"Grace means that in the middle of our struggle the referee blows the whistle and announces the end of the game. We are declared winners and sent to the showers. lt’s over for all huffing, puffing piety to earn God’s favor; it’s finished for all sweat-soaked straining to secure self-worth; it’s the end of all competitive scrambling to get ahead of others in the game. Grace means that God is on our side and thus we are victors regardless of how well we have played the game. We might as well head for the showers and the champagne celebration. (Donald McCullough)
Cliff Vogh: "Does anyone have a scripture from which this "definition" of grace can be derived?"
My Reply:
"This is long... but ready if you wish..... It is not meant to condemn anyone... It's more my story than anything.. Right, wrong, warped, misguided, healthy and good.... you will have your opinion.... I normally do not like to discuss theology on FB because words can be misunderstood, and always get someone mad at you... Cliff Vogh, thanks for the challenge because the online assumption is that if you quote something you like every little part of it (Or if you "like" it) . I almost did not post this quote three or four times as it rolled around with me a while. Definitions using our formulations can be risky. Let me tell you what my struggle was.....
We theological teaching types, with legalistic or fundamentalist leanings are great at sowing the.... "Buts"..... I know I was (Am?).....There is no now condemnation... But.....Jesus died for our sin...... But.....Our sin is forgiven.... But.....The Romans 8 passage is quick to tell us there is no condemnation, But we don't live by the flesh, but by the spirit.
The law has no power but to condemn. It's like a road speed sign saying 70 mph as we dive by at 90mph. It condemns.... but it does not come out on the road to make you stop. And The flesh is weak to always obey it perfectly. We do not "naturally" have that ability to resist it all. Jesus died to condemn sin, and fulfill the righteous requirements of the law.... for us.
However, the Spirit, is in us and he is powerful to move, convict and convince (the paper rules of law were just written on stone- and paper). Who do not live by the flesh but buy the Spirit... So there is a difference, and change in how we play the game.
Romans 8:1-4 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Then there is Titus..... who makes it clear Grace appeared.... it's hear, it;s real but Grace teaches us to say no to many things..... and to live upright lives.
Titus 2:11-12 11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.
I get all of that..... BUT...............Here is where my BUT went.... Does this mean we will walk perfectly? For me personally the answer is no.
So the next question i had was how often can you stumble and still be forgiven? How often can you stumble before we cross the line and God says .... "you are no longer on this journey, really."
I do no phrase the question this way as to have a licence to sin.... we know we can put the spirits fire out, and quench him, not listen, resist his holy moving. That is not good an healthy.
I got to thinking about... in Isaiah 42:3... "A Bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out..."
Where does seeking good become a Spiritual OCD? Switch from Joy to Exhaustive labor? I think when it shifts from a joy to being Spiritual OCD is when the things (good) we do, are no longer the result of our walk with Jesus, us responding to him directly, through his word, or the promptings, convictions, and illuminations of the Spirit at work in us. Rather than being generated from the work of God within us and coming forth because of his love for us, our love for him, and love for others..... it is trying to be shoved in from the outside by force, because of guilt. You need to be doing this or else.... So we try to add more and more to our "to do" list... until we are exhausted. It is generated by the human spirit, and guilt... We are not moving as we love and are moved by love....
When we love something... we never get tired of doing it.... When we are forced and pushed to do something that we resist, we resent it and do it grudgingly, and it makes us tired and bitter and joyless. We theology teachers are great at forever condemning everyone every Sunday.... We never hear a 'Well done Good and Faithful servant"... because we are never good enough, never doing enough, and that is why we have an exhausted 20% of the people doing a spiritual OCD to float the church boat, and they are tired, and many secretly miserable and struggling. Sunday is the biggest guilt trip there ever was because of my preaching in the past....
John said Jesus commands are not burdensome.... Jesus said his yoke is easy and his burden light..... Really? I never found church to be easy and light.... I never found Jesus and his commands to be burdensome.... but church sure was, often.....(My Personal experience)
We (I) was great at throwing people on the hamster wheel, and we run and run.... working hard, but getting us nowhere. We never arrive, we never merit, we never reach any destination. But we are exhausted from the running. My OCD ethos never permitted me to tell anyone to "relax" you are doing ok with him.... If I did it was for one Sunday, and then back to do more, serve more, we need to build this church (Disguised in "the kingdom".)
