We believe that if we carelessly screw up, we can say a quick prayer and apology, and the mistake will be chalked up to our humanness. It never dawns on us that the mistake might re-define Christianity to someone who is observing.
It might just incorrectly re-define Jesus.
It is for this very reason that we (as a church community) are mostly talk and very little fruit. We say whatever we feel impassioned about, but we only do what we feel like doing at any given moment. We are not meticulous and careful in our faith because we have become the religion of the do-over.
We love that Jesus died for our sins and that His grace cancels out the Old Testament need for sacrifice. Those Old Testamenters -- WOW -- they really had to bend over backward to get right with God: sackcloth and ashes, burnt offerings, weeping and gnashing. I couldn't gnash even if I wanted to. If I did, my orthodontist would make me wear a retainer to bed. We thank God that Jesus made all of those spiritual gymnastics a moot point. Jesus died on the cross. He took the blame. His scars and blood and death replaced the need for mine. That's what grace is -- and we love, love, love grace.
Sadly, we also abuse it.
In an attempt to be a more free church --less bound up in legalism-- we have embraced grace so heartily that we have also eradicated responsibility. We cave to sin and temptation and desires and whims and preferences very easily, especially in the church, and we feel bad fleetingly. Then grace comes in and spanks guilt and we have a half hour of worship and feel awesome. But we don't do a whole lot of the dirty work to truly seek permanent healing -- to truly sprint away from sin with all of our might.
Daily sins, shortcomings, and afflictions are rampantly increasing in the modern church. Why? Because we are seeing grace as a coupon -- as a voucher that allows us to not worry about destructive actions leading to disastrous consequences. It is as if we believe that for everyone else sin leads to hell and death, but for us it leads to a scolding that is quickly forgotten. We act like sinful actions are a cakewalk because we are lucky enough to know about the grace discount.
What happened to the reverence? The heartbreak that is supposed to come from displeasing God?
The truth is, Christ's grace does cover us, but our sins speak lies upon lies to those who have not yet decided if Christ is worth following. To them our choice of what to do about grace may very well mean life or death.
Grace does not replace change. Grace enables change. It empowers it, makes the change worth it. --Mark Steele
I'm not a church basher. Most churches, I believe, have a sizable number of devout, Christ-like folks. But step back and take an honest look and it's not hard to see that Christians are drifting toward a belief system that makes the narrow way a lot wider, and easier to navigate. It seems that the popular line of thinking is to call one's self set apart without having to live and look, and actually be set apart.
"How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg." --President Abraham Lincoln
"The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." --President Abraham Lincoln
