Discipling Men, Inc.

I am glad that Osama Bin Laden is dead. I am glad that he was taken out by Navy Seals.

There is a difference between being “sealed” by a bullet (pun intended) and being sealed by the Spirit but that is not the point of this. Many throughout the news cycle have been celebrating how great it is that he is dead because of how bad he was. I agree but I am tempered in my assessment.

I think many are gleeful because thinking about Osama Bin Laden and his character deflects away from their and our own heart condition. Many are intrigued by criminals depicted on television shows because we can always say, “Well, I am not as bad as that person”. It is human nature to compare ourselves to the worse of human nature instead of comparing ourselves to the greatest human being who ever lived.

We know that the greatest human being who ever lived is Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins, was resurrected on the third day and reigns and rules at the right hand of God our Father.

But it is our sin and my sin that put him there.

But until each one of us realizes that we, apart from Christ, are as bad sinfully speaking as the worst person who ever lived upon the face of the earth we do not fully understand the gospel. In other words, I am as bad as, or worse, than Osama Bin Laden.

No, I did not participate in the twin tower terrorist attacks, or the USS Cole, or the attack on the Marine barracks or scores of other Al-Qaida related attacks but I sent Jesus Christ to the cross. So did you.

Osama Bin Laden did not because had Jesus Christ died for him he would be a Christian. That will give you a theological headache but it is true. All for who He died become Christians. That is election.

Christ died for my sins so in one sense I am worse than Osama Bin Laden.

That is not the end of the story. All Christians are cleansed, beloved, heirs of spiritual riches so now spiritually speaking I am way better than any non Christian. I am a son of the king. I will worship eternally in the presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

But before Christ regenerated me, I was worse than or as bad as Osama Bin Laden.

So for all of us who chest thump because we got him ought to rejoice that God does not “get us” for what we deserve but rather loves us for what we do not deserve. In His mercy, He extended grace and saved us based on the finished work on the cross.

But before we let out a collective sigh of relief because one so bad is gone we ought to thank God that because He changed our hearts of terrorism we who were just as bad are now being changed into the likeness and into the glory of Jesus Christ. We are better than any non Christian.

But apart from Christ we are worse than Osama Bin Laden