Pastor’s Corner is a new column from Pastor Wynter Sturtevant III of the Mariposa Reformed Baptist Church. The church is located at 4994 11th Street in Mariposa, California in the Seventh-day Adventist church building. Services are held on Sunday mornings at 10:00 A.M.
December 27, 2018 - Since my ordination as pastor/elder of Mariposa Reformed Baptist Church, I have noticed a certain conversation that I frequently have. I’ll normally be asked the usual “getting to know you” questions and I’ll reveal that I am a pastor. The mood of the conversation changes. It does not change to anger if you were thinking that. I must say that I have yet to have any pastoral conversations of that sort. What I hear, and most of time from professing Christians, is that they are a good person.
What is meant by that statement? What is meant by the fact that this is mentioned after it is revealed that I am a pastor? This is the aftermath of hearing nothing but Law and being told that they must do certain works to get their “Christian card” punched. The aftermath of what has been called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.
Quite frankly, it is the aftermath of what theologian Michael Horton calls Christless Christianity. We must remember and keep at the center of our faith Jesus Christ. This requires us to remove from a pedestal our self-congratulatory title of “good person.” Whether you are good or not does not compare to the truth that is found in Romans 4:25, that Christ was “delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification”.
I hope that this does not deter you from talking to me or other pastors. What I hope it does, Christian, is show you even when people fail at being good, by having faith in Christ they know that they are forgiven. You are forgiven.
Wynter is an Elder at Mariposa Reformed Baptist Church. Find out more at www.mariposachurch.org or email him at wynter@mariposachurch.org.
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