The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. – Psalm 98:2

Today's Scripture Reading (August 22, 2022): Psalms 98 & 99

After a membership service, a new church member came up to me and asked if his membership would get him into the secret areas of the church. I smiled and asked where exactly he would like me to take him. I thought maybe the furnace room was probably about the only space in the church that he hadn't already visited.

I have always been intrigued by the idea of secrets within the Christian Church. Maybe it is secret rooms where the uninitiated are not allowed to go. Or secret messages that are hidden within the Christian art that has been produced over the centuries. Others preach a message that there are secrets hidden within the text of the Bible itself. Some have advocated that if we take only certain letters while skipping others, we can find secret messages that will tell us the real purpose of the biblical record and maybe discover riches that only the possessor of these secrets can find. And with computers, it has become easier and easier to search for those secrets.

And the idea of secrets extends beyond our churches. Secret societies exist, complete with secret handshakes by which members can identify each other. And the higher you climb in these organizations, the more of the society's secrets you are allowed to know.

Some religious organizations believe that you need to know certain secret code words if you want to get through seven gates on your way to heaven. By attending the church and gaining ground in the hierarchy, you can find out what those words are so that you will be ready for the challenges you will face after you die. A friend of mine was a gatekeeper at the Mormon Temple. Her job was to ensure that only certain people could access the secret places within the building.

Maybe it is exotic to believe that secrets can be obtained through gaining knowledge or attaining a position where the secrets of an organization could be revealed to us. And, for some reason, knowing a secret gives up power over those who don't know.

Except, that is not the biblical message. The Psalmist says God has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. What God needs us to know is not hidden in the pages of the Bible, attainable by only reading certain letters on the page. His desire for his creation has not been placed into the hands of secret societies to be revealed only to those who attain a high enough leadership level. No code words are needed to get us into heaven that will only be disclosed to the righteous. Everything that we need to know has been made known to those willing to listen.  

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 100