I am a recovering Pharisee. I spent the first half of my life trying to "live a Christian life." Now, I'm learning to enjoy "being" a Christian. Anything good that I do or anything bad that I avoid is now flowing out of an overwhelming gratitude for the amazing grace and mercy that God poured out on me through the sacrifice of His only Son, Christ Jesus. I am no longer trying to EARN my salvation, now that it has finally sunk in that my Lord Jesus already purchased it, PAID IN FULL, on the cross! Now, I'm experiencing the joy of being freed from bondage, one chain at a time, by setting my focus on Him and the good news (Gospel) of what He has done for me. This has been 100% more effective than the vicious cycle of trying harder, failing, numbing the guilt with yet another sinful behavior, and then trying once again to break free. By abandoning this futile pursuit of trying to attain righteousness and instead dwelling on the truth of God's grace, I have found that Jesus Christ TRULY is the answer!
And here's what the Bible has to say about that:
ReplyDelete""But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Philippians 3:7-12)
For, "He [Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created...by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fulness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
ReplyDeleteOnce you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel." (Colossians 1:15-23)