afraid of this kind of grace?
Pastor Brian Treadaway of encounter in Waxahachie, Texas, kicks off our weekly lead pastor blog with a great topic...Is True Grace Scary Truly Scary to You? You would think you had just said you were a terrorist. Instead you mentioned you that you celebrated grace. For some the reaction is the same – fear, anger, attack, excommunication. They say, “There is grace, but there is also responsibility.” Immediately, many attach conditions. ”If you believe in grace, then you will…” and “We can’t let people feel too free with God or they’ll do whatever they want!” They said the same thing to Jesus. “Who is this man who eats (shows favor) to sinners?” Grace is frightening. It is something greater than we will ever understand; it is what we will forever admire and adore in heaven; and it is the only thing that can only real desire in our hearts to love God. Let’s be clear what grace is. It is not overlooking sin. That is a weak, diluted, and misunderstood view of grace. Grace is the unparalleled passion of God for man. We see it as He gives His Son on the cross to become sin so that we can not just be free from our guilt, but so that we can enjoy His favor, intimacy, and right-ness. That’s right – so that we can enjoy right-ness or righteousness with Him. Not in the some day, or in “that” day, but in the moment we allow that grace to intersect the specific sin and guilt of our own life. Grace is so overwhelming and freeing that when we do receive it, it ignites within us a desire to repent, love, serve, and worship the One who frees us! Grace received ignites desire! It is so overwhelming and freeing that it strips us of all control, ability to repay, and ability to claim any justification for receiving it. All we can do is stand in awe. There is something inside us that wants to work for it, earn it, pay it back, beat ourselves up about, fear that one sin could make it all go away, or that it is now our task to live in such a way to keep it flowing to us. Then grace is no longer exciting, free, or overwhelming. It becomes common, under my control, and something to manage. I end up with fear, guilt, uncertainty, and with a list of rules connected to my grace. I also pass that version of grace onto others. Gone is the joy, awe, and freedom. Welcome to Christianity in the 21st century – impotent, weak, rule-based, tradition-driven, condemning, and angry. Which grace do you celebrate? The one that puts my right-ness with God in my hands or the one that is rests squarely in Christ crucified and resurrected for our complete freedom, forgiveness, and favor?