Posted on 03/14/2008 8:56:37 AM PDT by Gamecock
"See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." (1 John 3:1-3)
The mark of knowing God is that you see God's love for you as a miracle. Notice this [text]: it says "how great". In the old King James it says "behold, what manner of love." Here it says, "how great a love" [NAS]. There is a Greek word that is used here that they are translating as "great" and the problem with the word is that it is an idiom. Idiomatic expressions are very hard to translate literally. We have an idiomatic expression: "its raining cats and dogs." Ok so if you are trying to translate that into Cantonese, German or into Japanese -- if you just say literally in those languages "it's raining cats and dogs" they will look at you: "what are you talking about?" You will have to find an idiomatic expression that is parallel or coordinate to that. Literally it says "behold, what country this love comes from" What this statement is really saying is "from what planet... how unreal...off the scale".
Remember there was a movie called "The Fisher King"? You wouldn't since hardly anybody saw this. Amanda Plummer plays this really klutzy, mousy, wallflower who has no friends. Robin Williams takes her out. At the end of the day he takes her in and says "I want to talk to you". She says "no, no, if you got to know me you would not like me. I am tired of rejection ... it was nice to go out. But everyone who gets to know me doesn't like me, so thanks." And Robin Williams says, "I do know you. I know that you think you are awkward. I know that you think you are clumsy. I know that you are kind of clumsy but I want you to know that I know who you are and I love you, and I will never leave you and I will never or forsake you." And she looks at him and its as if she is looking into the heart of what she thought was an enemy and she sees there understanding and love and she says, "Are you real?". This is a miracle that you love me.
[like this movie] This is saying, here is the way you can tell whether you are a Christian or just a moral person ... a Christian or a religious person. A real Christian is a person who says, "it is an absolute miracle that God's loves me. "It's just a miracle that I am a Christian." This is actually an acid test; let me just lay it on you here at the end. There are two kinds of people that go to church: there's religious people and real Christians. And the way you can tell the difference is that a Real Christian is somebody who sees everything that comes as a gift. In other words a real Christian sees that you are totally in debt to God, but a religious person is someone who is working hard and making an effort and trying to be good, going to Bible studies and just saying "no" everywhere, and denying themselves a lot of pleasures, and so forth, and a religious person is someone who is trying to put God in their debt. That is the difference. A religious person is someone who is trying to save themselves through their good works. A religious person is somebody who thinks they are putting God in their debt since they have tried so hard. A Christian is somebody who sees themselves as in God's debt.
Here is the acid test: If you are a Christian you have a spirit of wonder that permeates your life. You are always saying "how miraculous", "how interplanetary", "how unreal". You are always looking at yourself and saying, "me a Christian ... incredible, miraculous, unbelievable, a joke!!! " but a person who is trying to put God in their debt - there is none of that spirit of wonder at all. For example, when you show up to get your paycheck. I am assuming that most of you work hard for your money. When you show up for your paycheck do you say "Ah, BEHOLD!!!, you've paid me, you've given me money!!! Oh!! Are you real?." No, you don't do that, you say "of course you paid me, I worked." If you ask a religious person who does not understand the grace of God. you say, "Are you a Christian?" They say "Of course I am a Christian, I have always been a Christian. Sure I am a Christian. " My friends, if you are a Christian there is no "sure" about it and there is no "of courseness" about it, not a bit.
The acid test is your spirit of wonder stays there even when things go bad. You see when things go bad, when problems happen, here you can tell the difference between a moralist and a Christian. A moralist says, "what good is all my religion, what good is going to God, I have tried hard to be a Christian, I am trying hard to be obedient to God, and what good is it? God owes me." And you see you get mad. You say, "I have been trying hard and look what's going on in my love life, look what's going on in my career", and you get bitter. Why? because God owes you. But A Christian keeps that spirit of wonder. A Christian may say "my career has not gone too well, my love life has not gone too well, it's astonishing... Its amazing that God is as good as He is to me. Its all grace. Its all grace. That spirit of wonder. That sense of being a miracle. That everything that comes to you being an absolute mercy. That is an acid test. In fact, in some ways I have made a dichotomy that is unrealistic. Christians, to the degree that you behold the free grace of God, to the degree that you meditate on it and you let it become a holy fire in your heart, to the degree you experience and behold the love of God, to that degree you are going to find that to difficulties you will be able to say "oh well, my Father must have a purpose here because He loves me, and besides that, He does not owe me a good life. He owes me a far worse life than I've got." You can handle anything. And when good things come you will say "Behold! what a miracle" And the very fact you can get up in the morning and say, "I am a Christian. Who would have thought it?" There is a spirit of wonder about you, and if you have lost that you are slipping back into moralism, you are slipping back into thinking "well I guess what it means to be a Christian is just to do." Here is Christianity:
And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Savior's blood!
Died he for me? who caused his pain!
For me? who him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
The wonder is a mark that you know the Lord. The ability to handle anything with that sense of almost childlike wonder. That sense of being a miracle. That tells you that you know him.
Let us love and sing and wonder,
Let us praise the Savior's Name!
He has hushed the law's loud thunder,
He has quenched Mount Sinai's flame.
He has wash'd us with His blood,
He has brought us nigh to God.
The acid test is your spirit of wonder stays there even when things go bad. You see when things go bad, when problems happen, here you can tell the difference between a moralist and a Christian. A moralist says, "what good is all my religion, what good is going to God, I have tried hard to be a Christian, I am trying hard to be obedient to God, and what good is it? God owes me." And you see you get mad. You say, "I have been trying hard and look what's going on in my love life, look what's going on in my career", and you get bitter. Why? because God owes you.
