Grace Only
So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 15:10-11 New Living Translation
I sat in a Bible study for about a month. Every week we discussed salvation and how it is obtained. I kept struggling with different ideas in my head. Every time I mulled over an objection, another verse popped up about salvation coming from grace. I pondered baptism, living a God styled life and keeping the Big Ten as vehicles to achieve salvation. Of course, we also need to stay clear of the traditional do not things. Do not curse, drink, smoke, lose your temper, and do not hold grudges. But the flaw in that sort of reasoning is that a person can actually obtain salvation through any of those things. How do you earn your salvation? Maybe I should ask if you think you have earned it on your own.
According to Paul and Barnabas, salvation comes from grace. God’s special favor is what brings salvation. Does not the scripture say that salvation is given by grace so that no man or woman can brag about their achievement (Ephesians 2:8-9)? I think we humans, especially we Americans, are driven to succeed. Some people feel the need to succeed even at the cost of others. This high desire to define ourselves by our achievements is not new, and is frankly an obstacle to receiving God’s full measure of grace. I see earning salvation the same as putting the cart in front of the horse. God saves us and then we respond to this salvation by getting baptized, by living with better more godly choices. Imagine falling toward the edge of a cliff, and someone grabs your hand to keep you from falling. Did you have any power in your rescue? No, you were wholly dependent upon the person holding you. I’ll put it a different way, a friend and I were bantering about salvation wholly from grace vs. human assisted salvation. My friend asked me, “Doesn’t the Bible say that we are dead in our sin?” He was quoting Ephesians 2:1, but I did not know it at the time.
“Yes it does” I said.
“Then,” he asked, “how does a dead man call for help?”
Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for blessing me with unmerited salvation. Amen.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Good Isn’t Good Enough
Good Isn’t Good Enough
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Romans 3:12 New International Version
I had a strange conversation with a coworker. She came to my desk to tell me that she is a good person. I replied, “That’s good.”
She said, “Good people get into heaven. That’s where I am going because I deserve it.”
“What makes you think that being good is good enough?”
“All the good stuff I do for others earns that for me. I have earned it by now,” she said.
“Well, how do you know you have done enough to earn it?” I said. “Isn’t it possible that you have the amount per deed incorrect? And who set the value of each deed anyhow?”
After a long pause I asked her, “Do you own heaven?”
“No . . . what does that have to do with anything?”
I said, “Well, think of it this way. If your son came home with a friend and asked if the boy could stay for awhile you would normally say yes. Why? Because the other person was brought to you by your son. What if a complete stranger came and asked the same question, would you let him or her stay at your house?”
She said, “No.”
I told her that is the same way with God. He lets people in that come with His son. If you don’t know God’s son, how do you expect to gain entry?
I am appalled at the mentality of some people. I felt like telling her to think these things through. Don’t serve up some half-baked idea and expect me to bless it. Gee Whiz! Think about it. If we had to earn it, we would do what was necessary, and then our good deeds would fall off after that. Also, if we could earn it, we would be arrogant about our accomplishments. What if some are incapable of earning it? How do those get salvation? The fact is none of us can measure up to God’s expectations. According to the Bible, good isn’t good enough, but that’s the good news. The good news is that it was already earned for us by Jesus as he hung on the cross. Our only option now is to accept that Jesus paid the debt or shun the heavenly admission ticket.
The irony in all this is not necessarily that my friend was acting on faulty information about God. But that some people that are educated believers still try to earn admission into Heaven. We should be doing our good deeds out of gratitude, not to deposit more God dollars into our heavenly accounts.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Romans 3:12 New International Version
I had a strange conversation with a coworker. She came to my desk to tell me that she is a good person. I replied, “That’s good.”
She said, “Good people get into heaven. That’s where I am going because I deserve it.”
“What makes you think that being good is good enough?”
“All the good stuff I do for others earns that for me. I have earned it by now,” she said.
“Well, how do you know you have done enough to earn it?” I said. “Isn’t it possible that you have the amount per deed incorrect? And who set the value of each deed anyhow?”
