Out of the Mouths of Babes . . .

Two year Joshua old sings "I See Grace..."

Jesus My help
I call out Your name
I cast my cares on You
Jesus my hope
my tower of strength
my faith has found in You
I see You pierced
wounded for me
when I look to the cross I see

I see grace
sealed by your sacrifice
I see love
reaching for me
Precious blood
washes and sanctifies
Healing flows
setting me free
I see grace

Bearer of sin
Afflicted and tried
You paid redemption's price
Bearing my curse
You set me on high
Your death has brought me life

I see You pierced
wounded for me
when I look to the cross I see

I see grace
sealed by Your sacrifice
I see love
reaching for me
Precious blood
washes and sanctifies
Healing flows
setting me free
I see grace

C.S. Lewis on The Finished Work of the Cross

"What, then, is the difference which He has made to the whole human mass? It is just this; that the business of becoming a son of God, of being turned from a created thing into a begotten thing, of passing over from the temporary biological life into timeless 'spiritual' life, has been done for us. Humanity is already 'saved' in principle. We individuals have to appropriate that salvation. But the really tough work--the bit we could not have done for ourselves--has been done for us. We have not got to try to climb up into spiritual life by our own efforts; it has already come down into the human race. If we will only lay ourselves open to the one Man in whom it was fully present, and who, in spite of being God, is also a real man, He will do it in us and for us. Remember what I said about 'good infection' One of our own race has this new life: if we get close to Him we shall catch it from Him." (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pp. 156-157).

Notice that Lewis says, "we individuals have to appropriate that salvation." He isn't saying (nor am I) that people go to heaven automatically, whether they believe or not. What he is saying is that it isn't our faith that makes it real. The cross made it real objectively. That's the good news of an objective reality that's real whether we believe it or not. But, when we believe it, how everything changes experientially!

We All Died With Christ

Is a person included in the crucifixion of Jesus at the moment when he believes? Does it become true for her that "I have been crucified with Christ" only if she has faith in Him? It isn't believing that makes it real. Mankind's co-crucifixion with Jesus on the cross is a reality whether we believe it or not. Here's how Watchman Nee said it:

It is the 'inclusive' death of the Lord which puts me in a position to identify myself, not that I identify myself in order to be included. It is God's inclusion of me in Christ that matters." (Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life, p. 46).

Nee points out that I'm not included because I believe it. I believe it because I am included and that is what matters!

Faith doesn't make it happen that we died with Jesus and that the old Adamic man was destroyed. It happened! It is a historical fact that we all died with Him. That's true whether we have faith or not.

How many ways can it be said???

The New American Standard Version says, "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died."

The New International Version says, "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died."

The Bible In Basic English says, "For it is the love of Christ which is moving us; because we are of the opinion that if one was put to death for all, then all have undergone death."

The New King James Version says, "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died."

Young's Literal Translation says, "For the love of the Christ doth constrain us, having judged thus: that if one for all died, then the whole died."

Can it be clearer than this? Did Jesus die for all or not? Did Jesus die for all but only some died with Him? This verse (among others) shows that everybody for whom Jesus died died with Him. The gospel of grace that the human race needs to hear is that Jesus Christ has dealt with Adam's sin in The Garden and has now given us new life!

It's true! We have died with Christ and have been raised to walk in newness of life - His life. That is the gospel we proclaim to those still trapped in their own darkness. That is the gospel that will cause people to come alive to the truth of the finished work of the cross. That is the gospel that will cause those who are blind to finally see. That is the gospel that will cause those who are lost to finally know they have been found. That is the gospel that brings salvation to a person in a way that he/she will be forever transformed.

That is the gospel we need to proclaim. Let us join together and affirm that, by God's grace, we will never again declare a potential gospel but instead we will proclaim the finished work of Jesus Christ for every person. There is power in the preaching of the gospel. When unbelievers hear the truth about the cross, God's Holy Spirit will bring many to faith in Christ.

A Grace Voice From the Past

Thomas Erskine (1788-1870)was a very well known theologian in the early 19th century. His writings are a great read for those who want to dig deeper into the reality of mankind's inclusion in the work of the cross. When Erskine died at home in 1870, his last words were fittingly enough: "Lord Jesus!"

Here's how he explained what I've been discussing in my "Sunday Preaching" series about how salvation is the subjective experience of the objective work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

"If I find a mother weeping over the account of the death of her first-born, which I know to be a false report, am I to be considered as a very adventurous prophet, or extravagant promiser, if, when I lay before her the proof of his being in perfect health, I make the declaration before hand, that if she believes my news, she will be saved from her sorrow, and that her heart will rejoice? Why, this is no more than what every reasonable being must regard as the necessary consequence of such a belief. Yet it is true, that she is saved from her anguish by faith in my story. But her joy is not a premium bestowed on her to reward her belief; it flows naturally out of her belief. Her grief for the supposed death of her child, and her belief that he is alive and well, cannot exist in her mind together. Such a faith necessarily heals such a sorrow. Her faith does not restore her son to life-- he is alive whether she believes it or not-- but his life is no joy to her, unless she believes it. Without faith in my story, she could not be saved from her distress.