The reason why is because we are running to find something... to achieve something, to earn something..... Something Jesus tells us we already have.... His love, his mercy, his forgiveness... adoption as sons and daughters.... We are his, we are in the family.... So how do we get kicked out? Or is it only us walking out? ???????
John says perfect love casts out all fear..... If I know God's love, I am not afraid. I do not serve out of guilt or fear, but love. I have to say that my preaching ( Yep and many others) sounds a lot more like guilt and fear... the word Love is tossed in there.... BUT...............
If we have his mercy, grace, forgiveness and love...Now, why do we run? We do set the table to serve our wife. We do clean the oven for her EVERY time, even though we hate to do it as much as she does..... Why? Because love is a greater motivation than guilt. Love makes us serve the other and it's a joy for us to love on them... and all of a sudden the oven is no big deal for us.
But love also says.... no stop making supper, stop cleaning the kitchen and come and sit here with me and rest, and chat and be, and we will worry about dinner later... I'll cook, or I'll help.... But come and stop.... for a long long while.....
The original quote makes be say a lot of ................. "Buts" ............... But I liked it because it challenged me because I know I have a tendency to have Spiritual OCD.... to be a legalistic, to be a fundamentalist.... and I have sowed that misery in a lot of people.
We preach the Gospel like The Law.... and it condemns everyone... every time, every Sunday.
I think I have noticed this... I need to give people Jesus.... and they need to look to him and begin to hear the Spirits direction in their life via the words illumination and conviction. And learn to respond to that movement in love..... I did not have that mechanism for years. Not well followed and tapped in to, anyway.
It was human go -go-go... Work and wrestle as hard workers do. It was all good stuff we are working at (Or is it?)... But not stuff directed by Jesus through his Spirit moving me. It was my guilt moving me, my fear moving me, or the condemning finger of the sermon moving me, or the book I read moving me. I got ta do more, I got ta be better.... And I don't have that power in me.
A dozen years ago I started to slow down, and then I started to sense his moving, his direction better now...and started responded to that, and it was that relational key, dynamic, or mechanism (All poor choices of words) that was missing.
Before I was doing what I was told I should be doing, by men, preachers, leaders, by books and sermons, to be a good Christian... a good minister, a good missionary. It was second hand Jesus stuff.... All that this did was mold me in their image.... did nothing to get me imprinted on Jesus and listening to him, looking for his direction.
Now I am quick to listen to HIM, and move for him, and slow to jump for spiritual people who like to point us at things to do. When you do move, move for him, among the people. And I encourage that in others too... Get you primary activities, and vision, from him, not men. The very worst kind of church member for this new CEO style leadership who decide the vision for you. Opps sorry!
Now I am not so quick to tell others what to do any more.
I am quick to ask them.... Well what do you sense Jesus telling you to do by his word, and his Spirits movement in you? Who will that move you to love and what might that look like? Follow that....
I think that this is the CORE right there.... The core of what we don't have, but are trying to create in people with all our programs, sermons, guilt trips, and pushing. But this is not shoved in from the outside... It's from inside, with a real walk with him...
Much of church is trying to shove stuff in, to assure we get certain things out... Does not work that way..... The origin of all good is in the regenerated heart and mind... The Spirit of God in us, working.
Before, I'd throw people in to one of my programs, plans or magic "revival" kind of events at the church to 'Serve".....assuming that through that activity they will find joy.
Get people busy doing some "spiritual" activity that helps get the church moving, and running well. But the core is not there. Which is..... Sensing the direction of Jesus and following it. Most don't even know what that means, looks or feels like..... Ask them.
Anyway, grace is acceptance, and grace is love poured in, and love coming out. It teaches us to say no to a lot of "bad" things, and yes to a lot of good things. But only when it's a real walk with Jesus, not a OCD spirituality.... of trying to be "better" and do more to measure up. But I am tired of living many peoples "Buts"... and I try to heap as few "Buts" as possible on others.... only what the word might give... And I fail....
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