LOVE MUST BE BASED ON TRUTH

On Radio Ulster's Thought for the Day on 22 April 2010, Archdeacon Stephen McBride spoke of the love of God. A wonderful theme indeed. It's just a pity Dr McBride didn't anchor his Thought on the solid ground of Truth rather than on the sinking sands of a lethal mixture of truth and fantasy. Dr McBride spoke of how being God was a "lonely place" and how He needed our love. God certainly delights in our love, but He does not need it or depend upon it for He is an all-sufficient God. Nor is He is in a lonely place, for He is worshipped night and day by adoring angels and the great host of sinners who are in Heaven because God loved them and Christ died for them. Dr McBride really went off the rails when he told a story - and what a fanciful fictitious story it was, although, interestingly, he didn't admit that himself - about the Judgement Day. In this story, designed to further underline God's love, Jesus is pushing against the crowd when Peter stops Him and asks Him where He is going. "To get Judas" is Jesus' reply. This is not merely a harmless fictitious story. It is dangerous heresy. The Bible speaks often of Hell -(indeed, Jesus refers to Hell more than He refers to Heaven) but it paints a grim picture of everlasting torment for those who have rejected God's love to them in Christ. It never speaks of people being taken out of Hell and then being brought into Heaven. That is why we must urge men and women to turn to Christ alone for eternal salvation before they are eternally damned. A Day of Judgement is coming. On that day, the blood-washed saints will be gathered into Glory while those who rejected the Saviour will stand before Him only to hear those fearful words, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire" (Matthew 25:41). How sharply that contrasts with the picture of the Judgement Day as presented by Dr McBride.