Take another example. A son outrages in a most atrocious manner the feelings of his father. The father banishes him from his house, after pronouncing a malediction on him. The son hears of his death soon after, and feels his spirit burdened with the curse; he cannot shake himself free of it-- he is a miserable wretch. A friend of his father comes to him and tells him, that he had seen his father a few hours before his death, and that he had heard him express the warmest affection for him, and the deepest regret for what had taken place between them; and that he had received from him a charge to tell him, that he had withdrawn his curse, and had prayed a blessing on him. The son receives the intelligence with grateful joy, and his burden drops from him. He is saved by faith. His mind is healed by believing the information which has been given him. His father's forgiveness is not given him as a reward of his believing this history-- but unless he believes it, the forgiveness is quite useless to him-- he will continue to feel his father's curse clinging to him. But let me now here suppose for a moment, that the friend, instead of simply relating to him the fact of his father's forgiveness, had put the whole history into the form under which the gospel is very often preached: Suppose he had said to him, your father has forgiven you, if you believe in my testimony of his forgiveness; but if you cannot do this, there is no forgiveness for you. One can easily imagine the perplexity into which the son would be thrown by such an announcement. It would appear to him as if the truth of a past fact depended on the state of his feeling with regard to it. It would be impossible for him, in such circumstances, to believe, because his informant actually told him that his belief of the pardon must precede the existence of the pardon.

The use of faith, then, is not to remove the penalty, or to make the pardon better-- for the penalty is removed, and the pardon is proclaimed, whether we believe it or not-- but to give the pardon a moral influence, by which it may heal the spiritual diseases of the heart-- which influence it cannot have in the nature of things, unless it is believed." (Thomas Erskine, The Unconditional Freeness of the Gospel, pp. 18-22).

What Flavor Is God's Church?

My wife, Melanie, often buys a brand of tea called “Celestial Seasonings”. (It sort of sounds spiritual, doesn’t it?) The package contains tea bags of different flavors. She likes the Country Apple flavor. I don’t care for it, but I do enjoy a flavor called Red Zinger. The apple flavor is boring to me, but the Red Zinger — it’s a real eye opener. When a person is thirsty for some good tea, Red Zinger hits the spot. Melanie disagrees. She thinks the Country Apple is better. However, it isn’t the actual flavor of either tea that quenches thirst. As much as we each enjoy our favorite flavor, we have never taken the tea bags out of the box and put them into our mouth to suck the flavor out of the bags. We always add water. The flavor causes the tea to appeal to us, but the water is what really satisfies.

Jesus once said, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). Only Jesus can quench the inner thirst for life experienced by every human being. Jesus offers Himself as the only real thirst quencher in this barren world. The way in which He offers His life to the world is ingenious. His life is expressed through many different flavors.

Just as there are many flavors of tea, there is amazing diversity within the body of Christ. There are distinct differences which are obvious. I’ve met some Country Apples in the body of Christ more than once. I have often seen the distinguished Earl Grey crowd. I have even met a few Red Zingers along the way. Come to think of it, I’ve encountered just about every flavor you can imagine. I’ve been in churches where the people shouted praise and in others where they whispered prayers. Some kneel at their pews, others stand with their hands lifted, while another group simply bow their heads. Some sing choruses and others prefer the old hymns. There really are a lot of flavors out there.

Which flavor is the best? It depends on who you ask. The Red Zingers think the Earl Grey crowd is too stuffy while the Earl Grey crowd believe they are too wild. They both think the Country Apples aren’t educated enough while they are convinced that the other groups put far too much confidence in the wisdom of man. This is sort of silly, isn’t it? Yet that is the exact attitude often present in the body of Christ.

God’s family is a diverse family. There is a world full of people around us who need the life of Jesus. Like you and me, each of them find certain flavors distasteful and others to be more palatable. The flavor represents the personality of different groups. Contrary to the opinion of many Christians, there is no best flavor. The flavor is not the important element. The thing that really matters is the water. If the pitcher (Christian) is filled with water (Jesus), the flavor (personality) of the tea doesn’t really matter. Some people will be drawn to Christ because of the appeal of one flavor, while other unsaved people will be more receptive to another. As long as they receive the Water of Life, what difference does the flavor make? The Holy Spirit uses the distinctive flavors found in the body of Christ to reach the world. Regardless of our own particular flavor, every Christian can cry out to the world, “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8).

