I spent 10 years in church asking the question “Why isn’t this working?”. “Why do I leave the alter feeling like I have changed forever; only to fall flat on my face 2 weeks later?” “Why can’t I stay close to God?” “What can be done to have a lasting change?”

When I left that experience I felt like I was the problem; that I wasn’t good enough.
In a sense it was true, the problem was me. I was putting to much pressure on myself to try to earn my salvation, but I could never live up to the expectations. It took along time to realize that it is only through the sacrificial death of Jesus and the grace given by God that I am saved.

When you begin to understand God’s grace you realize that nothing else matters. God saved me while I was sinning. He didn’t wait until I was perfect and sinless to offer salvation. No, He came to me despite my sinful ways and brought salvation. It became clear to me that He loves me regardless of my faults. I deserve hell. We all do yet, God’s grace has saved me from that.

This lead me to one big change:

I now try to live a holy and righteous life because of my salvation, not in order to earn it.

Here are some thoughts and scriptures that helped undo the damage:

I am a sinful creature who deserves hell. There is nothing I can do to get to heaven, only through the sacrificial death of Christ and the grace of God can I be saved.

Rom 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.
Genesis 8:21 Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.

I did not choose to be saved, but God chose to save me.

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit.
John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him
Ephesians 2:4-5 But, because of His great love for us God made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith.
Romans 9:11-13 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad–in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls–she was told, "The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

God did not chose to save me because of anything I have ever done. It has nothing to do with my own personal merit or worthiness.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves. It is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.
2nd Thes 1:4 ….because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
Acts 13:48 And all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 9:16 It does not therefore depend on man’s desire or effort but on God’s mercy.
Romans 11:5-6 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

Therefore, since I have done nothing to earn it, since I certainly don’t deserve it, and since God has saved me anyway, why would I feel as though one wrong step will cost me everything?

John 10-28:29 I give them (my sheep) eternal life, and the shall never parish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord

Philip. 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."

There is no need to worry about the status of your salvation when God says “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” It is important to understand that 1- we do not deserve to go to heaven and 2- that we can not earn our way into heaven. That is the beauty of grace. It is undeserved, unearned, and given freely by Christ.

I have seen so many of my friends turn away from Christ because of a bad church experience and so I am writing these things to help show that there is truth in the Bible, that God is real, and that they need Jesus. I pray that those who no longer have a relationship with Christ, because of past issues with a church would find a way to forgive and understand that Christians can be easily deceived and make terrible mistakes, but God is not the one to blame.

This is why I blog. I have seen two sides of Christianity. One which I hate because it only caused me pain; the focus was on me and not on Jesus. And the other I love, because it has freed me from myself and caused me to look to the cross.

I apologize to everyone who wanted to read something funny today. If it’s humor that you are looking for try listening to Pastor Rick Snow’s sermon on the Generosity Factor
@ http://www.citybiblechurch.org/Content/158.htm
Even the most loyal sheep have got to be able to see through that message.

Permalink | Add a comment? |