How do we objectively determine the value of something? Only by whatever the highest bidder is willing to pay for it. For example, if I want to sell an item on Ebay for $100, but the most I can get someone to offer is $30 - then what does this tell me about the value of my item? It tells me its worth $30. No matter how sincerely I might believe it to be worth $100, the actual value is equivalent the highest bid. In other words, whatever the market will bear.
Let's apply this concept to who we are as human beings. The Bible says that God "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). This act of "giving" by God is elsewhere described in the Bible of an act of "redemption." The Biblical verb "to redeem" basically means "to purchase out of the slave market of sin." The picture God is painting is that at one time, each of us were on an "auction block" of sorts - pimped out by our former slave-driver, Satan and his cohorts - the world-system and the flesh.
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). When Christ gave His life to redeem us from that slave-market, He was making some very bold statements - one of which was regarding our VALUE to God. I've heard preachers say that telling someone they are valuable to God is just a bunch of "pop-psychology". They say that people need to feel and know how wretched and disgusting they are in order to relate properly to God.
Make no mistake that the Bible is very straightforward about the fact that before we place our trust in Christ, we are identified as "sinners". This means that "sin" was the core of our identity and because of this sinful nature, our behavior often flowed out of that sinfulness. While that's not a pretty picture, its an honest one. But its against this very dark backdrop that we begin to really understand the love of God for what it is!
God does not love us in some theoretical or theological sense in which He merely tolerates our disgustingness. Rather, while we were STILL sinners - right in the mix of all our grime and guilt - God loved us completely. In fact, He loved us to the point that He would rather come and die than live without us for eternity! Now THAT'S love!
What is more, the very moment we place our trust in Christ He irreversibly washes away that "sin nature" and all the guilty deeds produced by it - re-creating us so that we become as righteous as Jesus Himself is! "God made Him who had not sin to BE sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (1 Cor. 5:21).
So let me get this straight: God loved me while I was still a sinner. He loved me so much that He shed His own blood for me on a cross. He crucified my old, sinful nature with Himself and created within me a brand new righteous nature at the core of who I am. He not only has forgiven my sin, but made me alive together with Christ.
If you don't think these realities say something about my value to God, I'm not sure we're reading the same Bible! The grace of God is NOT pop-psychology or empty self-esteem. It is the reality that God - out of sheer, undeserved kindness toward me - paid the highest price imaginable to redeem me as His own. Does this affect my self-esteem? Of course! But it's not a self-help program. It's a mission of redemption where the highest Bidder paid the highest price to purchase me from the auction block of sin. And it reminds me of something that religion could never teach me: Jesus didn't come to make naughty people nicer - He came to make dead people ALIVE!
Jesus is the highest Bidder! He won the war for my heart. And I have this life and all eternity to love Him for it! How about you? Where do you get your sense of value? From the fleeting opinions of men or the rock-solid redemptive price Jesus paid for you?
Rest in that today and every day!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
DO versus DONE
My friend Ralph Harris recently wrote...
“It is finished” didn’t mean ‘until you sin some more, and then you’ve got to re-start the heavy burden, accountability and repentant lifestyle all over again to make sure everything is cool between you and me.’ Right? It meant that after THIS, you’re going to live out of what I’ve done and given to you, because there’s nothing MORE. Okay? You’ve got it all, and it’s all really good!
I couldn't have said it any better myself (which is probably why I quoted Ralph...duh!). The longer I am a Christian - and the longer I serve as a pastor - the more obvious it becomes to me that there are essentially two competing gospels in the world. They are the gospel of "DO" and the gospel of "DONE".
The gospel of "DO" says..."Suck it up, earn your way, prove yourself, atone for your sins, you should be ashamed of yourself, can't you do anything right?, hope that God will accept you, keep striving, behave properly, try harder, keep the rules, don't rock the boat, don't ask questions, promise to do better".....well, you get the point!
The gospel of "DONE" says "It is finished - there is no barrier between yourself and a joyous, love relationship with Me. It's all a gift. The only thing you 'do' to receive it is believe it."
You ask, "Believe what?"
Jesus responds...
