such as recorded in the Gospels or the sense of petition and answer in prayer. I am not speaking of the declaration that Jesus calls us “friends.” What I am speaking of is the authority behind His declarations, whatever they may be.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that it is through the foolishness of the preached message that God saves souls! That is not some slighted statement…the foolishness of the “words of the cross” is actually the power of God unto Salvation to those who believe. The preached message is not a conversation. The Message (words) of the Cross is not an interpretive dialogue. It is a declaration of truth and a decisive call for acceptance by a divine authority, namely God Himself.

My point is: God is not negotiating with you and me. God is not asking for our opinions or seeking to build consensus on certain issues. God declares what is good, what is right, what is expected, and what is holy. He does so with authority and He wraps it in immeasurably abundant grace! But it is still authoritative.

One may ask…what if I don’t agree? What if I dispute and have a good argument? What if someone else stands up and says differently? Do any of these things change the fact that what God declares is already Sovereignly and righteously decided in Heaven? The answer is certainly, “No.”

In our cultural understanding of what is “acceptable” by OUR norms, we like to soften authority and make the determination of what is authoritative more subjective than we ought. We want to have conversations rather than hear declarations. We hear that “the Bible says…” and we say, “Yes, but I am not certain I agree with that.” Friend, honestly…that doesn’t matter. Jesus doesn’t have conversations about whether something is right or wrong, expected or optional. He declares truth and we decide to obey or disobey. Those are our options. He is our King. His Word is settled. His declarations are unimpeachable.

Shalom, CA