I am furious and roiling with indignation—not at a particular person, but with a strategy the devil uses—man’s unsanctified heart—to destroy seeds of faith and cause people to sever their relationship with God. My heart breaks for those who have turned away from God because of man's misrepresentation of His person, character, and desires. Whether done intentionally or out of ignorance, the damage occurs--sometimes irreparably. For a number of years, I was rife for the picking off to become a casualty of such misrepresentation; sadly, my experience occurred within the church. Even as believers, the possibility exists for us to be more a witness against the true meaning of the gospel than for it: to love conditionally, rather than unconditionally; to elevate rules and rights above relationship; to favor wearing the judge’s robe we feel we’ve earned over the Lord’s robe of righteousness given to us by grace.
The apostle Paul has strong words for those who distort the gospel and pervert truth. “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8) Paul immediately repeats this a second time. Later in the book, Paul laments, “I could wish that those who trouble you (put men back under the law, reject grace) would even cut themselves off.” (Gal. 5:12) In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he asserts, “Charge some that they teach no other doctrine…rather than that which is for godly edification in faith…for some desire to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.” (1 Tim. 1: 3-7) These are but a few of Paul’s exhortations to stand fast in the liberty—truth—by which Christ has made us free, and not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage (Gal. 5:1). “Therefore if you died with Christ, from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations…”(Col. 2:20) “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph. 2:8)
A conversation I had this morning compelled me to redirect the focus for today’s blog. I have such a strong passion for the love and person of God to be revealed in truth to those who are struggling to find meaning and hope in life. It’s a mad world in which we live—mad crazy and mad angry. There is a frantic, if not desperate, search going on all over the world for peace and contentment. Some focus on the riches to be mined from the secular world, others on the treasures that lie within the religious world. However, life is not found in wealth of any kind, regardless of its source, but in relationship. Sharing life and living loved--in relationship with the Lord and each other—forms the circle which circumscribes fullness of life, including acceptance and belonging man inherently desires. Relationship is a circle of love, not a hierarchy of command: a circle in which to discover our worth, not an arena in which to prove it; a field in which to grow and flourish, not a field strewn with mines, threatening incapacitation or destruction. Life is not about getting it right or doing it right, but about being in right relationship with our Creator and Heavenly Father, content in His presence, with peace of mind and heart as we entrust ourselves, and all that concerns us, to Him.
Thank God for His grace from beginning to end. Thank God for His sword of truth that lays open the lie and slays the enemy. Thank God for His gift of faith that keeps us safe and persevering until the end. Thank God above all for His redeeming love that covers all our sin and restores us to perfect, unbroken fellowship with Him, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
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