Unlearning to learn
Grasping our freedom in Christ involves as much un-learning as learning. - Andrew Farley
When I first came face to face with grace, I was shocked. Here was a message so very different from what I'd been told all my life as a Roman Catholic (that was not very convinced anyway that the Vatican was absolutely right, though like most RC-ers I had this inborn defensive nature to defend my religion even though I did not know completely what it was about at one stage).
Anyway, let me first make a disclaimer here before some folks misunderstand my writings in this post- I am not against the RC Church, the Anglican Church, the Methodist Church, or any denomination. I am simply for Christ. I just want people to know how much they are loved by their heavenly Father and how much good He wants to pour out on their lives through His unconditional love for them. I just want people to know that they are loved more than they think they are, that God is not a jealous, petty and angry dude who rains lightning down on His people.
In RC church I was told I had to make confessions for my sins and do penance for them, that I am still a sinner; face to face with His grace through His Word (reading the bible), He tells me that I am the righteousness of God in Christ, that I am forgiven and that He freed me the moment I called Him my Saviour. God no longer sees Geraldine-in-sin, He sees Geraldine-in-Christ; He sees Christ's righteousness over us. It is not about us obtaining our own righteousness. Andrew Farley speaks about how we confess a thousand sins but maybe there is a million we forget to confess, that's why forgiveness depends on His blood, not our words.
In RC church, the priest speaks about how he is offering a holy and living sacrifice at the altar he presides over in the church; face to face with His grace in His Word, I came to see that His Word says that He offered a perfect sacrifice once and for all when He died on the cross for us. No more sacrifices, He did it once and that was that.
It took a lot of unlearning of past rules and regulations and stuff to do for God (like the rosary - man when I read what Christ had to say about repetitive prayers, I stopped and thought about it hard)... and learning how to call God DADDY (some people think it is disrespectful but we call Him Abba and to the Jews, that is as endearing a term as Papa), learning how to be intimate with Daddy God, learning how much He loves us, learning what Christ's victory on the Cross truly obtained for us, learning Whose I am, Who I am because of Jesus's amazing grace.
It was tough for me all those years back, and I know it is not easy for a lot of us to understand the true, unadulterated message of grace that is written in the Word. If we would just ask the HS to reveal to us the truth and be open to receive it even if it is different from what a human being's been telling us all our lives, we might come to see the perfection His death has obtained.
It no longer requires us to do something, it requires us to surrender that Martha-spirit and be like her sister, Mary, who sat at His feet and received His Word.
I used to be like Martha, all worked up and angry, when I came face to face with someone who realised the truth before me- that all that's required is His grace, not my doing. Maybe it is human nature that we must be the do-er, maybe it is human nature that we find it awkward to receive without having to give anything in exchange for the good that is being bestowed on to us. That was my struggle, I had been told all my life that I had to be good, I had to stop sinning, I had to say my rosary, I had to do penance, I had to earn my brownie points to get pass the pearly gates. No one told me that first I needed to receive His grace, and through His grace I am given the ability, the wisdom and strength to live my life the right way. I was doing it the opposite way- I was trying to be good so I could have grace. But it is when we have grace, that we are able to believe right and thus live right.
Grace no longer requires us to punish ourselves with guilt, condemnation and works because He has already paid above and beyond what is required for our sins past, present and future. Grace helps us forgive people we can't, look past hurts we can't look past on our own. Grace helps us receive blessings without wondering if it is too good to be true. It is too good and it is true and you'd better believe it! =D
It is about no longer living the old way, but living a new way - as a new creation (this is a term mentioned in the bible for which my church was named after) in Christ Jesus, as new wine in new wineskin, not new wine in old wineskin. It is about a new revelation about the new covenant.
It is about throwing out all the stuff people's said to you about Jesus, and coming to see Him face to face on His terms, in His Word, in His unconditional love.
There is nothing conditional about His love for us, it is humans who added in the terms and conditions and fine prints, it is humans who make it difficult for themselves to receive amazing grace.
There is a reason it is called Amazing Grace - it is a goodness, a love, a redemption beyond what we can humanly imagine. And His name is Christ Jesus.