"Believe that when I died on the cross I intercepted the death penalty that your sin brought upon you. (Romans 5:8)
"Not only has the debt been paid, but canceled altogether. I'm not mad at you." (Romans 5:9)
"When you choose sin, I hurt for you, because I love you and have so much more to offer you than empty promises. But mad? Nope! Justice has already been served." (Romans 8:4)
"You no longer have to live with that shame hanging around your neck." (Isaiah 54:4)
"We are forever okay, you and me." (Romans 5:1)
"And that resurrection you've heard about? I did that for you too." (Romans 5:10; 6:4)
"Your need didn't stop at forgiveness. You needed LIFE as well. When you trust in me, you are agreeing that your old, sinful nature died with me and that you have now been raised to new life with a new spiritual nature!" (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20)
"You are 'in me' and I am 'in you.'" (Ephesians 1:13)
"This is permanent. This never changes. Not based on how you feel. Not based on how you perform. Never. The pressure's off. You are a brand new person inside, based upon my objective work - not your subjective feelings." (Ephesians 1:14)
"Deep down, you want exactly the things I want." (Galatians 5:17)
"Sure, you face temptations, and sometimes you take the bait." (James 3:2)
"This is why you feel so terrible when you choose sin...precisely because you are new at the core. If you weren't new, you wouldn't care as much about sin, except for how the consequences might negatively affect you. You don't always perform perfectly, but you are obedient from the heart. You struggle in your thought-life, but the attitude of your heart is now righteous, and I know the difference!" (Romans 6:17; Hebrews 4:12)
"Abide in me. That means 'rest'. And you will bear much fruit. I produce it. You bear it. Deal?" (John 15:5)
This, my friends is the gospel of DONE... Grace and peace to you!
P.S. ...and one thing Jesus might add... "This new life is best experienced in the context of transparent, Christian community. Some people call this 'church'. Even if you've been wounded by 'organized religion' or don't believe that safe communities like this exist...they do! I can lead you into one. Seek and you will find. I love you."
“It is finished” didn’t mean ‘until you sin some more, and then you’ve got to re-start the heavy burden, accountability and repentant lifestyle all over again to make sure everything is cool between you and me.’ Right? It meant that after THIS, you’re going to live out of what I’ve done and given to you, because there’s nothing MORE. Okay? You’ve got it all, and it’s all really good!
I couldn't have said it any better myself (which is probably why I quoted Ralph...duh!). The longer I am a Christian - and the longer I serve as a pastor - the more obvious it becomes to me that there are essentially two competing gospels in the world. They are the gospel of "DO" and the gospel of "DONE".
The gospel of "DO" says..."Suck it up, earn your way, prove yourself, atone for your sins, you should be ashamed of yourself, can't you do anything right?, hope that God will accept you, keep striving, behave properly, try harder, keep the rules, don't rock the boat, don't ask questions, promise to do better".....well, you get the point!
The gospel of "DONE" says "It is finished - there is no barrier between yourself and a joyous, love relationship with Me. It's all a gift. The only thing you 'do' to receive it is believe it."
You ask, "Believe what?"
Jesus responds...
"Believe that when I died on the cross I intercepted the death penalty that your sin brought upon you. (Romans 5:8)
"Not only has the debt been paid, but canceled altogether. I'm not mad at you." (Romans 5:9)
"When you choose sin, I hurt for you, because I love you and have so much more to offer you than empty promises. But mad? Nope! Justice has already been served." (Romans 8:4)
"You no longer have to live with that shame hanging around your neck." (Isaiah 54:4)
"We are forever okay, you and me." (Romans 5:1)
"And that resurrection you've heard about? I did that for you too." (Romans 5:10; 6:4)
"Your need didn't stop at forgiveness. You needed LIFE as well. When you trust in me, you are agreeing that your old, sinful nature died with me and that you have now been raised to new life with a new spiritual nature!" (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20)
"You are 'in me' and I am 'in you.'" (Ephesians 1:13)
"This is permanent. This never changes. Not based on how you feel. Not based on how you perform. Never. The pressure's off. You are a brand new person inside, based upon my objective work - not your subjective feelings." (Ephesians 1:14)
"Deep down, you want exactly the things I want." (Galatians 5:17)
"Sure, you face temptations, and sometimes you take the bait." (James 3:2)
"This is why you feel so terrible when you choose sin...precisely because you are new at the core. If you weren't new, you wouldn't care as much about sin, except for how the consequences might negatively affect you. You don't always perform perfectly, but you are obedient from the heart. You struggle in your thought-life, but the attitude of your heart is now righteous, and I know the difference!" (Romans 6:17; Hebrews 4:12)
"Abide in me. That means 'rest'. And you will bear much fruit. I produce it. You bear it. Deal?" (John 15:5)
This, my friends is the gospel of DONE... Grace and peace to you!
