There Is Joy in Hell Tonight: A Teaching Story

  There is Joy in Hell Tonight: A Teaching StoiyEvery day on her way to work, Edna passed the bakery where a man, whom she thought of as Mister Skin and Bones, sat on the ground near the door and breathed deeply each time the door opened, hoping that the delightful aroma would enter his lungs and provide some molecules of nutrition or if not, at least diminish his hunger pains.She had wanted to help the starving man, but when she mentioned the need at her church, she was rebuffed with a sneer by the youth pastor, who said, “You should be ashamed even to think about such a so-called good deed. Giving that man something to eat would be a ‘good deed,’ which is prohibited by the church.”“But why?" Edna asked plaintively. "Because helping him would contradict our theology that says people are saved by God's grace and not by any so-called good works." "But I ’m afraid that man is going to die if I or someone doesn’t help him.”“Are you trying to buy yourself into heaven my doing a bunch of ‘good works’?”“No,” said the woman, her voice beginning to tremble. “I believe that God has saved me by his grace because I put my faith in Jesus.”“Well, then, there you go,” said the youth pastor, brightening up and smiling with triumph. “Be careful not to slip into wanting to do a bunch of worthless good works.”“But, what about—?”“You don’t want to diminish the priceless, infinite sacrifice of Jesus, do you?”“No, of c...
Source: The Virtual Salt - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: blogs