The Argument Done 👏
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." ~ John 14:6
Recently, Jamaica's Prime Minister has "come under fire" as they say regarding his response to a reporter's question about the plan to tackle the spike caused by the 4th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After re-emphasizing the focus on the vaccination drive over societal restrictions, the PM's closing remark on the topic was: "Argument Done!"
...which in the Jamaican context means basically that the issue is now put to rest and that there needs be (and shall be) no further banter or debate about it.
That of course didn't sit well with a lot of people, some who even agreed with his premise, but especially those who sat on the other side of the fence, i.e. the side opposite the Prime Minister's stance.
People generally don't like being shut out of something, or told that they have no say. In fact, as human beings, that's almost a sure-fire way of getting someone riled up about a matter... just exclude them from it.
Call it curiosity, or call it rebellion, but whatever it is, especially as Jamaicans, it seems ingrained in our nature to have a strong drive towards taking on, wrestling with and overcoming adversarial marginalization.
In some ways, this mirrors a challenge that we face with sharing the Gospel.
The Gospel truth can be hard to hear, depending on which side of the fence you sit.
If you're not already sold out to and onboard with having Jesus as your Saviour, then hearing that you are destined for eternal damnation can be quite impactful and jarring.
Even people who believe that there is a God, don't want to hear that they have only one option and one path to Him.
The Bible is very clear on that fact and doesn't leave hanging around any kind of "wiggle room" or lend itself to any kind of debate where this is concerned.
That kind of a posture will likely evoke for many, a similar kind of revolt as what the Prime Minister encountered, because it's pretty much establishing that there is only one way to get to Heaven, one way to spend eternity with God, that one way is through Jesus Christ His Son... and that all argument concerning this (since Christ's crucifixion and resurrection) is closed, never to be reopened.
It is indeed unfortunate that this is the angle that will grab the masses, because then what happens is that they end up missing the more powerful aspect of truth, that others grasp just by opening their hearts to a shifted perspective... which is that: "Yes, unless you choose Jesus, you will not be united with God for all eternity, BUT if you do, then you WILL be united with Him, live with Him, reign with Him as a child of God, for all eternity... and that is something that would be etched in unshakable, unchangeable, irreversible permanence, forever and ever amen... The Argument Done.