I’m thinking about the balance between works and grace. Its something many of us struggle with. We’ve been formatted our whole lives to keep the rules, and we fear punishment if we don’t. “Don’t chew gum or you’ll get detention” or “eat your vegetables or you’ll get a spanking” have conditioned us to be afraid of stepping outside the lines. Its no wonder we have such a hard time accepting a law of grace that says, “Jesus abolished the rules.” I belong to this group.
The other half of us have no problem with the rules. “Never followed them before, why should I now?” Unlimited freedom, unlimited grace. Those who belong to this group seem to float through life with no standards, no restraints. At least that’s what we “rule keepers” think.
So who’s right? Could it be both of us? Jesus was clear that we should not call Him “Lord” without keeping His commandments. But what were His commandments? We have to make a clear distinction between His commands and those set up by men in His name.
What’s the answer to the dilemma? Simple…fall in love with Jesus. Begin to grasp the enormity of the sin from which you have been pardoned. When you truly fall in love with Jesus, an insatiable hunger for His word cannot be far behind. And when you immerse yourself in His word you’ll find a Jesus who threw rocks threw the “stained glass” culture of the day. But you’ll also find a Savior who has loved you so intensely and a grace that has pardoned you so undeservedly that you would sooner die than dissapoint Him.
When you fall in love with Jesus you’ll fall in love with a gentle yet intense Lord who rocks the worlds of rule keepers and rule breakers all at the same time. That’s when you realize that its not about the rules at all, it’s simply about Him.
Quitting Christianity 