Amem
Almost everyday, I am truly amazed that He hasn’t given me what I truly deserve.
I think this is a great explanation of how we should view works.
Amen.
People always want justice from God. That’s the last thong I need. I need Grace.
I still question whether or not it’s an acid test for me though, based on my low self esteem and frequent anger and bitterness.
Amen.
And I don't want to see you in a thong, either.
“And the way you can tell the difference is that a Real Christian is somebody who sees everything that comes as a gift. In other words a real Christian sees that you are totally in debt to God, but a religious person is someone who is working hard and making an effort and trying to be good, going to Bible studies and just saying “no” everywhere, and denying themselves a lot of pleasures, and so forth, and a religious person is someone who is trying to put God in their debt. That is the difference. A religious person is someone who is trying to save themselves through their good works. A religious person is somebody who thinks they are putting God in their debt since they have tried so hard. A Christian is somebody who sees themselves as in God’s debt.”
I am not certain how to answer this erroneous conclusion. A true Christion ought by reason of imitating Jesus Himself - be doing works of mercy. We are called, after all, to be the eyes, ears, hands, and heart of Jesus on earth. That is why He established a church. That is why he left us with the Holy Spirit. So, when people do charitable works no Christian ought to criticize or judge why the Christian is being charitable. Jesus also taught the following - when each of us is called to judgement, we will be asked when we fed the poor, clothed the naked, etc.. So, it is obvious that Jesus expected that we do charitable works. He also told us to be a light to the nations, to not hide our light under a basket.
How on earth have Christians become so judgemental against other Christians who do acts of charity? I wish someone would explain this clearly to me.
“Here is the acid test: If you are a Christian you have a spirit of wonder that permeates your life.”
Yes, I am continually and totally amazed that God even saw me to save me. It’s been over 30 years, and I still feel the same way. As time passes and I look back on my life, I see His hand directly involved with me, and I just shake my head.....I look at His creation, how it was all meant to interact and work together, I look at the human body, it’s just beyond words to describe the awe and wonder....
My gratitude knows no bounds. Sometimes I think when I finally get to heaven, I’ll know all the right words and be able to express my gratitude to Him and feel satisfied that I said it all and said it right.
What a great article!
Good read.
Thanks for the post.
This is teaching not found in Scripture.
Our Lord was very clear on how the world would know his disciples, and it didn't involve going around babbling about how "unreal" or "interplanetary" it all was ... whatever that means.
" but a person who is trying to put God in their debt - there is none of that spirit of wonder at all.
Someone who is "trying to put God in their debt" has much bigger problems than that.
The article speaks of Justification, being declared not guilty before God.
Christianity is not about being perfect, but being declared perfect. Read through Romans Chapter 7 as being descriptive of the Christian life.
The answer lies in how you answer the following question:
God to gumdrop at your judgment: “Why should I let you into my kingdom?”
(Be careful that you don’t confuse your justification with your sanctification)
98% of RC teaching isn't in Scripture.
God to gumdrop at your judgment: “Why should I let you into my kingdom?”
(Be careful that you don’t confuse your justification with your sanctification)
What are you insinuating. That I have no sanctification because I believe Jesus when he says we should feed the poor, cloth the naked, etc.??
I am not going to be like Barry Obama and misquote the Sermon on the Mount and then denigrate “an obscure passage from Romans.” No, Jesus’s message was clear. Have you never hear the song, “They will know we are Christians by our Love”? True Christians demonstrate their love for Jesus by imitating him. The decision to be charitable has absolutely nothing to do with “earning our salvation.” Jesus offered himself as a Paschal Lamb once and for all two millenia ago. We cannot on ou own earn our salvation, for if Jesus had not accepted the cross - if he had left the Garden of Gethsemane and said “Shucks, I cannot bear the burden”, we would still be forever in sin and outside of God’s kingdom.
Saying “I Believe” and then continuing to live a life as if the sacrifice of Jesus means nothing and that life is a lark because God is sending us graces - neglects part of the gospel. We must cry our cross and come after Jesus. Part of that is bearing our difficulties in a holy and accepting manner, to continue in our faith regardless of trials, to praise and thank God for all our life’s blessing and His Eternal Love for us.
The above article is about justification. You are talking about sanctification.
Don't confuse the two.
Here is the acid test: If you are a Christian you have a spirit of wonder that permeates your life. You are always saying "how miraculous", "how interplanetary", "how unreal". You are always looking at yourself and saying, "me a Christian ... incredible, miraculous, unbelievable, a joke!!!
Perhaps this is not so much of test of who is a Christian, but who has been forgiven much. A passage from Luke in the story of the sinful woman comes to mind:
>>Christianity is not about being perfect, but being declared perfect. Read through Romans Chapter 7 as being descriptive of the Christian life.<<
Amen Brother. I think one of the major differences between the two groups is that one truly has an understanding of their foul sin nature - and the other thinks that they’re “basically ok, but occasionally makes mistakes.”
I love the verse from “And can it be” - one of my favorite hymns. Perfectly describes the salvation experience - our condition before, the Grace given to us, and our calling afterwards.
“Long my imprison’d spirit lay
fast bound in sin and nature’s night.
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light.
My chains fell off, my heart was free.
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee!
Amazing love, how can it be,
that Thou my God shouldst die for me!”
How on earth have Christians become so judgemental against other Christians who do acts of charity? I wish someone would explain this clearly to me.
Why are the works being done? Is there an expectation that your salvation hinges upon these works, or that by doing them God owes you something?
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