“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:24, 25).

It is easy for us to look at the faults and shortcomings of others, while dismissing or making light of our sins. Yes, even the word “sin” is rarely used anymore, rather it has been supplanted by various psycho babble terms designed to free people from personal responsibility.

Yesterday, I witnessed along with countless other viewers, an incident that took place on the streets of Hartford, CT. A 78 year-old man was crossing the road, was hit by a car, and tossed to the pavement. The driver of the car kept going, but that wasn’t the worst of it.

As CNN reported, bystanders and other drivers did nothing. Ten cars went past the man lying in the street, who by now was critically injured. Perhaps worse were the people who were walking by and did nothing. Finally, the police did arrive and took the man to the hospital.

This incident serves to remind me of two stories in the Bible:

The first story being the account of the Samaritan (Luke 10) who stopped to help the man robbed and left for dead. A priest, then a Levite passed by, but it wasn’t until the third person arrived, a no good Samaritan (in the eyes of the Jewish people of that day), who came to the man’s aid and paid for his recovery.

The second story is from today’s scripture, where the apostle Paul recognized his sinfulness and cried out to God. Immediately, he understood the position that he was in and glorified God.

Here is my take on two very different stories — the first one shed light on a man who wasn’t caught up in religious pretense and helped his neighbor. The second one shed light on the heart of a man who realized he could do nothing apart from God. In both situations you had men who were humble before God, just the kind of person God uses.

I was tempted to emphasize the “lack of moral conviction” the people of Hartford displayed yesterday, but that is only a piece of the puzzle. Truly, had these people cared, someone would have come to this man’s aid immediately.

Instead, we have the hearts of people revealed — no one recognized their own sinfulness, thereby their hard hearts made them incapable to help a fellow man when he was struck down. I believe that when God is forsaken, we’re capable of scraping the bottom when an opportunity to do good arises.

However, when God is exalted in our lives through true repentance, wonderful things can be done. I only wish that more people had the heart of Paul and the action of the Samaritan, when this man’s moment of need became evident.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (NKJV)

This singular verse in Ephesians, which is repeated elsewhere in the Bible (Acts 15:40, Galatians 1:3, Philemon 1:3, etc.), sums up how God wants to touch mankind — he offers his grace (unmerited favor) and peace to all who put their trust in Him.

When comparing religions, it is soon evident that the God whom Christians follow is not like other gods. In Hinduism, there are some 330 million gods for worshipers to call on, many of whom are vindictive, spiteful, and just plain mean. Hundreds of millions of people in India are enslaved to these gods whom many Christians consider to be demons in disguise.

Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, with more than one billion followers, most of whom live in what is called the 10-40 window. If possible, adherents are expected to make pilgrimage at least once to Mecca and keep a code of rules and regulations to appease Allah. One of the pillars of this religion is praying five times daily, facing Mecca. Clearly, how well you perform your faith in this life determines where you will spend eternity. To fully understand Islam, followers are expected to learn Arabic.

Followers of Buddhism have varying beliefs depending on the sect. Some consider Buddhism a religion, while others call it a way of life. Your speech, action, and livelihood play an important part in your life, but as far as life after death, the teachings of Buddha are silent.

For the follower of Jesus Christ, we know that our God isn’t fickle, mean, or vengeful. True, vengeance does belong to our God, but it isn’t something that is held over our heads 24/7/365, particularly when we have entrusted our lives to Him. Our God wants to fellowship with us and His incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection were space-time events which connected sinful man to a holy God. God always takes the initiative — we are to respond and to consent to Him. Christians have translated the Bible into thousand of tongues — demonstrating how our God comes to people where they are at.

God wants everyone to taste His peace and to live with Him forever. We can’t follow an impossible set of rules and there is nothing on earth that we can do to win His favor. Out of love we serve Him, knowing moment-by-moment that Jesus broke the power of death and we shall live forevermore.

Photo courtesy of Manu M.