You know how sometimes a new understanding of a basic truth grabs your heart and rocks your world? Like all of the sudden the idea that God's grace just blows your mind all over again?
I love that.
And it's happening again...
I've wondered for a while how grace, faith, and our choices impact our salvation.
Here's why.
For the last year or two, I've struggled with addiction.
Last year was the hardest year of my life. Every two or three months a new life-altering, heartbreaking circumstance turned me inside out. The grief was so deep. Unbearable, really.
In my heartache and sorrow, I tried to escape the feelings through excess food and movies, which delivered a sense of comfort and relief. The more I indulged though, the more guilt I felt, which only became another sadness to hide from. I delved deeper into indulgence. Gluttony. Selfishness.
I was sinning and I knew it.
I wanted to stop, but I also didn't want to.
It was in that struggle I began to wonder if I was compromising my salvation.
Can unchecked, unrepentant sin cause the loss of salvation? If so, at what point does sin erase one's salvation? How much of one's salvation rests on faith and how much on choices? God's grace is sufficient for me, but up to what point?
At the core of all these questions seemed the weird relationship between faith and deeds.
They seem at the same time complimentary and also polar opposites.
On one hand, simply believing in Jesus is all salvation requires. (Romans 9:10-13)
On the other hand, even demons believe Jesus is God's son, but it's not enough to save them. (James 2:19)
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done (Eph 2:9)
Yet, faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:17)
We are to "work hard to prove we belong to Christ". When we do, we "will never fall away."
(2 Peter 1:10)
Yet, if we think we can make or keep ourselves right with God through obedience, we fall away from the grace of Christ. (Gal 5:4)
It's all a bit confusing.
So I began reading and re-reading and re-reading Galatians, which speaks directly to this confusion about faith, works, and grace.
As God's word has the ability to do, it spoke right to my heart's secret questions this week:
Here's why.
For the last year or two, I've struggled with addiction.
Last year was the hardest year of my life. Every two or three months a new life-altering, heartbreaking circumstance turned me inside out. The grief was so deep. Unbearable, really.
In my heartache and sorrow, I tried to escape the feelings through excess food and movies, which delivered a sense of comfort and relief. The more I indulged though, the more guilt I felt, which only became another sadness to hide from. I delved deeper into indulgence. Gluttony. Selfishness.
I was sinning and I knew it.
I wanted to stop, but I also didn't want to.
It was in that struggle I began to wonder if I was compromising my salvation.
Can unchecked, unrepentant sin cause the loss of salvation? If so, at what point does sin erase one's salvation? How much of one's salvation rests on faith and how much on choices? God's grace is sufficient for me, but up to what point?
At the core of all these questions seemed the weird relationship between faith and deeds.
They seem at the same time complimentary and also polar opposites.
On one hand, simply believing in Jesus is all salvation requires. (Romans 9:10-13)
On the other hand, even demons believe Jesus is God's son, but it's not enough to save them. (James 2:19)
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done (Eph 2:9)
Yet, faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:17)
We are to "work hard to prove we belong to Christ". When we do, we "will never fall away."
(2 Peter 1:10)
Yet, if we think we can make or keep ourselves right with God through obedience, we fall away from the grace of Christ. (Gal 5:4)
It's all a bit confusing.
So I began reading and re-reading and re-reading Galatians, which speaks directly to this confusion about faith, works, and grace.
As God's word has the ability to do, it spoke right to my heart's secret questions this week:
"Let me ask you a question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the Law of Moses?
Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.
...After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you
now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?"
Galatians 3:2,3
Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.
...After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you
now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?"
Galatians 3:2,3
I'm breaking free from my addiction. I'm choosing to put my family first instead of movies, choosing not to dive into a mountain of food each night, and choosing to read the word most days instead of hiding from what I fear will be grave consequences for my actions.
I feel free, healthy, and so, so grateful for Jesus' help in escaping what had become an unbreakable habit.
Now, on the other side of it, I can look back and see God's grace to me in my struggle. Even in my addiction, even when I was hiding from Him, from my family, from friends, and from my own feelings, He still spoke to me, answered prayers, and even worked through me.
That. Blows. My. Mind.
His grace is sufficient for me, even in my weakness. In my desperate failures. When I'm crying out, "Please just leave me alone." He doesn't. He sits with me in it and waits for me to come around.
OH! He is so patient and gentle and merciful and kind.
It doesn't make any sense.
None.
It's scandalous, really, this relentless love and grace He has for dirty, rotten sinners.
For me.
Even when I don't think I'm redeemable or that I'll ever bring any kind of glory or honor to Him ever again, He is so much more able to redeem and transform people and circumstances than I could ever imagine.
That He would work to keep gathering me back into the fold even when I'm a big dumb sheep wandering off somewhere makes so little sense.
I deserve none of His grace and I never will.
Anything good in me is from Jesus, and it blows my mind that He would even bother, never mind that He is PLEASED and DELIGHTED to invest in me, lead me, sit with me, and, like a loving dad watching a toddler learn to walk, watch me bumble around in my clumsy attempt to follow Him.
I offer nothing and He gives me everything and all I can do is crumple to my knees and weep, overwhelmed and won and cry out, "Thank you!!!"
Thank you...
Thank you Jesus...
I feel free, healthy, and so, so grateful for Jesus' help in escaping what had become an unbreakable habit.
Now, on the other side of it, I can look back and see God's grace to me in my struggle. Even in my addiction, even when I was hiding from Him, from my family, from friends, and from my own feelings, He still spoke to me, answered prayers, and even worked through me.
That. Blows. My. Mind.
His grace is sufficient for me, even in my weakness. In my desperate failures. When I'm crying out, "Please just leave me alone." He doesn't. He sits with me in it and waits for me to come around.
OH! He is so patient and gentle and merciful and kind.
It doesn't make any sense.
None.
It's scandalous, really, this relentless love and grace He has for dirty, rotten sinners.
For me.
Even when I don't think I'm redeemable or that I'll ever bring any kind of glory or honor to Him ever again, He is so much more able to redeem and transform people and circumstances than I could ever imagine.
That He would work to keep gathering me back into the fold even when I'm a big dumb sheep wandering off somewhere makes so little sense.
I deserve none of His grace and I never will.
Anything good in me is from Jesus, and it blows my mind that He would even bother, never mind that He is PLEASED and DELIGHTED to invest in me, lead me, sit with me, and, like a loving dad watching a toddler learn to walk, watch me bumble around in my clumsy attempt to follow Him.
I offer nothing and He gives me everything and all I can do is crumple to my knees and weep, overwhelmed and won and cry out, "Thank you!!!"
Thank you...
Thank you Jesus...
He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.
2 Samuel 22:20, Psalm 18:19
The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name.
For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.
2 Samuel 12:22
We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 15:10,11
he rescued me because he delights in me.
2 Samuel 22:20, Psalm 18:19
The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name.
For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.
2 Samuel 12:22
We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 15:10,11
By the way, questions about God and His word are a good thing, as long as they drive us to seek Him more, study His word more, and drive us deeper into knowing Him more.
Let's not fear them, but allow them to drive us to Jesus and deepen our faith.
What truth has blown your mind lately? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
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