Marshall Jenkins
"Christ has brought us by faith into this experience of God's grace in which we now live. And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God's glory. . . . his approval creates hope. This hope does not disappoint us ..."
Fear of not doing enough for salvation undermines the faith of many. In these verses, Paul speaks to two versions of this fear. To those who worry that they must adhere to the highest religious standards, attending church every Sunday, never swearing or noticing the opposite sex, always fasting and sacrificing and going the extra mile, Paul reminds us in the preceding chapter that God justified Abraham before there were any rules. So if we have faith resembling Abraham's, listening to God and obediently putting our lives in God's hands, God saves us not by our efforts but in the giving of a gift, gratis, grace. If we open our hearts to receive it, it comes. The rub, of course, is that we mortals guard our hearts with a vengeance.
Many also worry that if they suffer, they must be cursed. And who escapes suffering? We often pretend we do, especially in America where we treat unhappiness like some kind of sin. But neither suffering nor unhappiness are sins. In fact, they are opportunities. We can embrace our sufferings like Abraham did with his body worn by age and his lack of children, and we can move forward with hope against all odds, trusting that if we let go of our need to live the life of our dreams and submit to living out God's dreams, we will not be disappointed or ashamed in the end. In fact, God often gives those who suffer most the gift of opening their hearts more easily, and by grace, God fills them to overflowing with the sweet water of love.
Prayer; Lord, let us not close our hearts in fear and shame. We open our hearts and receive your love. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment