The Most Important One

This blog is the most important one. It would have been appropriate for me to have written it as my first one. But here we are. It wasn’t that I was afraid or that it didn’t cross my mind. It just so happens that the few blogs I've written so far felt suitable at the time. Nevertheless, this one is the most important, and I would like to share with you why.

I grew up in New York City's Washington Heights in the '80s and '90s, where the predominant religion was Catholic (it may still be). The few childhood memories I have of going to mass include wearing nice clothes and going to the big brick structure literally across the street from where we lived which was the Catholic Church. I would sit in its long, cold, and shiny mahogany pews, on which I saw my reflection. Apart from that, I have no other memories of the Catholic religion, specifically its theology, until after adulthood.

My childhood family, for whom I hold no accountability toward, never explained Catholicism to me. However, hearing about it growing up, I knew about God, the Virgin Mary, and baby Jesus. For what it’s worth, I read about the book of Revelations and Armageddon only because, as a teenager, I thought it was intriguingly cool and scary to know about celestial creatures and the events of "end times." Nonetheless, I credit these experiences for giving me a foundation in appreciating the next part of this story.

Soon after joining the Navy, I met my wife Cindy while in training at the Naval Training Center Great Lakes in 1999. She had become a Christian many years prior, at 15 years old. But she too grew up Catholic, with similar experiences. However, she had more exposure to the religious practices of Catholicism than I did. Before we got married after dating for six months (a topic for another time), she shared her testimony with me on a cold winter night while parked in her '91 calypso-green Mustang. It led to my acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior that year.

As an 18-year-old kid of Dominican descent from New York City, not knowing anything of Jesus Christ apart from Him being the son of a virgin, Christianity was entirely foreign to me. Yet, I understood the concept of sin. If one of God's attributes is holiness, sin cannot exist in His presence. From a logical standpoint, this makes sense since the very definition of the word "Holy" requires it. I also understood that I couldn't atone for my own thoughts and actions if I were to confront a Holy God one day and face the consequences without someone else taking my place of judgment. For many who come to faith, the consequences of sin may be their primary reason to believe. Originally it was for me. But this shouldn’t be the motivating factor. I don't believe God intended it to be just that.

If you are a parent, you understand the concept of authority and respect. You understand that if your children do not listen and do what you ask of them, there will be consequences. Otherwise, your lack of upholding such standards does a disservice to the inherent definition of what it is to be a parent. And as parents, you want them to become responsible people. You do so not only because it is your responsibility but also because you love them. Your love for your children drives you to be the type of parent you must be to protect them from harm and compel them to undertake life responsibly and wisely. Your children may not like you for disciplining them, just as we didn't like it when ours disciplined us. But at some point, you realized, as your children will one day, that it was all done for a reason and because of your parent’s love for you.

It is the same with God and us. We were created in His image. In the sense that we were given a soul with the ability to reason and the capacity to make choices—called free will. He gave us free will so that we can freely choose to love and worship Him. What kind of parent would you be if you forced your children to love you? Do you think you would get the same type of love and respect you desire from them? I would argue no. And if you're honest with yourself, it would be the wrong way to have a loving relationship with anyone you love. Through their free will, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, allowing sin to come into the world (Genesis 3). The rest is history until God chose to become human.

God's love was manifested in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:18, 8:58, 10:30; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9). He was the begotten Son of God (John 3:16) who was since the foundation of the universe (John 1:1-5). Jesus lived a sinless life (2 Corinthians 5:21), took upon Himself the sins of the world (1 Peter 2:24), paid the penalty of sin we deserve through His death on the cross (Ephesians 2:16), and was resurrected on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). For whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). This is the Gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ.

However, many do not like Christianity for various reasons. Some of those reasons have to do with those in the Church claiming to be Christians who live in ways that are opposite to what God commands (2 Peter 2). I don't blame critics of Christianity for having such views. But consider this: Would you blame an inventor for someone's misuse of their invention? Would you blame an engineer for an operator's mistake? Do you blame Vivaldi or Beethoven for an orchestra's error on a musical note? I don't think you would.

So, the corruption of some does not define God's intended purpose for those who choose to believe in His Son (Romans 8:28).

I ask you to consider what I have shared and not base your views on others—not even me. Read the Bible for yourselves (I recommend the chapters of John and Romans). For those who genuinely seek Him, will find Him (Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:13; Luke 11:9-10).

God Bless.