Solo Christo

No. 58 - 19th November 2017

At the moment, the film director Ridley Scott has a real problem on his hands. He had just completed his latest film All the Money in the World, when the news broke that one of his actors, Kevin Spacey, had been accused of predatory sexual behaviour, and was no longer acceptable as an actor in the film that was all ready for release. The news is, that Christopher Plummer is going to be substituted for Kevin Spacey in all of his scenes. Even to the point of superimposing his face over Spacey’s in the larger crowd scenes. Not a cheap option for a film that’s already finished. But the producers feel that because of his behaviour, his sins if you like, Kevin Spacey is no longer acceptable and has to be completely wiped from the movie.

Can you imagine what God must have felt like when he had finished his creation of the world and then we came along and messed it all up. I don’t need to elaborate on everything that human beings have done. But it goes from the destruction of the atmosphere all the way down through wars and terrorism, right down to the small things that you and I get involved in. As someone said on the radio the other day, “the seven deadly sins have always been with us”. Gluttony, lust, greed, pride, wrath and so on. These are the sins that are at the root of everything that has gone wrong with this world. And the reality is that because of our behaviour we’re no longer acceptable to God.

Well, like Ridley Scott, and his fellow Producers, God has solved the problem by substituting his Son to replace us in the movie. In a way, when God looks at this world, with all our unacceptable behaviour, what he now sees is his Son, Jesus Christ. The substitution works perfectly. It’s hard to exaggerate the significance of what Christ did. He literally took on himself all our despicable behaviour and its consequences and wiped it out of the film. That’s what now makes us acceptable to God. Solo Christo, as Martin Luther put it. Through Christ alone. Of course, if I refuse to be written out of the movie, then there is no substitution. I’m left with all my despicable behaviour and its consequences. Sola. Alone.