ALL WE NEEDED TO SURVIVE (continued) by Robert Soto

ALL WE NEEDED TO SURVIVE (continued) by Robert Soto

January 23, 2010

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

Grace and love go together. God always loves His people and distributes His grace upon us because He loves us and desires the best for our lives. Grace means undeserved mercy. Thus when we do wrong and violate God's desire for us, He gives us grace. He treats us in a way that we do not deserve. Paul wrote, "The wages of sin is death..." That means when we violate His principles and desires for mankind we deserve death - but His grace gives us mercy. I often wonder what life would be like without His grace. I often wonder what life would be like without His love. God's love for us is unconditional. He does not love one person above another. When John wrote, "For God so loved the world..." he did not say, "For God so loved the American people more than he does the rest of the world." His love for the world was fully given to all through Jesus' death on the cross and His payment for sin. The gift of being forgiven and having our sins removed as far as the east is from the west which He, God, remembers no more, is a gift He gives to all humankind if he or she takes the time to receive it.

For the wages of sin is death (total separation from God) which is God's judgment for the wrong we have done; but the second part of that verse says, "But the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." That is the full extent of God's love. While judgment falls on our shortcomings, the blessing of eternal life comes when we put our faith and trust in Christ and what He did on the cross. When early Christianity came to America, it seems that the only message it brought to our Indian people was that the wages of sin is death. Death was our destiny unless we changed from our 'evil' ways. Some of those evil ways were the way we spoke (our tribal languages) the way we sang or dressed. For some it was the length of our hair or the way we looked (our physical characteristics). Some even went as far as judging us for the color of skin we had. As Christianity came to America, those bringing it remembered the wages of sin, but they seemed to forget the gift of God which was not given to mankind based on how long or short his hair was. A gift that was given, not based on whether they dressed in their traditional clothes or in the uncomfortable suits and dresses of the Europeans. A gift that was not based on whether or not they spoke English. It was a gift given to those who looked to the Son and believed in Him and accepted His free gift of love and eternal life.

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church