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Viewpoint from Allan Jeavons 14/06/2013
 Allan Jeavons
Eldrt New Wine Christian Fellowship, Martham
www.marthamnewwine.co.uk
We Christians are often known, rightly or wrongly, for being judgemental; taking and defending moral positions and standing against evil it becomes our mission to defend "right and good" in what seems to be an increasingly dark world.
It doesn't matter whether that portrayal is true or not, it is how Christians are frequently perceived by much of the world. Most of us have heard or know of the famous Bible verse in John 3:16 ”For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV). I guess that's the "good news" in a nutshell, but not everyone remembers the next verse: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17 NIV). When Christians are seen or perceived to condemn the world we are in danger of doing what the Pharisees of old did - sitting in judgement and in doing so missing the loving heart of God.
Christianity is called to model the very person of Jesus Christ himself. This is the Jesus who spent time choosing to be in the company of “sinners”, those that the religious establishment of the time not only shunned, but would avert their eyes from, hoping not to be tainted with sin.
Christianity’s job is not to judge – we are called to leave that to God – we are just asked to take His light into dark places and demonstrate that God loves ALL mankind - that is every man woman and child, with no exceptions.
As another translation of John 3:16 (MSG) says, "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.”
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