In our adult class at Hillside, we’re slowly weaving our way through the books of 1-3 John.
As we move forward, I’m constantly amazed by how John paints our relationship with God as black and white. You’re either in, or you’re out. You’re with Him, or you’re not (1 John 1:5-6; 2:15; 3:4-10).
This is not something unique to John’s epistles. In Deuteronomy 11:26, Moses paints the future of Israel in very binary terms. He tells them that he is setting before them “a blessing and a curse.” There are two possible paths for them to take, in other words. One way leads to God’s blessing, the other leads to His curses.
Which road will they take?
This message isn’t always well-received in a religious climate that emphasizes God’s grace above everything else. To be clear, I’m not against the grace of God. I think it should be preached every single Sunday as often as possible.
But you can’t have grace without talking about what the grace saves you from. It’s not grace if there’s not a punishment avoided. There’s no salvation unless there’s something to be saved from.
People need to hear both sides of the coin, just as Israel needed to hear about the two paths it could take.
When they get into Canaan, Moses outlines a specific ceremony that would take place. Half of the tribes would stand on Mount Gerizim, while the others would stand on Mount Ebal. One mountain would state the blessings, while the other group would state the curses. The good with the bad. The ups with the downs.
This ceremony would take place in Deuteronomy 27, and it’s a vivid reminder for all involved that a relationship with God comes with caveats. If you want to follow Him, great. If not, beware.
We don’t necessarily have two mountains today to give this demonstration, but we do have two roads. Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14 that there is a broad way that leads to death, or a narrow way that leads to life. Later in that same chapter, He says that some people will build their life on the rock, while others build it on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27).
Both paths are available to us. It’s just a matter of which road you will take.