It is finished!

     The question of faith is not some work that still remains to be done. There is not a required decision, process, or ritual that must be completed properly before a person can be saved. The question of faith is a choice whether a person will act as if Jesus has truly completed all the requirements for salvation. 

     Seeing others through the eyes of grace, we see them Not as incomplete but whole. Not as in process, but complete. We see what others cannot: their ability to walk in freedom, truth, and light. They are not prisoners bound in chains who we have come to free; they are free men who willingly sit in prison because it is ‘safe’ and ‘comfortable.’ In their hearts, they know there is a world outside to explore, adventures to be had, and life to be lived. Yet, they choose to submit to their fear and pretend that they are unable to leave the prison that surrounds them. They are free, but they wrap themselves in chains and try to convince themselves that they really can’t get out. What foolishness! The chains have been broken. There is nothing left in between the individual and the promise of daylight that streams through the open prison door. 

     We enter this prison of mind to give the willing captives something to hold on to as they begin the journey of freedom. When we speak words of love and truth, they need not listen to fear. When we speak of trust and satisfaction, they need not worship comfort. When we love with unconditional acceptance, they need not wonder what the others will say, or accept the mocking laughter that will follow them to the door. When we act as if they are free, we shatter the illusion that they are captive and give them the courage to walk with those that have no chains.

     Jesus came that people might have life and have it more abundantly. As we live in this truth, we can begin to share it with others who do not yet know the blessing it holds. As we share its truth, the desire to experience it will begin to grow in those whose hearts already know its reality. As that desire grows, its reality will begin to overpower the illusion that people often choose to accept in its place. As the illusion is overpowered, another relationship is restored. As the relationship is restored, another person is brought from darkness to light, from death to life, from sin to righteousness, and from pride to humility. Jesus Christ is glorified as His gift becomes the means by which yet another person comes to live in the freedom He has won! 

It is finished, the work is done. 

Take your freedom, run.

Bound by nothing, through the door.

Seek, find, ask for more.

Nothing lacking, all loss is gain.

Know the truth, life, way.

Holding loosely, what is received.

More will come, believe.

Imperfect start, infinite end.

Complete as its begun.

 No price to pay, the promise done

Fight beginning, won!

 

If there was no heaven, would you still follow Jesus?

From the beginning of time, people have been waiting for evil to be crushed and the world to finally work in the way we all know it’s supposed to. For many, heaven is the final realization of this desire. Somewhere along the way, the Christian movement saw its message evolve into the bite-sized message “believe in Jesus so you can go to heaven some day.” In this transition, the good news that Jesus preached lost its distinction and became nothing more than another religion offering its adherents the chance to go to “the good place” if they will only behave, worship, or believe in a certain way.

Although we say, “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion,” how many of us actually know that to be true in the way that we live? If there was no heaven, if there was only this life, how may of us would still want a relationship with God? Does our relationship go beyond that of cause and effect (e.g. I ask Jesus into my heart, He gives me what I want [heaven, happiness, etc…])? How many of us would be fine with going to the heaven we hear about in Church even if God wasn’t there?

Perhaps part of the reason Christians today find their message lacking appeal is the gap of time between acceptance of the gospel and the final reward of heaven. Apart from fear, any intelligent person would wait until his very last minute to “trust in Jesus” because it involves the greatest amount of reward for the least amount of input.

As with any scenario, the solution is more difficult to describe than the problem.  However, I believe it requires a shift in the focus of Christianity from “believing” to “walking.” In the garden, one aspect of life differed consistently from the modern lifestyle: when man and woman had slept, worked and eaten, they spent time walking in the garden talking with God. This is the one aspect of their life that is completely obliterated by the fall into sin. When God came to talk with His friends, they were scared of Him and tried to hide. Though God in His perfect nature should have destroyed that which was now contrary to His image, He immediately began to offer promises of reassurance that He still wanted a relationship. The Biblical narrative continues from this point to show God constantly seeking a restoration of this relationship while maintaining the holiness of His character. Jesus death was required in order for God to justify His actions and stay true to His purity. At great personal cost, the Trinity made it possible for mankind to walk with God like in the first days of innocence.

This is both the blessing and the promise into which every person is called. Heaven is not the promise but a fuller realization of that promise. Walking with God is that missing piece of life that everything in a person longs to find. It is that hole in our hearts that simply ‘believing in Jesus’ is never going to fill.

If not for the joy of this ongoing relationship, what reason is there for a person to be a Christian? If we do not enjoy spending time with God right now, what makes us think we would like it any better in the place we know of as heaven?

The Prison of Religion

In reflection this morning, I recalled once again the great freedom that I have discovered after finally entrusting my soul completely to God. As I read about the work God has done in my heart in the Bible and other materials, I wonder why it took so long for me to reach this point when the path was so obvious. The nation of Israel provides the perfect example of my own stumbling. The law was given to lead them to righteousness through faith, but they stumbled by attempting to fulfill it by their own works.

In my Christian experience, I recall reading through books and hearing the idea of surrendering to God. Of letting go and letting Him take control of my life. I knew from trial and error that attempting to be a good Christian was really difficult, but I thought that I could eventually achieve a more ideal state if I figured out the right steps to follow. Unfortunately, all of the steps that I thought were right required me to earn for myself what Christ has already offered for free. In my pursuit of holiness, I turned my back on what was Holy, despised the gift of salvation, and even tried to take the position of God.  Because it was derived from my own efforts, my Christianity looked good to the church, but had no heart.

The nice things I did for others out of duty became nothing because they were not accompanied by love. The smile I carried on my face only reflected the joy I knew I was supposed to have, and the peace I claimed to hold required such constant attention to maintain that I knew it would be gone shortly. Worst of all, I turned the God I claimed to serve into little more than a genie who failed at granting wishes, a judge who required more than I could ever pay, and a servant who by reason of His own laws would have to grant me access to heaven because of the knowledge I had obtained.

This is the point at which I stumbled. I had faith in my own understanding of the methods by which I could procure my own salvation. I knew that salvation was only available because of God’s grace and Jesus sacrifice, but I never placed my faith entirely in these two incredible facts. In this way, I turned God’s incredible blessing into my own incredible burden and insulted the cross through my inordinate sense of pride that I claimed was ‘biblical.’

Though I spent hours pouring through books on doctrine and theology to support my beliefs, I soon came to understand that every person I read had a slightly different understanding of who God was and how one could obtain His blessings. Even so, I desperately assaulted the philosophies that were incompatible with my own. Usually these had to deal with eschatology, baptism, church traditions, and highly controversial topics like predestination. If I could not prove to myself or to someone else that the alternatives to my methods would not work, I became uncomfortable with my own beliefs and began to worry about my ultimate end. The only glimmer of light that fell into this dark world vanished when I came to realize that many people do not believe in the idea of eternal security.

Only after this point, when I lost faith in my own ability to procure my salvation, did I acquire the humility that is necessary for one to place his faith in the goodness of God for salvation.