You may often hear Christians saying that John 3:16 is the most important verse in the Bible: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." The importance of this verse is stated for two reasons: 1. God sent Jesus (who then died for us), and 2. We need to accept Jesus in order to be 'saved' (or live forever in heaven). That's the short version of what is known as 'the Gospel.' However, I want to suggest that the most important verse in the Bible is actually found in Paul's letter to the Romans:
"Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off." (Romans 11:22)It's this idea of being cut off by God that's the real wake-up call for me.
First some context: Paul is writing to Christians in Rome, and so the "you" here is the church (the gathered believers). The context of the verse is a discussion about how God brought the church into existence. Paul uses a gardening analogy. He asks the reader to imagine a tree, from which God removed some of the natural branches in order to graft on newer ones; the "new" here being the church. Paul's point is that it was God (through Jesus) who created the church. It was also God's decision. None of us has been involved in creating the church. All fine so far, but the really shocking point is that for Paul this is not a once-and-done thing. Listen to what he says elsewhere, "For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either" (Romans 11:21).
The Christian Church is declining in the Western World. I see this in my hospice work as more and more families I meet with express no religious affiliation. For instance, according to a 2019 survey, the Pew Research Centre records that in the US over the last decade Christian religious affiliation has dropped 12% (from 77% to 65%) and that "17% of Americans now describe their religion as “nothing in particular,”" which is up from 12% in 2009. Why are people leaving the churches? Is it because people no longer have any need for a spiritual presence in their life? Not according to my hospice visits. Despite professing 'no fixed abode' when it comes to the practice of religion, people are still very much attached to the notion of spirituality and a 'higher power'. All this leads me back to Paul's words: continue in kindness "otherwise, you also will be cut off."
As I write these words it is Valentine's Day, a day on which love is celebrated. It also is a day when people are reminded of all the good that love is. Despite everything bad going on in the world, people remain drawn to this idea of love. The sad fact is that many have not experienced love in the church. On the contrary, verbal, spiritual, and even physical abuse has been the norm. No wonder people are fleeing... Yet the fact is that God's presence is made known in the good we do for each other. It is known in the presence of love. In this, I am reminded of another verse, "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another God lives in us and [God's] love is made complete in us" (1 John 4:12). That's the simple fact of the matter. God is love; we are called to be loving. End of story! So we must ask ourselves, where the church is in decline is this because people no longer believe in or need God, or because Christians have ceased to be a loving presence in the world? Paul states it clearly that if we are unkind then God will cut us off, and a branch that is cut off from the main tree will eventually die: the Church will die... the church is dying.
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