The Gospel of Grace

Grace. We know it’s amazing. Sadly, we may know it too well. Many of us have been inoculated to its potency because of its all-too-familiar touch in our lives. One of the greatest things that can ever happen to people, churches and movements is the revival of grace’s ability to amaze.

All the while, grace remains amazingly difficult to define. Discuss a different denomination and you’ll soon find that the root of their differences often lies in their understanding of what exactly grace is. We may all agree on some words, such as ‘unmerited favor,’ or ‘the free gift of God’ but, what those words mean to us, why and how they are applied to our lives, and how we live out of that truth as a result... THAT is not something we will all agree upon as easily.

For some, grace is simply the key that frees us from the consequences of sin. For others, grace doesn’t stop there, but becomes a teacher that frees us, not only from sins penalty, but also from sin’s reigning power in our lives. Still for others, grace is the very extension of God himself into our lives, both allowing us to go through trials and temptations, and allowing us the strength to bear them. To some it’s a license to sin, while to others it is the reason we must pull so far away from sin, that we hide on the other side of our monumental rulebooks. For many today, grace is an amazingly complex enigma.

I have two pastor friends in my hometown. Both seem to love God as best I can tell. Both teach about grace constantly in their churches. Both would disagree strongly with each other regarding what grace is, why it’s given, and what it means to live grace-filled lives.

The first of my pastor friends strongly asserts that it is by God’s grace that he has obtained special revelations regarding salvation... that only a few will experience this particular process of salvation because of their misreadings of the Scripture… that very few of the so-called Christians in the world are even saved. He asserts that it is by God’s grace alone that he and his people are able to follow the “standards of holiness” he sees in the Bible. He feels grace is both teaching them these technical measures and enabling them to walk righteously without falling away or backsliding.

The other pastor is an openly gay man. He lives this lifestyle unashamedly because he feels that God’s grace has freed him from the bondage of such legalistic requirements on sexuality as found in the Scriptures. Those ‘rules’ were for different times, he asserts, and they don’t apply to our culture. To him, grace is God’s favor upon all and no man can judge what is wrong or right for another… grace is given freely to all, and most people in the world today are living lives that reveal this.

Who is right? Both? Neither?

The two perspectives of grace that my friends represent have tugged many Christians back and forth for years. We vacillate between legalism and lawlessness. Sometimes we do this over years. Sometimes over days. Some people eventually just set up camp in one or the other…sometimes entire groups of people.

We go to retreats and determine to “go for it in God,” getting rid of any thing in our lives that resembles a lifestyle of worldliness. Within weeks though (sometimes only a few hours) we find ourselves riding the pendulum back the other way, unable to will ourselves into our newfound strict adherence to our idea of rigorous morality. "Forget it! I’m sick of trying! Where is that old familiar thing I gave up for God?" We think we can manage our morality only to realize it’s too great a task for our double-minded hearts. So the pendulum swings back and forth as time ticks on, and we end up missing out on the very thing Christ came to bring us… Life. Abundant life.

My life mirrored this dance for years, and I must admit I’m still not immune to its charms. The movement of the pendulum is hypnotizing. Frequently, I find myself momentarily forsaking the abundant life for a taste of the abundant lie: that I can be in control of my own happiness by either self-justifying or self-atoning. I forget that I’m not God. I forget how amazing grace truly is. It is in these times that I must remind myself of the most practical and potent of truths…

I am a sinner. I am broken within. I want to do good but I fall short. I’m a victim of a downward movement within my soul, spiraling more and more out of control as long as I sit in the driver’s seat. I have no hope within this heart.

God is Holy. He will judge my sin. His righteous wrath will be poured out against all rebellion. There is none that will escape this cup of wrath stored up against all the sin of the entire created order from Adam to us. We are right to stand in awe of Him.

God is Love. He will have mercy upon whom He wills. His wise providence set all things in motion including His plan of redemption. His Son drank the cup of His wrath upon the cross and didn’t leave so much as a drop for us. We are right to stand in awe of Him.

The cross is that place where these two, seemingly irreconcilable traits of God collide: His Holiness and His Love. At the cross, His righteous wrath is poured out upon the only righteous one who’s ever lived, crushing him, along with our sin under the weight of furious holiness. At the cross, His passionate love is mercifully given to all who willing receive this gift though none deserve it. Grace is the result of the cross. Grace is unfair. It is scandalous. It is awe-inspiring. It is amazing.

Until we grasp the depth of our brokenness & the height of God's holiness we will never fully understand the amazing expanse of God's grace. The more I walk in the faith, the more my eyes are opened to this fact. If you want grace to become amazing to you again, look at two simple things. First, begin to imagine God’s radiant transparency and holiness. His glory and splendor. His awe-inspiring majesty and power. He does not allow sin to remain within the purity of His presence. Nothing and no one can approach Him. He is God alone. Next, just take an honest look in the mirror of your mind. Think over your past. Your brokenness. Your hurt. Your concealed wounds never properly healed. Look into the darkness of your heart…the desires you’ve never dared to share with others. Things you’ve done and are ashamed of. Don’t do this to delight in evil, or to heap condemnation upon yourself. But, think on these things as a momentary and honest self-assessment. When you do… When you see yourself in the light of a Holy God... and the more frequently and intensely you see this image, the more you will fail to restrain yourself from praising God for His work of grace within your life.

Grace is grace because it is from a holy God given to unworthy sinners like you and I, changing us into His image. If we forget that we are unworthy, grace will lose its luster. If we fail to recall that it comes from God, we will once again fall prey to the time-wasting dance between legalism and lawlessness (for we will make ourselves the bankers of grace, allotting it out to ourselves as we see fit). Another way of seeing it is this: If we forget that grace changes us into His image, we will either settle into some lesser image (lawlessness) or we will forge ahead with our stubbornly-fickle wills, trying to change ourselves into His image through formulas, rules and regulations (legalism). But when we understand this image of reality, grace will begin to empower our lives.

Thank God that in His grace he has given us the gospel. The good news is that I am broken and can’t do this by myself. The good news is that I don’t have to…His love is great enough to overcome my destructive path. The good news is that His finished work on the cross has made me a new creation, with a new, God-given identity. He sees me through the cross…Through Christ. He sees me as “His beloved son, whom He loves, in whom He is well-pleased.” Begause of grace, THIS is who I am.

My problem then is not my brokenness and my inability to overcome it. My only problem now is my unbelief in this truth of WHO God is, and WHOM He has made me to be. When I fully receive this truth into my heart by God’s grace, I will live out of this truth and my actions will be the actions of a new creation. But, if this is true there is a problem! I'm not perfect yet! Where is the disconnect? Why am I not living like a new creation if I am one? I’ll tell you! I know what God says is true in my head…but I often don’t really accept it in my heart. I can acknowledge all kinds of abstract truths about who God is and who He says I am… I can sign and date a card that affirms those truths… I can even preach them, and never truly believe them at a heart level… never truly be changed by them. Grace enables the gospel to change my life. Grace gives me a new heart. Grace enables belief.

By God’s grace, I will be transformed more into the image of Jesus Christ as I walk in faith. I will find times I’m falling short, and not living out of the identity that is mine in Christ, and I will realize that in those moments I’m not believing. So, I will repent of my unbelief. As God’s grace makes me aware of the unbelief and allows me to change, I will close the gap between what I know to be true in my head and what I believe to be true my heart. By God’s grace I will trade my illusions for His truth. Instead of aiming for my behavior, I will believe. I will allow my doing to flow from my being. This is the gospel. This is a picture of a life being restored to the Father. Salvation. Sanctification. Reconciliation. This is grace.

So what of my two friends? Who is right? I’ll tell you… The one who continually allows grace to reshape his heart and realizes his need for God… and in so doing… in his ever-growing reliance upon God’s grace, begins to see that he can do nothing on his own… that he needs God’s grace to move him beyond his self-dependence, that has landed him in the terrifying lands of legalism (self-atonement) or lawlessness (self-justification). THEN Grace will move him into the land of Gospel-centered, abundant life. The one who captures grace is the one who truly allows grace to capture his heart and rapture him away from the tyranny of self, and into the presence of a gracious father. A new identity awaits… a grace-empowered, blood-bought, gospel-soaked identity. All you need to do is believe.

Quotes... III

"Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe." –Augustine

"Of two evils choose neither." -Charles Spurgeon

"In reality the only call in the Bible is the call to the way of the cross, the way of service, sacrificial love and suffering." -Tim Chester

"O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." -Francis of Assisi

"Is it not wonderful news to believe that salvation lies outside ourselves?" -Martin Luther

"Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God." –Martin Luther

"He that loveth little prayeth little, he that loveth much prayeth much." –Augustine

"Our only business is to love and delight ourselves in God." –Brother Lawrence

"He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter" -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Preach the gospel at all times -- If necessary, use words." -Francis of Assisi

"The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would have ever been spared?" -Martin Luther

"The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend from our mountaintops" -Unknown

"Our static, inflexible, self-centered structures are 'heretical structures' because they embody a heretical doctrine of the church. If our structure has become an end in itself, not a means of saving the world it is a heretical structure." -John Stott

"You will not get rich... (living the gospel)... the only place I know where they complain about making too much money is the US Mint" -TF Tenny

"As you announce peace with your mouth, make sure that greater peace is in your hearts" - Francis of Assisi

"Our physical needs are signposts pointing to very real spiritual needs...Social action without gospel proclamation is like a signpost pointing nowhere" -Tim Chester

"Jesus has a 'Train and Release' strategy, while overall we have a 'Convert and Retain' strategy." -Mark Greene

Good News

Created by a love I rejected,
I choose my own way.
I imagined myself my own creator,
And made my will the center of the universe.

Within and without I am divided.
There is a glimpse of that love within me,
Hopelessly outweighed by my will…
My desire to be my own god.

I destroy because I am destructive.
A black hole exists within my heart
The more my desires are fulfilled,
The larger this gaping chasm grows.

Who will save me from this downward spiral?
How can I escape my own kingdom?
How can I ever reconcile when this love
Within is so overcome with self-desire?

I am humanity. I am you.

There is good news if you will hear it.
The good news is that I destroy.
I am broken, ruined, restless & hopeless
This is part of the good news…

The other part is that it’s not up to me.
There is a force outside me with a love
Great enough to overcome my destructive path.
There is a force that reconciles all things.

God. Perfect love. Exemplified through life and death.
He frees me from my unruly reign.
He removes the burden of my self-justification.
He alone will fill the black hole within my heart.

His love allows me to love.
His mercy allows me to forgive.
He has reconciled me,
Now I may reconcile a broken, hurting world.

Waxing Poetic...

Dear Reader,

Everyman, in his own mind is Bonhoeffer, Luther and Paul. I see myself in them…in their writings; in the leaving of the old and searching of the new, in the forsaking of tradition for tradition’s sake, and the pursuit of a higher calling; in the rejection by their religious groups and in the acceptance by God alone, by faith. These were men who were hated in their time by many, yet from their time to now, they have become a light to so many more. They cannot be judged by any man; God alone is their sovereign. Our only view of them should be their motives... not their mistakes. When we see through actions and mistakes and catch a glimpse of the heart of someone, we are less apt to judge them. This is a lesson to be learned.

I would that I could leave behind a legacy such as these. What accomplishment of mine will I be remembered for? Eloquent words? Passionate pursuits or revivalist revolutions? A well-examined faith that has discipled untold millions? No. Not for me. I will accomplish no significant thing lest it be by God’s hand. When I hold the pen, my fingers tremble. When I’m given a choice, my ideals crumble. When I’m faced with life, my faith waivers. There is nothing to ground me and steady my aim, save the gospel. There is no good in me, save this cracked imago dei that helplessly wants to do good, only to be overthrown, time and again, by evil. There is no hope for greatness! No, not in myself. If I look elsewhere, I see great men who have shaped history, but they were scoundrels in their own right and fell shorter than any of us like to imagine possible for our heroes. So if hope is not to be found within or without me, what then is left? Where is greatness to be achieved? Where is love to be practiced? Where is perfection to be reached? Nowhere else... save Christ.

This is the good news, that Christ uses the imperfect to bring about His perfection. He works His reconciliation through those of us who are not yet fully reconciled. He brings His message of salvation through those who are still being saved. Just as He loved us when we were unlovable and had mercy upon us when we deserved His righteous wrath, He now chooses us to be His representatives of reconciliation. Oh mystery of mysteries! To what do we owe this great privilege? Christ! And what then do we owe Him? All! Then the weakest and most beggarly of us join humbly in the ranks of Bonhoeffer and Luther and Paul. For He sees us through the cross as loving, perfect, honorable and righteous, and it is in that power that we may stand happily in His presence, and by His power alone, work out His will in this sphere. If we receive any honor it rightly goes to Him, for all we have gained has been by His power alone.

