C.S. Lewis. English Literature in the 16th Century, p. 33.
All the initiative has been on God’s side; all has been free, unbounded grace. And all will continue to be free, unbounded grace …. Bliss is not for sale, cannot be earned. ‘Works’ have no ‘merit,’ though of course faith, inevitably, even unconsciously, flows out into works of love at once. He [the Christian] is not saved because he does works of love: he does works of love because he is saved. It is faith alone that has saved him: faith bestowed by sheer gift. From this buoyant humility, this farewell to the self with all its good resolutions, anxiety, scruples, and motive scratchings, all the Protestant doctrines originally sprang.
The fact that we follow a Jesus that suffered, died, & rose again. We learn from apostles that suffered martyrdom. Serves proof that the Gospel is not good news for everyone. That many find it’s freeing graces a direct attack to who they are & the idol they worship, primarily themselves. The Gospel is the rise of the true King & the fall of the impostors.
We can rest in God’s sovereignty. Knowing that he is for us. That even in suffering he is working not to crush us, but love us & form us in his image rather than ours.
I have been having the same revelation about the relational Jesus as appose to the Jesus binding us in law, and yet I am at attendance at a bible school that teaches such law believing they are free. I am an RA of a dorm and a leader at the school, which I don't really care about, but i am none the less. I want to remain in honor towards the school, and respect the position I'm in and yet learn more about the true and yet sometimes Cliche freedom of Jesus. How would you go about doing this?
I am glad he is revealing himself to you right now. He has never bound us to law, and he has always been relational. Consistently we see Jesus speaking of man (He called them Pharisees, Sadducees & Scribes of his day) being the ones that point us to law, and try to control us by leading us only to ourselves, through telling us to muster up our own strength. That only leads to pride and more bondage if we can do it, and guilt if we can’t. I counsel you to do what Jesus told us to do. Give up! Surrender your life to Christ and his work that he has already don for you on the cross. Jesus never got rid of the law…
Matthew 5:17–20 | Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
So you see, he came to fulfill the law for us. So that through his righteousness we can be free to know God! This is the Gospel! The GOOD NEWS! That he did it for us! He bore the heavy lifting! For only God can be sinless and obey the law perfectly.
So then Jesus tells us…
Matthew 22:36–40
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
He sums up all the law into two things, to love God and love thy neighbor. Two things that by his Spirit we can do when we have surrendered to the work of Christ in our lives. He tells us that ‘On these two commandments depend all the law and the Prophets’. Everything in life is about our surrender to Christ, to live out these two things.
Remember that he told us…
Matthew 10:38–39
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
So that is my advice to you. Love God with all your heart. Pray for him to give you a hunger for him and his word that will not be satisfied with anything but him. Read your bible everyday, don’t just take my word for it, or someone else’s word for it, read it yourself everyday! Read it through, not in parts. The Bible is not an encyclopedia, it is a story. Perhaps begin with the gospels, and watch the Holy Spirit lead you and transform you.
Stay faithful to the RA position God gave you. Use it as an opportunity to allow God’s love to flow through you to those students on your floor. Live the second commandment, love your neighbor. Serve them, sacrifice for them, point them to Jesus.
Grace and peace,
Zac
I’ll be the first to admit that not everything I post on here is 100% accurate. Sometimes it’s from deep study, other times it’s from emotion, other times it’s Spirit led.
I’m just a man trying to follow Jesus. Thankful for the grace he’s shown me, the life he’s given me, and the community he’s placed me in. Nothing more, nothing less.
There are only two types of theologians I’ve encountered. One puts God in the center of their theology, the other puts man. One preaches the gospel, the other preaches self-help.
Your Wealth May Kill You
If we accumulate wealth only to enrich ourselves, with no concern for helping others, we will enter eternity empty handed.
Luke 12:13–22 NLT | Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
22 Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear.
There is Only One Thing to Be Concerned About & It Isn’t Church Work
Luke 10:38-42 NLT
38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Mary and Martha both loved Jesus. Martha had a religious moment that many of us have found ourselves in. She thought that her form of serving was superior to her sisters.
To often I’ve witnessed believers loose their focus, preoccupied with serving the church, cleaning, stacking chairs, handing out pamphlets, shaking hands, smiling, signing up for outreach, leading a community group, feeding the homeless, all good things. But so quickly good things become religious things. Martha’s work kept her from realizing that the Son of God was sitting in her living room!
Jesus warns the church in Ephesus that activity does not save us, even good activity with a forgetful heart will ruin us and lead us to evil.
Revelation 2:1–7 (NLT) | The Message to the Church in Ephesus
1 “Write this letter to the angel* of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands: 2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!* 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. 7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
Jesus is the point! He must be the at center! He is King! Nothing, not even service should take his place of centrality. Even in loving each other, if he is not the center, than it is not true love, but slipper, sneaky, idolatry.
Serve Jesus by being with him, not because he is lonely but because he is the empowerment of your work. Anything good work not done through the right heart of love is just religious minutia that leads us away from Christ. To know and love him is to know and serve people, but he knows what man really needs, we know only the insecurities that we bow to in our service rather than sitting and resting in him.
So we must be with Jesus, find ourselves in him not our service. BEING NOT DOING is the response of the believer to our Savior.
Lord, help us know the balance of these things. Help us understand the heart of who you are and let us be in your image not attempt to do your image. Forgive us! You are enough!
Try some #Jesus (Taken with instagram)
Is God Really Helping Tebow?
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