After a long pause I asked her, “Do you own heaven?”
“No . . . what does that have to do with anything?”
I said, “Well, think of it this way. If your son came home with a friend and asked if the boy could stay for awhile you would normally say yes. Why? Because the other person was brought to you by your son. What if a complete stranger came and asked the same question, would you let him or her stay at your house?”
She said, “No.”
I told her that is the same way with God. He lets people in that come with His son. If you don’t know God’s son, how do you expect to gain entry?
I am appalled at the mentality of some people. I felt like telling her to think these things through. Don’t serve up some half-baked idea and expect me to bless it. Gee Whiz! Think about it. If we had to earn it, we would do what was necessary, and then our good deeds would fall off after that. Also, if we could earn it, we would be arrogant about our accomplishments. What if some are incapable of earning it? How do those get salvation? The fact is none of us can measure up to God’s expectations. According to the Bible, good isn’t good enough, but that’s the good news. The good news is that it was already earned for us by Jesus as he hung on the cross. Our only option now is to accept that Jesus paid the debt or shun the heavenly admission ticket.
The irony in all this is not necessarily that my friend was acting on faulty information about God. But that some people that are educated believers still try to earn admission into Heaven. We should be doing our good deeds out of gratitude, not to deposit more God dollars into our heavenly accounts.
Friday, November 12, 2010
You Should Be Pretty Weird
You Should Be Pretty Weird
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 New International Version
I have heard it said that Christians are no different than anyone else. I imagine they mean that Christians get angry, get divorced, cheat on their spouses, curse, drive erratically and are generally insensitive to the needs of others. I also imagine they mean that Christians participate in Cancer walks, volunteer at the local soup kitchen, care for those less fortunate and spread cheer to others. If all of that is true, then what’s the point? Why become a believer when one is no different from the other? Both can screw up a one car parade and both can do wonderful works to better the lives of others. But, according to this verse, believers should not be the same as the rest of the people on the planet.
The Bible says that we are peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9 KJV). According to the Bible, we should stand out in an uncharacteristic way because we belong to God. If you examine your life, your friends, your family, are they peculiar or weird in some way? Okay, loaded question. Are they weird in a God centered sort of way? As in, do the details of their lives reflect who God is? Our version of love, which should be a mini version of God’s love, ought to stand out in an extraordinary way. As an example, how we believers treat our enemies should be in stark contrast to the way others behave in the same circumstances. Maybe another way of putting it is to say that others should see our actions as uncanny or strange. Why? Because we mimic a God whose behavior is not like anyone else’s. If you are growing into being the likeness of Christ, you should be different and you should be a little weird.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 New International Version
I have heard it said that Christians are no different than anyone else. I imagine they mean that Christians get angry, get divorced, cheat on their spouses, curse, drive erratically and are generally insensitive to the needs of others. I also imagine they mean that Christians participate in Cancer walks, volunteer at the local soup kitchen, care for those less fortunate and spread cheer to others. If all of that is true, then what’s the point? Why become a believer when one is no different from the other? Both can screw up a one car parade and both can do wonderful works to better the lives of others. But, according to this verse, believers should not be the same as the rest of the people on the planet.
The Bible says that we are peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9 KJV). According to the Bible, we should stand out in an uncharacteristic way because we belong to God. If you examine your life, your friends, your family, are they peculiar or weird in some way? Okay, loaded question. Are they weird in a God centered sort of way? As in, do the details of their lives reflect who God is? Our version of love, which should be a mini version of God’s love, ought to stand out in an extraordinary way. As an example, how we believers treat our enemies should be in stark contrast to the way others behave in the same circumstances. Maybe another way of putting it is to say that others should see our actions as uncanny or strange. Why? Because we mimic a God whose behavior is not like anyone else’s. If you are growing into being the likeness of Christ, you should be different and you should be a little weird.
