So The End Justifies The Means?
Jesus once claimed that he was THE Way, in the letter to the Colossian church Paul called Jesus the End. The end always justifies the means, when Jesus is both the end and the means.
Most Christians would agree but might confine this to him being the way to salvation. But I think him being the way means much more.
It is a common saying that “the end justifies the means.” This means that what you are trying to do justifies the way that you do it. In other words if you have to kill, or steal, or lie to accomplish what you are doing then so be it.
But Jesus himself is the ultimate end to all things, he is what we are all headed for. Whether we realize it or not He is also the real motive for all that we do.
Jesus once said “if you have seen me you have seen the father.” Back to the Father the universe goes. We departed him and have been trying to get back to him ever since.
Noble Ends That Fall Short
Applying this to Christian; the end that we are headed for is not “revival”. It is not ministry success or ministry fame, it is not “souls saved”. Which is often seen as the highest and most noble end and motive for whatever we do. In comparison to Jesus himself all these are but ulterior motives having varying amounts of self-interest.
Man apart from God tells himself “I’m going to be powerful and influential and successful, I won’t be accused of this or that, I will be a winner, not a loser.” But we are already a loser if we’ve left Jesus as our means himself and Jesus himself as the End game for those means. In other works, the end that Jesus has for us is not to be causing salvations. By the means of us fulfilling our specific and custom destiny.
Jesus Christ is our end, our ultimate motive. But he is also the means to that end (The Way).
Jesus really is the only way (means) to the only acceptable end.
To the extent that we have other motives (other ends) and use other means (other ways) to achieve those ends are the extents that we error and are off track.
More on The Way
What is your End? and what Ways are you pursuing that End?