For those who would like to know what salvation in Christ really means, check this website out: http://www.thenakedgospel.com/home
When I first came face to face with grace, I was shocked. Here was a message so very different from what I'd been told all my life as a Roman Catholic (that was not very convinced anyway that the Vatican was absolutely right, though like most RC-ers I had this inborn defensive nature to defend my religion even though I did not know completely what it was about at one stage).
Anyway, let me first make a disclaimer here before some folks misunderstand my writings in this post- I am not against the RC Church, the Anglican Church, the Methodist Church, or any denomination. I am simply for Christ. I just want people to know how much they are loved by their heavenly Father and how much good He wants to pour out on their lives through His unconditional love for them. I just want people to know that they are loved more than they think they are, that God is not a jealous, petty and angry dude who rains lightning down on His people.
In RC church I was told I had to make confessions for my sins and do penance for them, that I am still a sinner; face to face with His grace through His Word (reading the bible), He tells me that I am the righteousness of God in Christ, that I am forgiven and that He freed me the moment I called Him my Saviour. God no longer sees Geraldine-in-sin, He sees Geraldine-in-Christ; He sees Christ's righteousness over us. It is not about us obtaining our own righteousness. Andrew Farley speaks about how we confess a thousand sins but maybe there is a million we forget to confess, that's why forgiveness depends on His blood, not our words.
In RC church, the priest speaks about how he is offering a holy and living sacrifice at the altar he presides over in the church; face to face with His grace in His Word, I came to see that His Word says that He offered a perfect sacrifice once and for all when He died on the cross for us. No more sacrifices, He did it once and that was that.
It took a lot of unlearning of past rules and regulations and stuff to do for God (like the rosary - man when I read what Christ had to say about repetitive prayers, I stopped and thought about it hard)... and learning how to call God DADDY (some people think it is disrespectful but we call Him Abba and to the Jews, that is as endearing a term as Papa), learning how to be intimate with Daddy God, learning how much He loves us, learning what Christ's victory on the Cross truly obtained for us, learning Whose I am, Who I am because of Jesus's amazing grace.
It was tough for me all those years back, and I know it is not easy for a lot of us to understand the true, unadulterated message of grace that is written in the Word. If we would just ask the HS to reveal to us the truth and be open to receive it even if it is different from what a human being's been telling us all our lives, we might come to see the perfection His death has obtained.
It no longer requires us to do something, it requires us to surrender that Martha-spirit and be like her sister, Mary, who sat at His feet and received His Word.
I used to be like Martha, all worked up and angry, when I came face to face with someone who realised the truth before me- that all that's required is His grace, not my doing. Maybe it is human nature that we must be the do-er, maybe it is human nature that we find it awkward to receive without having to give anything in exchange for the good that is being bestowed on to us. That was my struggle, I had been told all my life that I had to be good, I had to stop sinning, I had to say my rosary, I had to do penance, I had to earn my brownie points to get pass the pearly gates. No one told me that first I needed to receive His grace, and through His grace I am given the ability, the wisdom and strength to live my life the right way. I was doing it the opposite way- I was trying to be good so I could have grace. But it is when we have grace, that we are able to believe right and thus live right.
Grace no longer requires us to punish ourselves with guilt, condemnation and works because He has already paid above and beyond what is required for our sins past, present and future. Grace helps us forgive people we can't, look past hurts we can't look past on our own. Grace helps us receive blessings without wondering if it is too good to be true. It is too good and it is true and you'd better believe it! =D
It is about no longer living the old way, but living a new way - as a new creation (this is a term mentioned in the bible for which my church was named after) in Christ Jesus, as new wine in new wineskin, not new wine in old wineskin. It is about a new revelation about the new covenant.
It is about throwing out all the stuff people's said to you about Jesus, and coming to see Him face to face on His terms, in His Word, in His unconditional love.
There is nothing conditional about His love for us, it is humans who added in the terms and conditions and fine prints, it is humans who make it difficult for themselves to receive amazing grace.
There is a reason it is called Amazing Grace - it is a goodness, a love, a redemption beyond what we can humanly imagine. And His name is Christ Jesus.
For those who would like to know what salvation in Christ really means, check this website out: http://www.thenakedgospel.com/home
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