The world is not wrong as much as it is lost.

Friend or Foe?
by John Fischer

Bob is a regular devotional reader who writes me frequently. What makes him unique is that he is a Christian who is attending classes at a Buddhist temple. Now some Christians might find this impossible to do, but it really depends on your worldview.

A person with a worldview that believes that Christians are right and everyone else is wrong would not be able to understand how a person could do this, or why one would even want to. A person with a worldview that believes that all truth is embodied in Christ Jesus, but not exclusively held by Him, might see this differently. God has not locked up His truth inside the church where no one else can get it.

Theologians call it common grace – that part of truth and beauty that God shares with everyone, whatever their faith or lack of it. In reality, it’s the only way we can explain the world the way it is. Christians are not the only good people on the earth. Indeed there are many good people in the world who are not Christians, as well as Christians who are not very good.

Bob wrote recently: “One of my classmates went on a tirade when he first learned that I am a Christian. We are now friends. He is still a Buddhist and I am still a Christian, but he says gentler things about Christians now. I can't help saying ‘gentle things’ about Buddhists. It's something that many Christians need to learn. I guess our North American society often isn't very gentle.”

Now you can see a reason for this. Bob is finding among his Buddhist friends, Christian traits that are culturally lacking in our western society. And it also looks like Bob has been an influence on at least one of his Buddhist friends who looks at Christianity differently now because of him.

Am I suggesting that we all become Buddhists? Of course not. But I am suggesting we could be more open to truth outside of only what we can control. We might be able to share Christ with more people if we thought differently about this. One way to think about it would be this: The world is not wrong as much as it is lost.

It’s a mindset that colors how we treat people. People we think are wrong need to be set straight; people we think are lost need to be found and brought home. If you were not a Christian, whom would you rather have as a friend, someone out to set you straight, or someone out to find you and bring you home?

“Today salvation has come to this house… For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:10

John Fischer is the Senior Writer for Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals. He resides in Southern California with his wife, Marti and son, Chandler. They also have two adult children, Christopher and Anne. John is a published author and popular speaker.

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