During a recent debate, an ABC News commentator passed a bag of stones to Republicans on stage (in the form of questions about marital infidelity and personal character). Every candidate, except for one, grabbed a handful of rocks, to throw at the man they considered the sinner amongst them. In a scene right out of, well, the Bible, Republican candidates - again and again - pelted the sinner, a great sinner, to be sure, with stones; all the while, reassuring the audience: they, the upstanding candidates, were nothing like the sinner. Each of them, they made it clear, were more fit to the hold the office. Their sins were small, not the large sort the sinner was guilty of; humans of quality, they.
In another scene, right out of, well, the Bible, Jesus once spoke to those with great confidence in their own goodness: "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector. The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: `I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don't sin, I don't commit adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.'
But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, `O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God."
This sinner. Old as the Message is, it is so new and wonderful, if rightly presented, as to awaken astonishment in the weary, imperfect hearts who hear. When babes in Christ give themselves to the Lord - justified through the Redeemer's sacrifice, brought into the family of God, begotten of the Holy Spirit - it means a great change for these. It means a Miracle. Old things pass away; all things become new.
Only Now, just like Then – whited walls, the outside-of-the-cup crowd, invested in the appearance of good conduct and their "core" principles, make the Precious Savior, Bringer of Peace, Lifter of Burdens, unapproachable, uninviting, intimidating, to sinners seeking forgiveness, desperate for a second chance. The Rick Perrys, the Michelle Bachmanns, the Ron Pauls, the Rick Santorums and Mitt Romneys of today's world, their banners of spiritual pride waving high, keep multitudes of sinners standing afar off, sure they are unworthy to approach the only One who can make them new.
On that stage, that night, there was not one word - not one word - from the political Christians about the miraculous saving work of Christ Jesus, sufficient to change, to make all things new, to transform the worst sinner, even Newt, into a new creature.
America is full of sinners, who love their country, many of whom would die for it, and according to the purity test of the republicans on stage that night, they probably couldn’t run for dog catcher. Steve Deace sees things a little differently: sometimes the greatest sinners, "the most broken people are the ones God does the most tremendous work through."
No one has walked a mile in Newt's shoes, except for Newt. No one on that stage knows the crowded corners of Newt's heart. There is only one thing every believer truly knows about Newt... he is forgiven.
forgiven