Choose Grace
Hello friends, another little offering from the big smoke.
On the front wall of your church
Back in the early 90s, a bunch of members from our Canberra church found themselves in the Anglican Church at Braidwood. It’s a beautiful building and well looked after. There was one feature of that building that left its mark on me, and sharpened a conviction which has grown in clarity and strength ever since.
The wall behind the altar was made of marble. And carved into that marble were two statements. On one side was the Apostle’s Creed. On the other, listed down the front wall, were the Ten Commandments. The Creed I could figure out. The Ten Commandments? It jarred then. It jars worse now. The Creed reveals the faith. The Commandments reveal God’s law.
My question then, and now, is this. Do you, will you, do you want to, or think you should, live under law or under grace?
Let’s assume that you are a Disciple of Jesus Christ. You have put all your eggs in the basket labelled “Jesus Christ – my Lord and my Saviour”. The big question now needs to be settled in your heart. Will you and I live under law or under grace? Consider the two statements below. I’ve deliberately placed them side by side.
There’s no doubt that the law reveals God’s will to us. Just as certainly, Jesus Christ fine tunes it, cuts off loopholes, tightens its requirements, lives it on our behalf, and goes to Calvary as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world – all done in love. His life is given to us as our righteousness before God. And then he summons us “Come follow Me”, or “Do as I have done”, or “Love as I have loved”, or “I have given you an example”, or as Paul has it, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”.
So we know what God wants according to rule and regulation. We also know what he wants as those who are receivers of grace and love and forgiveness to live lives as bringers of grace and love and forgiveness
May you always choose to follow Christ and to live from the fountain he truly is.
Love you
Pastor Fred
On the front wall of your church
Back in the early 90s, a bunch of members from our Canberra church found themselves in the Anglican Church at Braidwood. It’s a beautiful building and well looked after. There was one feature of that building that left its mark on me, and sharpened a conviction which has grown in clarity and strength ever since.
The wall behind the altar was made of marble. And carved into that marble were two statements. On one side was the Apostle’s Creed. On the other, listed down the front wall, were the Ten Commandments. The Creed I could figure out. The Ten Commandments? It jarred then. It jars worse now. The Creed reveals the faith. The Commandments reveal God’s law.
My question then, and now, is this. Do you, will you, do you want to, or think you should, live under law or under grace?
Let’s assume that you are a Disciple of Jesus Christ. You have put all your eggs in the basket labelled “Jesus Christ – my Lord and my Saviour”. The big question now needs to be settled in your heart. Will you and I live under law or under grace? Consider the two statements below. I’ve deliberately placed them side by side.
There’s no doubt that the law reveals God’s will to us. Just as certainly, Jesus Christ fine tunes it, cuts off loopholes, tightens its requirements, lives it on our behalf, and goes to Calvary as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world – all done in love. His life is given to us as our righteousness before God. And then he summons us “Come follow Me”, or “Do as I have done”, or “Love as I have loved”, or “I have given you an example”, or as Paul has it, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”.So we know what God wants according to rule and regulation. We also know what he wants as those who are receivers of grace and love and forgiveness to live lives as bringers of grace and love and forgiveness
May you always choose to follow Christ and to live from the fountain he truly is.
Love you
Pastor Fred
posted by Boomerexy at 8:22 PM
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