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Prostitute Spouse
The Prostitute Spouse
Then the Lord said to me, “Go and get your wife again. Bring her back to you and lover her, even though she loves adultery. For the Lord still loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods, offering them choice gifts.”
Hosea 3:1 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
In the case of Hosea, God wanted him to literally buy back his wife. And, remarkably, Hosea follows God’s directions. When I read something like this, I like to put myself in the protagonist’s shoes to gain better insight. I do this by asking questions. For example, ask yourself if you would buy your cheating spouse back from a pimp? How would your children be affected by being known as the children of the town whore? Do you think the townspeople would treat you and your kids differently at PTA meetings, at the grocery store and at church? I figure that Hosea could save a little face for himself and the kids if he would just follow the Jewish law and stone her. She isn’t worth saving. Just find someone else and rescue your family from the intense pain and shame.
Putting myself in Hosea’s sandals helps me to understand his anguish, the desire for revenge and the embarrassment of having a whore for a spouse. Not to mention that even your kids may not be and probably aren’t yours. When one spouse breaks the promise of the marriage covenant, the other feels like he or she can never trust or love the same way again. In some ways, their life now seems tainted and dirty. I am not sure how one can ever fully recover. I admit though, I have made a fatal flaw in understanding this story. Instead of walking in Hosea’s shoes, I should have also attempted to walk in Gomer’s, (the wife’s shoes), for I am most like her in my faith walk. God wants to express his love for me, so he takes me from nothing and gives me a name, an inheritance and a place that is intimate with him. I realize my boredom with God only after I have chased after and replaced God with self-gratification, with riches, with entertainment etc. When I replace God with anything else, my actions are like that of Gomer.
The tragedy behind this story is not only that Hosea feels shortchanged, that the children have to walk around with names that carry a stigma, that God rarely receives a return on the love he gives to others , but the worst is that we do not know if Gomer ever had gratitude towards Hosea. We never get to find out if Gomer stayed true to her husband and children. In some way I guess, we get to finish the story. We can answer the questions of gratitude and a changed life in how we live today.
Then the Lord said to me, “Go and get your wife again. Bring her back to you and lover her, even though she loves adultery. For the Lord still loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods, offering them choice gifts.”
Hosea 3:1 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
In the case of Hosea, God wanted him to literally buy back his wife. And, remarkably, Hosea follows God’s directions. When I read something like this, I like to put myself in the protagonist’s shoes to gain better insight. I do this by asking questions. For example, ask yourself if you would buy your cheating spouse back from a pimp? How would your children be affected by being known as the children of the town whore? Do you think the townspeople would treat you and your kids differently at PTA meetings, at the grocery store and at church? I figure that Hosea could save a little face for himself and the kids if he would just follow the Jewish law and stone her. She isn’t worth saving. Just find someone else and rescue your family from the intense pain and shame.
Putting myself in Hosea’s sandals helps me to understand his anguish, the desire for revenge and the embarrassment of having a whore for a spouse. Not to mention that even your kids may not be and probably aren’t yours. When one spouse breaks the promise of the marriage covenant, the other feels like he or she can never trust or love the same way again. In some ways, their life now seems tainted and dirty. I am not sure how one can ever fully recover. I admit though, I have made a fatal flaw in understanding this story. Instead of walking in Hosea’s shoes, I should have also attempted to walk in Gomer’s, (the wife’s shoes), for I am most like her in my faith walk. God wants to express his love for me, so he takes me from nothing and gives me a name, an inheritance and a place that is intimate with him. I realize my boredom with God only after I have chased after and replaced God with self-gratification, with riches, with entertainment etc. When I replace God with anything else, my actions are like that of Gomer.
The tragedy behind this story is not only that Hosea feels shortchanged, that the children have to walk around with names that carry a stigma, that God rarely receives a return on the love he gives to others , but the worst is that we do not know if Gomer ever had gratitude towards Hosea. We never get to find out if Gomer stayed true to her husband and children. In some way I guess, we get to finish the story. We can answer the questions of gratitude and a changed life in how we live today.
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