(This article is an excerpt from my book, Grace Rules. For more information on the book, click here: http://gracewalkresources.com/item.asp?cID=0&PID=34

You Should Strive To Do Right and Avoid Wrong - Not True

One of the worst and yet most prevalent lies I’ll present in this book is this one. The idea that we should focus on improving our behavior so that we avoid doing wrong and consistently do right seems to be the mindset of most of Christians in the contemporary church world. Most ministries are devoted to helping people know how to act better and avoid sin in an attempt to do what they imagine God wants them to do.

The problem with this belief is that it misses the point entirely. God’s purpose for mankind isn’t that we do good things and avoid doing evil. Don’t misunderstand me on this point. Of course, it’s better to do a good thing than a bad one in terms of the consequences the action will produce. That’s what makes this lie so easy to believe. However, God’s primary interest in our actions isn't about right and wrong. It never has been.

When God created Adam and Eve, do you think His purpose for them would be to do good and avoid evil? From a moral standpoint, that seems to make perfect sense. The problem is that the Bible presents a very different scenario. Our Creator never intended for our lives to be understood from a moral standpoint.

When the first couple was placed into the Garden of Eden, they were told they could eat from any tree in the garden except The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They were plainly warned not to eat from that tree. Eating from it would bring death.

Take a careful look at the description of the tree. It was a tree that gave knowledge of two things. What were they? Good and evil, or to put it a different way, right and wrong. This was a tree that would activate morality if they were to eat from it. It would give them the knowledge of good and evil and, after all, right and wrong are the two great pillars of morality. Moral living leads one toward doing right and away from doing wrong. Immoral living has just the opposite effect.

As strange as it might seem, before they ate from the tree, Adam and Eve’s lives weren’t moral. Neither were they immoral. Their lives didn’t exist in the realm of morality. By virtue of their oneness with their Creator, their lives were miraculous. Their actions transcended rightness. Their behavior was righteous.

So when God put them in this garden, He told them not to eat from that tree at all. Notice that He did not say, “Eat from the good branch on the tree but be sure to avoid the evil branch.” No, God told them not to eat from the tree at all. Their lives weren’t to be based on morality. He had a better plan for them than that. Their lives were to be an expression of their relationship to Him. As they trusted Him as their life-source, their behavior would always honor Him.

But it was not to be that way. They chose to eat from the forbidden tree and, as a result, the template by which humanity began to live by was one of right and wrong – good and evil. Man began to evaluate his every action by right and wrong, despite the fact that God had told them that was not to be the way they lived.

Fast-forward many millennia later and where do we find ourselves today? Living from that same tree. Even those who desire to honor God with their lives commonly think that the way to do that is to do right and avoid wrong. Churches sound forth that message again and again. The idea that God’s goals for us revolve around our doing good and not evil is pervasive in the modern church.

The reality is, though, that God didn’t change His mind. His intent for you is the same one that He had for Adam and Eve. He doesn’t want you building your life around a system in which you try to do good and avoid evil. He wants you to recognize that your lifestyle is to flow from your connection to your Creator. Like Adam and Eve before the fall, when our lifestyle is an expression of the union we share with Him our behavior will be better than good. It will be godly.

Don’t think that doing the right thing necessarily honors your Father. The Bible says that whatever is not of faith is sin. (See Romans 14:23) So a person can do many good things, moral things, and still be committing sin because their actions from the wrong source. The Source of our lives is to be Him, not our determination to behave in a certain way, even if it is good.

I’m not suggesting that it doesn’t matter how we behave. To the contrary, I’m saying just the opposite. It does matter how we behave, but our Father doesn’t intend for our behavior to revolve around rules of right and wrong. He wants our behavior to be an expression of His indwelling Life, coming out through our thoughts, our words and our actions. He wants to animate our lifestyle, not some sterile list that tells us how to act right.

Most believers understand this to some extent. They’ll say to an unbeliever, “It’s not about how you behave. Christianity is all about trusting Jesus Christ! That’s what matters.” The sad thing is that they don’t see that the same thing is true for themselves. Let me say it to those who are believers that are reading this book: “It’s not about how you behave either! Christianity is all about trusting Jesus Christ. That’s what matters!”

You don’t have to be worried that your behavior will jump track and you’ll run off into a crevice of sinful living. When we stop focusing on right and wrong and start focusing on Jesus Christ and Him alone, I assure you that His Spirit within us will regulate our behavior. He will see to it that we act in the way that honors our Father to the max, and it won’t be moral living either. It will be nothing short of a miraculous lifestyle.

Seeing Jesus in Daily Life

If Jesus wants us to recognize His presence, why don’t more people see Him in their daily lives? What keeps us from identifying Him with us in everyday matters? There are several deterrents that will keep us from enjoying the reality of His presence with us.

