So Far, So Good!

One of my favorite stories is about a man who fell from a tall building. As he passed an open window about five stories up, someone inside heard him call out, “So far, so good!”

I used to tell that story when people around me were enthusiastic about their progress. Current returns are no guarantee of future results. Isn’t that something we read on stock offerings? We should pay more attention.

It was an article in USA Today that reminded me of the story, and it has been in my mind all week long. The newspaper runs a feature on religion every Monday, and last week the editor chose an atheist to write something. That was an interesting choice in itself, since it was the week Christians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The article was entitled, “No religion? No problem.” When I finished reading, I added one more phrase: NOT YET.

In the article, the author was delighted that a growing number of Americans no longer identify with a particular religion. The results of a recent survey seem to indicate that 20% of the population has no religious affiliation. From that finding, she assumes that only 80% believe in a supernatural being. That’s quite a leap in logic, which is somewhat akin to a leap of faith.

Actually, I imagine that many Christians could identify themselves as irreligious. I know that I do. I am a follower of Jesus, not a particular religious “brand.” In this, I identify quite well with a man named Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote most of what we know as the New Testament.

Paul encountered a lot of religion in the Greco-Roman world of the first century after Christ. One of his encounters is recorded in the book of Acts, chapter 17. He compliments the Athenians for being very religious, but warns them that religion is not sufficient. In fact, religion can actually reinforce ignorance.

“In the past,” Paul says to them, “God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

God has set a day, and all of us are falling toward it. He will not judge us on the basis of our religious affiliation, but on the basis of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The resurrection proves it.

To smug religionists and atheists alike, I have this advice from Psalm 2:
“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”