P.S. ...and one thing Jesus might add... "This new life is best experienced in the context of transparent, Christian community. Some people call this 'church'. Even if you've been wounded by 'organized religion' or don't believe that safe communities like this exist...they do! I can lead you into one. Seek and you will find. I love you."
Friday, August 24, 2012
WELCOME ABOARD!
Welcome to The Gospel Uncut - the official blog site of the upcoming new book by the same title!
As a child of God who serves as a pastor, I realize how easy it is to find yourself in a place where the so-called "free offer" of salvation begins to feel more like a bait-and-switch scam. You may recall someone in your past assuring you that a relationship with God is a wonderful free gift to be received by simple faith. It sounded too good to be true, but you eagerly accepted the offer. Now, here you are living a life filled with guilt, regret and the high-pressure scrutiny of an in-grown religious culture.
What's worse, you may even feel like you have nobody to talk to about where you're at. Over time, you've grown accustomed to faking it. You know all the "right" answers, and you've learned to wear the proper masks for the appropriate situations. But deep down, you feel empty - as though the Jesus you currently experience is vastly different than the one you originally fell in love with (or at least thought you did).
Well...there is good news for you! What if the gospel of Jesus Christ is far better than you ever imagined? What if it TRULY IS good news? If you've ever secretly looked around at your experience of the Christian life and wondered, "Is this REALLY as good as it gets?" then you're in for an amazing journey.
In the book, we will strip away the religious debris that we've picked up along the way, casting aside the joy-robbing huffing and puffing of religious manipulation that so many have erroneously attached to Jesus. We will take a fresh look at what it means to rest in the assurance of God's favor toward as, and discover how to find the peace and satisfaction that various false-versions of the gospel have stolen from us.
If you feel beat up, burnt-out or broken down by a gospel that promised a free gift on the front end of the deal but left you with all kinds of disappointing fine print on the back side of the contract, get ready to experience the freedom God intends!
The book is complete and in the design-phase right now, and I'll keep you updated as the release date draws near! In the meantime, never forget that you are loved by Love Himself!
Blessings,
Jeremy
As a child of God who serves as a pastor, I realize how easy it is to find yourself in a place where the so-called "free offer" of salvation begins to feel more like a bait-and-switch scam. You may recall someone in your past assuring you that a relationship with God is a wonderful free gift to be received by simple faith. It sounded too good to be true, but you eagerly accepted the offer. Now, here you are living a life filled with guilt, regret and the high-pressure scrutiny of an in-grown religious culture.
What's worse, you may even feel like you have nobody to talk to about where you're at. Over time, you've grown accustomed to faking it. You know all the "right" answers, and you've learned to wear the proper masks for the appropriate situations. But deep down, you feel empty - as though the Jesus you currently experience is vastly different than the one you originally fell in love with (or at least thought you did).
Well...there is good news for you! What if the gospel of Jesus Christ is far better than you ever imagined? What if it TRULY IS good news? If you've ever secretly looked around at your experience of the Christian life and wondered, "Is this REALLY as good as it gets?" then you're in for an amazing journey.
In the book, we will strip away the religious debris that we've picked up along the way, casting aside the joy-robbing huffing and puffing of religious manipulation that so many have erroneously attached to Jesus. We will take a fresh look at what it means to rest in the assurance of God's favor toward as, and discover how to find the peace and satisfaction that various false-versions of the gospel have stolen from us.
If you feel beat up, burnt-out or broken down by a gospel that promised a free gift on the front end of the deal but left you with all kinds of disappointing fine print on the back side of the contract, get ready to experience the freedom God intends!
The book is complete and in the design-phase right now, and I'll keep you updated as the release date draws near! In the meantime, never forget that you are loved by Love Himself!
Blessings,
Jeremy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)