Done Well

The Gospel of John wasn’t meant to be picked apart, line by line, without regard for the whole. When John wrote it, he certainly expected people to hear the whole of the story, and consider the parts only in light of that whole. His purpose in writing the account of Jesus’ life was to point readers in the direction of God, so that they would know of the hope they had for the lives they were living, and for the life to come. The experience of this life present and to come is the very process of salvation: multifaceted, touching on every aspect of our lives.

In a nutshell, the salvation John paints is one that relies on the Spirit of God, seeks intellectual growth, is passionately heartfelt, is quick to turn away from ways not of God in order to follow Christ, and is sustained in remembering God’s redemptive work while learning to love in community.

There is one particular story which exemplifies all the facets of salvation come together. In John 4, Jesus choose to move into Samaria – a volitional decision based on God’s grace alone, as no Jew would ever want to dirty their sandals with that soil. He found himself at Jacob’s well, where a Samaritan woman approached midday to get some water. He struck up a conversation with her – an act of love – foot washing – something none of the disciples would have considered doing. As he did with Nicodemus, he stretched her thinking as he discussed who he is and what he offers. She wasn’t quite getting it, so he took her understanding of him to a much deeper, affective level when he illumined things about her that only God could have revealed to him. Her heart grew in belief. She tried to pick a fight with Jesus, but he had another agenda, and spoke to her about the Spirit – the essence of God and the means of our worship. In response to this discourse, she left her lonely, weak way of life and instead confidently, boldly ran back to the village that despised her to declare the news of the Christ, much like the healed blind man who simply stated what happened to him. The result of her witness of Christ? The whole village came to believe in him.

This one story encapsulates what we go through – throughout our lives – as we follow Christ. Our salvation is a process, a gift to embrace throughout our lives. We are like the Samaritan woman in that regard. The question is, are we still in the process of salvation, or did we leave the dialogue with Christ long ago?

The story also challenges us as apostles of Christ regarding how we are to carry out the great commission we have been given to make disciples of Jesus. We learn from Jesus where we need to go and how we need to treat people who we’ve been given the privilege to address. As you walk through life, how are you handling those in your path? With grace, honor, and respect as Jesus did with the woman at that well?

May you be humble enough to realize, every day, that you have not yet arrived. May you be bold enough, every day, to walk in the Spirit you’ve been given to gracefully woo a world back to the One who gave us all breath.

“One of the greatest lies of our day is that conversion is instant, like fast food. God can zap us and we’re saved. It is all free. It costs nothing. Take it and run. This is what Bonhoeffer calls 'cheap grace.' Punch in at church. Grab communion and run. Season your conversation with 'praise the Lord' and you’re among the saved.

“One of the great truths of our day is that conversion is ongoing. Conversion is the process in which we are given opportunity upon opportunity to accept the free gift of salvation. Salvation is a free gift, yes, but it’s costly. It’s 'costly grace.' It costs our lives lived passionately.” – Macrina Wiederkehr