Phil's letter got me thinking about the gospel; that Romans 8 verse she quoted can often be taken out of context, as I said before. But the main heft of the verse is actually the first part,
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:32
I read (some of) a book in the past few months called Disciplines of Grace. The writer taught us how to get the balance right between trusting in God's grace, and not becoming legalistic. I think maybe because I have a short-ish attention span I found it difficult to finish the book (or maybe the book was too heavy for me) but one of the points I really grasped was when the writer said that a way of keeping ourselves from legalism (the act of becoming a 'religious' Christian) is to preach the gospel to ourselves everyday.
What does that mean? I ought to remind myself of this very truth that God tells me over an over again through the Bible, and particularly in the second part of the bible, the New Testament:
"It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah (Saviour).
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing."
Ephesians 2:1-10 (The Message version)
I may not think that I am, but I AM really concerned with performance in pleasing God. I love looking good, smelling good (which, for my friends' sake is a good thing), sounding good, even writing the right things in this blog of mine. But I could never please God with this performance based mentality. God didn't save my soul because I got great grades in school. He saved me from my sin and the consequences thereof (eternal suffering away from any good things, because they ALL come from Him) because He is...how does the Bible put it...he has immense mercy and incredible love!
See, all people were created to know God, and to live under His perfect rule. Our sin tore us away from God, and we see the consequences in our lives everyday. But God has made a way for all people to know Him, through Jesus Christ, who wasn't just a good man, but was GOD and lived on earth to die, paying the price for all humanity's sin. He offers eternal life (life like this, only infinitely better) to all who believe in Him, and hold on to him through this stormy life.
I have to learn to remind myself of this truth everyday, because it speaks to, and beyond all my struggles. Like feeling I need to do more to succeed: I should know from experience that He has done so much in saving my soul, and in literally saving my life and sustaining me thus far.
I have a lot to learn.
