Earning Christian merit badges

I emceed an event a couple weeks ago. One of the blessings of that event was that my pastor, Marc Erickson of Eastbrook, was the keynote speaker. During the course of the evening I mentioned that I was saved 7 1/2 years ago and had found Eastbrook ten days after that marvelous moment. Afterwards I was walking to my car when I encountered someone I knew from church who had attended the event. "Oh Danny", she said "I didn't know you were such a new believer!" I shuddered slightly when she said that.

It was worse a few years ago. I'd be speaking to someone about my story and they'd make a similar remark. I don't understand why such a fuss is made as to how 'long' someone has been a believer. 2 Corinthians 5:17 doesn't say 'if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation---not as good as 'older' new creations---the old has gone (but not as far gone as mature believers)---the new has come'. No---it makes no distinction on longevity of faith and the surety of salvation. If you're in, you're in. Now, you can blow it---but that's another blog.

That might be a personal soft spot for me, but I really urge everyone to reserve comments like that---and I'll tell you why. Some of the most died-in-the-wool, believers-for-years kinds of people can tend to be the ones who do the most damage to the faith and the faithful. They can be the condemners, the robbers-of-joy, the people who say one thing and then do the other. Scrubbed clean from weekly sin at church, they've got some pretty choice words for someone who delays them in traffic----or didn't cut their lawn.

My point is that Christianity isn't like scouting. You don't earn merit badges along the way with 5, 10, and 15 year service awards. YES, you certainly build up treasure in heaven, but you also aren't any more saved than the guy who gave his life to Christ at the rally down on 27th street last Friday night. The best example is the thief on the cross who, in the last hours of his life, had an eternity changing exchange with his savior Jesus Christ who granted him a place in heaven along with you, me, and the 'new' believer who finally, finally gave it up, gave it over, and gave it away.