So If I stand in His presence, may it be by His power alone. If I write, may it be His hand that steadies mine. As I face life, with its decisions and struggles, may it be by His grace alone that I am left standing in my faith. And in that glorious day, all our great works will turn into dust in the light of His grace, and I will be no different from Bonhoeffer and Luther and Paul, as we all - the strong, the tempted, and the weak - stand as one in Christ, vindicated by his earthly rejection, forgiven by His horrific suffering, and made alive by His glorious resurrection!

In His Grip,

Theophilus

Random Thoughts...

Dear Reader,

Here are some life-changing thoughts:

Relationship...

I AM MY BELOVED'S,
AND HIS DESIRE IS FOR ME.
(Song of Solomon 7:10)

Over the past thirty years I have prayed that passage in soaring 747's, monasteries, caves, retreat centers, and deserted places. I believe His desire for you and me can best be described as a furious longing. If you don't get anything else out of this, I hope you begin to pray that passage. When you take those words personally, I mean very personally, a number of beautiful things come to pass:

• The drumbeats of doom in your head will be replaced by the song in your heart, which could lead to a twinkle in your eye.
• You will not be dependent on the company of others to ease your loneliness, for He is Emmanuel - God with us.
• The praise of others will not send your spirit soaring, nor will their criticism plunge you into the pit. Their rejection may make you sick, but it will not be a sickness unto death.
• In a significant interior development, you will move from I should pray to I must pray.
• You will live with an awareness that the Father not only loves you, but likes you.
• You will stop comparing yourself with others. In the same way, you will not trumpet your own importance, boast about your victories in the vineyard, or feel superior to anyone.
• You will read Zephaniah 3:17-18 and see God dancing for joy because of you.
• Off and on throughout the day, you will just know that you are being seen by Jesus with a gaze of infinite tenderness

I am a witness to these truths.

-Brennan Manning ('The Furious Longing of God')


Gospel Intentionality...

‘A good question to explore as a group is, “how can we make sacred our everyday ordinary tasks?” How can cleaning be made holy? Shopping? Work? Meeting for lunch? Study? And so on. You’ll be surprised at the interesting and meaningful suggestions people will discover simply by dreaming and brainstorming together. Here are a couple of examples: “How can we hallow our eating?” Eat with thankfulness, respect, generosity, and moderation. Eat with those beyond the faith, your neighbors, friends, the lonely, the poor, and so on. “How can we hallow our recreation?” Use the time and context to connect with people, to serve others, to be refreshed, to reflected on God, to connect with creation.’

‘As a faith community, evaluate everything you do – all your programs, gatherings, ministries, and so on. Ask whether you think this is what Jesus would be doing if he were in your context, Is this how Jesus would go about incarnating the kingdom in your area?

-Alan Hirsch ('The Forgotten Ways')


Spirituality...

I hear a lot of people saying they are 'Spiritual.' What does that mean? It has been helpful to me recently, to begin defining 'Spirituality' as 'Faith in Action.' Not just some abstract idea or some quasi-mystical existence or a system of beliefs... but It is when we take our Beliefs and the Word of God and Incarnate them. Yes, It's when were feeding the needy or visiting the prisoners, but it's much more involved than that. Spirituality is how I hold my conversations - How I handle disagreements with my wife - How I choose what to buy at the store - Where I choose to give the time I've been entrusted by God with - What I do when I'm alone - How I model for and train my children.

My Faith is shown through my life - every word & action. What are my words and actions saying about my faith? Am I a truly spiritual person? As I lived out the last day, did my life reflect my beliefs in every way? What areas did your actions not line up with your faith? What areas of my life are inconsistent with my beliefs and God's Word? This is an area for spiritual growth. This is an area of disconnect between your head & your hands; between your faith and your life; between your beliefs & actions. To be a spiritual person is to live before God in the reality He created rather than to settle for illusions, even those of our own making. What is most real is eternal life. Jesus said, 'Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent' (John 17:3).

Spirituality is the path of how we know God (relationship), know eternal life (reality - free from illusions) and know ourselves (recovery...becoming a person of faith... a spiritual person). Spirituality is learning to live a "single" life, not a "double" life of inconsistencies. We learn who we are in the light of God's truth - This is more than acknowledging doctrinal premises - This is believing Truth at a heart level until it begins to incarnate itself into our lives and we are changed as a result. The path to knowing God & knowing oneself is the same: Authentic Spirituality - Faith in Action

-Theophilus


In His Grip,
Theophilus