Revelation

I mentioned something about this in my last entry. Here's thoughts on it from my journal, written when I was up way too late at night (and, truth be told, more caffeinated that I prolly should have been).

Also, I'm writing this introduction after I wrote what follows...and it's longer than I expected - might wanna grab a snack before you start reading.

~



How have I missed Romans 4? As in, FOREVER?! I have it highlighted in my Bible - probably from the days of New Testament Literature class when we had to read the whole New Testament in a semester as homework - but I've never read it like this before. This one chapter has cleared up all of my wonderings about my salvation, my church, my faith - seriously, everything.

Clearly God's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his [Abraham's] obedience to God's law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by FAITH. (P.S. Abraham's faith was in play BEFORE the Law - or "The Ten Commandments" - was even in the picture.) If God's promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary, and the promise is pointless. For the law ALWAYS brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a FREE gift. AND WE ARE ALL CERTAIN TO RECEIVE IT WHETHER OR NOT WE LIVE ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF MOSES, IF WE HAVE FAITH LIKE ABRAHAM'S.

This chapter calls faith-gained righteousness a joy, not more work that we have to do because of our righteousness. For the first time the phrase "Jesus, rather than our own feelings or actions, saves us" has crashed over me and totally swamped my brain. Why is this new to me? It's what I've heard at my church for a year now, but for some reason tonight it's finally clicked. So much confusion, doubt, fear, apprehension, and pressure can be alleviated by this one chapter, this single passage that speaks of freedom and joy and peace and promise and blessing - all of which comes by nothing but faith ALONE.

And by the way: contrary to popular belief (or maybe it's just me), faith isn't some high-and-mighty, ambiguous term that only a certain number of people achieve after years and years of intense Bible study and fasting and conferences. Faith is simply believing that God will keep His promises.

THAT. IS. IT.

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping - believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, "That's how many descendants you will have. And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead, and so was Sarah's womb.

Abraham never wavered in his faith (believing) in God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in THIS he brought glory to God (not in how many people he witnessed to or how many meals he served at the church food pantry). He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous.

Let me just reiterate that:

BECAUSE OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH, GOD COUNTED HIM AS RIGHTEOUS.

Just in case you missed that.

And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in Him, the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Holy cow. I don't think I've had my mind blown like that before. At least not in a very long time.

I get it. After years of wondering, "Wow, am I doing this whole 'Christian' thing right? What if I haven't been saved this whole time and am actually one of the Pharisees that I despise so much? Or what if I used to be saved, but after years of humanity build-up and not doing my devotions before bed and shameless chapel-skipping and nixing church to do homework (or laundry - Sunday morning is typically the best time to do laundry on a religious campus) I'm not as saved as I thought I was" - ALL OF THAT WONDERING IS FINISHED. The confines of religion (which I've been shedding for the past few years, if you've been following me for a while), the rules of the Old Covenant that were designed to show us that we can't be up to God's standards on our own (do you realize that THAT was the point of the Ten Commandments? Nobody can do all of those things! AND THAT'S THE POINT - we need Someone else to cover our gaps and make us whole before God), the to-do list that I thought came with being a "Christian" - ALL OF THAT IS GONE.

We sing this song at my church all the time that starts, "What does it mean to be saved?" And I know the answer now. It means to believe in God's promises. And don't worry if you don't see the fulfillment of those promises. Abraham didn't live long enough to see all of his descendants - for crying out loud, he was over one hundred years old when his first child was born! You don't have to see them fulfilled: that's not the point. The point is that you believe.

I can't remember if I posted about this before, but my favorite "Bible character" is Gideon. If you look at his story, it's nothing but doubt and hesitation and asking for proof. "Well, if you're really God...How can I do this, I'm too weak...if You're really going to help me..." But he wasn't just the guy who got in the wrong line when God was asking for volunteers and accidentally saved Israel from her captors - God went directly to someone who was scared, mistrusting, and slow to obey, and He used him in the salvation of His people.

You can be scared. You can be hesitant. But you must believe that your God will do what He said He would. And you must act accordingly.

Oh, that's one more thing that I wanted to point out. There's a worship song that talks about "the joy of my salvation." Have you ever thought about salvation as "joyful?" So many times I picture Christians as stoic, cold, and unlikely to express joy over anything lest it be something unwholesome. Or you get the people who are broken during a worship service and on the ground in tears as they contemplate the incredible price of their souls that was paid. But when was the last time you were actually moved to happy tears by the price that was paid for you? When was the last time that such a revelation made you dance, play your elation out on an instrument, listen to your heart singing over what your God has done?

Just a thought.

These are the things that keep me awake at night. If you ask me how I am and I said "tired"....that will make more sense to you now.

Happy New Year, charming start to the new semester, stay warm in the cold night air (listening to "Bam Bam" by King Charles and that phrase just played, couldn't help but put it in).