My good friend, Tony Romano, has posted an excellent article on grace. At CAYAF we sing the old John Newton song Amazing Grace every so often. We love that song. But we rarely grasp what we're singing. We are simply too finite, too faulty, too frail to understand just how deep the wells of grace run. Even those of us who hold to the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation eventually succumb to the pervasive power of pride. Given enough time one earth, and enough blessings to numb reality, we all risk falling into a kind of syncretism in which we start to feel worthy of the forgiveness that Christ purchased. The cross that was so magnificent when we first came to Christ becomes a little more normal. The price that seemed so extraordinary at first slowly becomes worth it in our minds. The great, impossible divide between Divine and human that Christ spanned narrows. The value of the gospel diminishes in our hearts, and our love of Christ weakens, because we simply cannot fathom that we could be so unworthy of lavishing eternal bliss upon. "Yeah, yeah, Christ died for our sins, but where are we going for lunch?"
Do yourself a favor. Spend some time today pondering the treachery, deceitfulness, pride, lust, lovelessness, downcast heart. Then spend even more time contemplating what the spotless Lamb of God purchased for you on the cross. Let your mind wander in the sweet, yet nauseating thought of your Creator allowing himself to be beaten, and battered, and abused, and tortured, and mocked, and killed, and then punished and forsaken by God for your sin. The sin you committed yesterday. The sin you'll commit today. And the sin you'll commit tomorrow. You might be surprised to discover that rather than depressed and desperate, you'll walk away from your meditation a little more happy and a lot more humble. Then you'll be ready to extend that amazing grace to others.
1 comment:
Because of God's mercy and grace we too quickly forget about the wrath from which we have been saved.
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