The “Good News” in a Modern Parable!

There is no better way to explain what Christianity is all about, than to use this modern parable.

 Two Chinese Brothers in the USA

In the early 1900s, two Chinese brothers emigrated to the USA. The younger one soon became a member of a feared street gang.

One night, during a fight, the Chinese drew a knife and killed his opponent!

Pursued by the police, he was seen entering the building in which his brother lived.

His brother saw him indeed rush into his apartment with bloodstained clothes and with a knife in his hand:

The murderer pleaded: “Help me, save me, the police is after me…”

It did not take long for his older brother to understand what had happened, and seeing him in despair he had an idea! He told him:

“Get undressed, and exchange clothes with me.”

They did so, and when the police finally broke down the door, they found the older, innocent Chinese brother with the knife in his hand and wearing the bloodstained clothes. They arrested him!

During the trial that followed, the innocent brother did not open his mouth in his defense and was sentenced to death.

The day before his execution, he wrote the following letter to his kid brother:

“My brother, whom I love very much,

When you will receive this letter, I would be dead, executed for the murder that you have committed in the clothes that I now wear.

The only way there was for me to save you was for me to take your place, and I am doing this gladly because you are my brother and I love you.

But me dying for you would be worthless, even wrong, if you were to go on living the evil life that you have been living until now.

Now, you are wearing my clothes! I demand that you live in them the way I myself would have lived in them.

If you do not do so, you will be guilty of causing my death as well as that of the man you knifed…”  

Honour the sacrifice I made for you!    

Dear reader,

This parable sums up what the gospel is:

In this parable, you are the younger brother, and Jesus is the older.

Just like with everyone else, your sins are being accumulated, and you will have to bear, on Judgment Day, the just and awful punishment of having to live eternally outside God’s Kingdom, in hell!

Jesus does not want this to happen to you, so, he offered to take upon himself the ultimate punishment that your sins deserve. (Much like the older Chinese did in our parable!)

Even though Jesus is the Only, much beloved Son of God, the Ruler of the Universe, he left his glorious throne in heaven and came down to earth.

He accepted to wear for a time a lower body, that of a man, and lived among us the only sinless life that no one else managed to live while here on earth.

Being sinless, he did not have to suffer and die like we all do! Suffering and death are a consequence of sin!

Being our Creator and having lived without sinning he was able to stand trial for us, offering to suffer and die for our sins, your personal sins included.

By doing this, Jesus satisfied God’s demand that Justice prevails, and that sin be severely punished with death.

By suffering and dying in our stead, Jesus made it possible for God the Father to be simultaneously « Just » and « Merciful », able to forgive our sins on Judgment Day without anyone being able to accuse him that he is unjust, favouring indiscriminately those he wants.

Now God the Father can forgive all those who are “covered by the blood of Jesus”, that is, those who belong to him.

They must certainly be punished, up to a point, for their sins  in Hades, (that is: the World of the Dead), but they are exempted from being thrown in Hell for eternity…

What a wonderful salvation Jesus is offering us..

What a love Jesus showed us!

And how grateful we should all be…

How could we ever hope to escape God’s wrath if we refuse to respond appropriately to his splendid action of sending his beloved Son to the slaughter for us!

When confronted with the amazing love and sacrifice Jesus demonstrated to us we should all be extremely appreciative and eternally grateful!

Is there any greater insult that we can make to God’s face, any greater sin done against him, than taking lightly this matter, and not responding with gratitude, with love and eternal submission to his Son for his self-sacrifice?

Not appreciating what God’s Son did for us, not loving him wholeheartedly and not submitting unreservedly to him is unforgivable!

All other sins can be ultimately forgiven.

But, refusing to respond to the unbelievable sacrifice that Jesus did for us, refusing to become a staunch and faithful follower of his, will never be forgiven…!

If you do not wish to be charged for your sins and for bringing about the death of the Saviour, you ought to change the “clothes of your heart that are stained with sin” with Jesus’ clothes, and live from now on as he would have lived in them…” (Or…sincerely try hard to do so).

What God requires of you is written in the New Testament. It is God’s written Word!  Read it every day of your life and do what it teaches.

What must you do?

Pray and beg the Lord Jesus to enter in your life and heart and start changing you from within.

Cooperate with him and change what needs to be changed in your life.

Read the Bible every day of your life and let it change your way of thinking and your lifestyle.

Prove your love for God and for your neighbor with your deeds.

An important detail:

Let us imagine for a moment that the police had not caught the Chinese murderer that evening, and that, having escaped punishment he was caught with remorse for the evil that he did and changed completely his way of living…

He became the best person he could be, doing good to many.

When, many years later, the police would finally catch him and bring him to justice, would he be exonerated for the murder that he had committed? Of course not!

Regardless of all the good that he had done until then, all his righteousness, he must still bear the guilt and punishment for his action. Justice must be done: He murdered someone, and must pay for his crime.

Likewise, if (without accepting to “change clothes with Jesus”) you were to start living from now on an exemplary life, doing as much good as you can, (hoping to make up for your sins), you will not be acquitted for that much of the guilt that your sins weigh on you!

Becoming a good person is good, but not good enough to save you from the consequences of your evil actions.

You must exchange the clothes of your heart that are stained by your sins with the spotless clothes of Jesus and live accordingly… Then, and then only will God “pass over” your sins and forgive you.

In any case, the greatest and utterly unforgivable sin  that you make, is to fail to respond as you should to the sacrifice that Jesus made in order save you from eternal suffering.

You must submit your spirit, heart and life to him. Learn to love him.

Only if you become a staunch follower of Christ will you be saved! You must be “born” into God’s family. Once that happens, start reading the words of Jesus, daily.

Whatever God wants you to know, to believe and put into practice is written in the New Testament. Study it daily until you die. Jesus did say:

“Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that has come out of the mouth of God”.          (Matthew 4: 4)

Just as you must find time to eat your physical food daily, so you must you make time to feed yourself daily with the Words of God (I would say at least half an hour every day). Otherwise, your spirit will become atrophic, weak, and will be easily polluted again with sin and with false teachings that prevail in this world.

Do not read any books on theology: They are man’s words; they can be mistaken, and often are, and you will end up being brainwashed and poisoned by them.

Do not trust the salvation of your soul to churches either…

Learn only from the very Words of God that Jesus taught and that were written down by his chosen apostles, 2.000 years ago.

By doing so you will be taught the Truth, only the Truth, and all the Truth that God wants you to know and follow.

Change radically the way you think and live!

Constantin Economides