My view
Who gets saved? Jesus is the answer. By Tony A. Metze
H
earing the “A” note became easy for me.
As a violinist from l ate prima ry to early high school, I tuned to the “A” note
sounded by the first chair violinist. The clear tone that tunes our lives is the amazing grace of Jesus Christ. The church’s mission is to express the “A” note of grace. Jesus provides the joyful, faithful and loving music for our lives. As God’s people, we sing God’s vibrant sounds of forgiveness and eternal life. While a violin has a “G,” “D,” “A”
and “E” note, it’s the “A” that initiates tuning. So it is with God. God initi- ates relationships through the Spirit. Jesus is God’s ultimate and single pure truth. There are other jingles and jangles, other sounds proclaim- ing partial truths, but none compare to Jesus. No religion makes the sin- gle claim Christians make. We don’t arrogantly claim our God is bigger or better, but we sing God’s grace so clearly that all come to know and understand there is no other. Admittedly, this is a message that
sounds as if only certain people are able to hear. Jesus’ words “I am the way, the truth and the life …” seem exclusive. While some interpret this as an intimate conversation with follow- ers, these words speak to all human- ity as clearly as does John 3:16. The church faithfully proclaims that all who hear the voice of Jesus will be saved. Hearing Jesus isn’t a reward for a life lived in tune, but rather a gift. But we need to hear and tune accordingly. There are loud clanging cymbals reverberating in our ears often. Any-
Picture this DAVID PARRISH
Over the edge
Some may call hanging from a 25-story building foolish, but the Fools for Christ say it’s a great way to represent Christ and help others. Ann Jones, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, Va., is one of four Virginia Synod members who rappelled down the Sun Trust building in Richmond, Va., with 25 other teams for Over the Edge, a statewide event to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics. The other “Fools,” who raised more than $7,700, were Paul Christian, pastor of Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, Petersburg; Lou Florio, pastor of Messiah Lutheran, Mechanicsville; and Kevin Hendrickson, president of Messiah.
Send us your best: The Lutheran is looking for photographs that tell the tale of your faith life or that of your congregation or the ELCA, or our church at work around the world. Send your high-resolution photo to
lutheran@thelutheran.org with “Picture this” in the subject line, along with caption and contact information.
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time hate is dispensed or injustices perpetrated in Jesus’ name, the one spewing this harshness is out of tune with Jesus. But judgment will come, and we bring disharmony to the word of truth when we deaden or attempt to muffle the sounds of eternal pun- ishment. All three creeds speak of judgment as does the parable of the sheep and the goats. God decides our ultimate destina-
tion and none of us can presume to know the mind or heart of God. But
Scripture announces loudly: Jesus Christ is Lord. God’s people are faith- ful when we sing the “A” note of grace to all who want to tune their lives purely. God gives an eternal home to all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Author bio: Metze is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Columbia, S.C. He wrote this in response to Peter W. Marty’s “Who gets saved?” column (March, page 3).
December 2014 49
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