Larry's Log

The other day I was musing about various religions and what I knew personally about some of the adherents to them. I started thinking about a couple of Hindu guys I know. They were both devout to their religion as far as I could tell but one of them was much more compassionate than the other. In fact the compassionate one had more traits of what I think a Christian should show than most Christians I know.

That got me to thinking about Luke 6:44:

Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.

If I’m to take this verse literally then I have to recognize my compassionate Hindu friend as a Christian. I”m not saying that he’s any less a Hindu but if he’s walking like a Christian should walk and talking like a Christian should talk, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and caring for the sick, he must be a Christian. If, then, he is a Christian he must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. But he’s a Hindu so how could this be?

Maybe our ideas of how one believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, how one becomes a Christian, are a little skewed. The prophet Micah pointed out, “What is it that the Lord requires of you but to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” Could it be that that is also what is required for us to believe in Jesus? Maybe we don’t need to even know His name, just His attitude of being just and merciful and doing everything for the glory of God.

After all, a fig tree can’t yield dates.

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