✦ Misunderstanding How Jesus Relates To Us Will Cause Us Not To Recognize Him.
Many don’t recognize the Lord’s continuos presence with them because of the way He generally chooses to relate to those He loves. He is the kind of Lover that doesn’t usually approach us in a brash and intrusive manner. He’s not pushy. There are those rare occasions when He suddenly overtakes and ravishes a person with His love, as He did with the Apostle Paul on the Damascus Road. (See Acts 9) However, His normal way is to gently whisper to us in a still, small voice with the goal of drawing our attention and devotion toward Himself until we become totally consumed with Him so that, by comparison, everything else becomes unimportant.

For instance, as He walked with the disciples on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus “their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him” (Luke 23:16). When they reached the end of their seven mile walk, Jesus “acted as though He were going further” (23:28). Why did He do that? Like you, Jesus wants to be wanted by those He loves. Intimacy with Him is the result of an invitation, not an intrusion.

The disciples urged Him – “Stay with us,” they insisted. (Luke 23:29) So He did. This is so typical of the way Jesus behaves. First, He attracts us to Himself until we long to know Him more intimately, then He reveals Himself to us more and more as we respond to the level of knowledge we already have of Him.

✦ Our Personal Circumstances May Blind Us To His Presence
It is easy to become so preoccupied with our own circumstances that it seems Jesus gets lost in the shuffle. The disciples walking on the way down the Emmaus Road with Christ were bogged down in their despair about His crucifixion. At the moment, life was hard and all they could see was their circumstances.

To call them short-sighted is an understatement. They could only see the superficial and thus, were blind to the supernatural of the moment. They were interpreting life through a human paradigm which made no room for the possibility of a Divine breakthrough into their situation.

The threat to the ability of contemporary Christians to recognize Jesus is no different. Our senses are so bombarded with the details of our lives that sometimes it becomes practically impossible to discern Him. Have you become so caught up in the demands of daily circumstances that you’ve lost the consciousness of Christ you once knew? The danger is an age-old threat, known even to those who walked beside Jesus on a dusty road two millennia ago.

✦ Looking for Jesus through a religious lens often conceals Him from us.
Maybe it seems odd to you that I would suggest that looking for the presence of Jesus with a religious perspective can hide Him from us, but that often is the case. There are certainly ways in which we can see Christ within a context often classified as religious. Most believers have seen the Lord through participation in church, through Bible study, religious books, spiritual music and countless other ways that have a religious connotation. In no way would I want to diminish the value of the ways that Christians traditionally have sought to experience the Lord’s presence in their lives. I’m not suggesting that the Lord doesn’t make Himself known to us in these ways, but rather that traditional religious means aren’t the only way that Christ manifests Himself to those He loves. My intent is to encourage you to broaden your ability to recognize Jesus in your daily life.

Jesus doesn’t just speak a religious language. He speaks the regular language of our everyday lives. Those who only expect to see Him within a religious context greatly limit their ability to recognize Him.

My wife, Melanie, and I have loved the chance to occasionally vacation in the Carribean. At times I have stood in scenic spots overlooking the ocean, with my camera in hand. I have felt overwhelmed by the majestic beauty that surrounds me. Blue, crystal clear water stretches out to the horizon until it becomes impossible to tell where the water stops and the sky begins. White, powdery beaches reach as far in both directions as the eye can see. Picturesque palm trees lean forward with fronds reaching out to the water as if they too desperately want to feel the lapping waves. A gentle breeze that seems to promise to breathe youth into any person who will inhale its ocean fragrance. Do you have the sense of what I’m describing?

Now, imagine at those moments that I lift a fifteen dollar disposable camera to my face so that I can take a picture and capture the beauty that lies before and around me. I don’t want to lose this moment. I love it and I want to seize it on film. I want to pull the total impact of everything I’m experiencing at the moment through that camera’s lens and take it home with me on a 3x5 photograph. I want to go home, look at this picture and feel exactly what I’m feeling as I stand on the beach at that moment.

Do you think it will happen? Of course not. A snapshot could never do justice to the beauty. It is a minuscule representation of what I’ve seen, but it just can’t do it justice. The beauty is simply bigger than any camera can capture.

That’s how it is when we try to see the beauty of Jesus through a religious lens. He is the personification of God’s love. It is a love much too big to be contained by religion, consequently He reveals Himself in religious and nonreligious ways. For instance, the Bible says that “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). Clouds aren’t religious. So God doesn’t only communicate through church-talk, but also through cloud-talk. These are only two of His dialects. The number of love languages He speaks is limitless.

(This blog is an excerpt from my book, A Divine Invitation. For more information on the book, click here: http://gracewalkresources.com/item.asp?cID=0&PID=94