Five Nuggets from One Way Love by Tchividjian 1. Where disobedience flourishes, it is not the fault of too much grace but rather of our failure to grasp the depth of Gods one-way love for us in the midst of our transgressions and greed. Grace and obedience are not enemies, not by a long shot. Grace can not be mandated, it can only be experienced . 2. An identity based in the one-way love of God does not take into account public opinion or, thankfully, even personal opinion. The gospel does not just free you from what other people think about you, it frees you from what you think about yourself. You are not who others see you to be, and you are not who you see yourself to be; you are who God sees you to be - His beloved child, with whom He is well pleased. 3. The gospel liberates us to be okay with not being okay. We can stop pretending that we are anyone but who we actually are. When you understand that your significance, security, and identity are locked in Christ, you dont have to win - you are free lose. You may even find that you are free enough to say crazy, risky, counterintuitive stuff like, To live is Christ and to die is gain. 4. The law addled human heart tends to take descriptions of grace in practice and fashion them into new, stronger tools that will finally change those we would like to change, in the way we deem fit, Real grace can not be manipulated. As soon as it becomes attached to an intended consequence (a condition), it is no longer one-way love, no longer grace. Grace loves without reference to what may or may not happen. As soon as it is employed as a fix, it is no longer grace. 5. If you are simply looking for moral reformation (improved behavior), you might need a life coach, a cheerleading section or a really good friend, but not a savior. But if you require moral resurrection, you are going to need something beyond yourself, someone who will raise dead people to life,give sight to the blind, and set the captives free.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 18:21:15 +0000