But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
This is what sets us apart from everyone else. Even we don’t get it half the time. Christians aren’t good people. Left to ourselves, we’re just as wicked as everyone else. We don’t have a bag of goodness we can use to buy our way into heaven that has anything more in it than anyone else. But…God…. As we approach His throne room, Jesus goes with us. He adds goodness out of His treasury. He adds grace out of His treasury. He gives us righteousness to wear.
That’s hard to handle. We all want to say, “Yes, saved by grace, but… I’m good. I did this, and I did that.” Some folks even expand their proof of goodness to include their ancestors, relatives, and spouses. People who claim to be Christians do this. It’s part of our fallen condition. The understanding that it’s not our goodness punctures our egos. It’s a bitter pill for us to swallow, but it’s the pill that lets us perceive reality as it truly is. We are not saved because we’re good. We’re saved because He’s good.
The current pop-psychology fad is the building up of so-called self-esteem. We’re supposed to tell ourselves and each other that we’re perfect just as we are. It’s “dangerous” to say that we’re miserable failures. No, if we tell ourselves and everyone around us how good we are for long enough, everyone will eventually believe it, and because of that, it will be true.
But Brother Lawrence put it clearly. This is what I am, unless God changes me. I can do no better unless God helps me. This is the first step. Contrary to pop-psychological teachings, admitting and confessing your sins, your failures, your shortcomings, and your weaknesses grants you freedom. I learned this when I lost a lot of weight fifteen years ago. When I could admit that I was fat, it lost its power to shame me. That didn’t mean being fat was OK. It doesn’t mean my being fat now is OK but I don’t have to run away when someone points out the obvious.
And Jesus stands beside me, not because I’m slim, strong, and healthy, but because He is.
That’s hard to handle. We all want to say, “Yes, saved by grace, but… I’m good. I did this, and I did that.” Some folks even expand their proof of goodness to include their ancestors, relatives, and spouses. People who claim to be Christians do this. It’s part of our fallen condition. The understanding that it’s not our goodness punctures our egos. It’s a bitter pill for us to swallow, but it’s the pill that lets us perceive reality as it truly is. We are not saved because we’re good. We’re saved because He’s good.
The current pop-psychology fad is the building up of so-called self-esteem. We’re supposed to tell ourselves and each other that we’re perfect just as we are. It’s “dangerous” to say that we’re miserable failures. No, if we tell ourselves and everyone around us how good we are for long enough, everyone will eventually believe it, and because of that, it will be true.
But Brother Lawrence put it clearly. This is what I am, unless God changes me. I can do no better unless God helps me. This is the first step. Contrary to pop-psychological teachings, admitting and confessing your sins, your failures, your shortcomings, and your weaknesses grants you freedom. I learned this when I lost a lot of weight fifteen years ago. When I could admit that I was fat, it lost its power to shame me. That didn’t mean being fat was OK. It doesn’t mean my being fat now is OK but I don’t have to run away when someone points out the obvious.
And Jesus stands beside me, not because I’m slim, strong, and healthy, but because He is.
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