Sometimes I feel like we’ve made Christianity into a mine field.
Step here, but not here or you’ll get blown to smithereens. Walk this path, but not this one or you’ll lose a foot. Watch out for that spot or…oops, you got too close. If you had only understood that a little better…if you had only seen this a little clearer…if you had only…
It seems strange to me that the more I grow in comprehending my Maker and His work of sanctification in me, the more I become aware of just how truly wretched we are and how far we fell from grace... and just how hopeless mankind is without Christ in us… and that if God doesn’t do the work in us, it will never get done. For all intents and purposes, sanctification seems to be me growing in appreciation of the sheer magnitude and value of God’s grace.
I went from living in constant fear of sinning, of making a mistake, of getting it wrong, to coming face to face with the fact that my faith in Christ includes my faith that the Holy Spirit is fully capable of performing God’s sanctifying work in me despite myself. I went from being oblivious to sin, to conviction of sin, to obsession with the realization that sin is everywhere in everything, and found myself crying out to God all over again…”Save me!”
Beloved, Christianity is not a mine field. Christianity is trust in Jesus Christ as the Son Who came to take away the sin of the world. The One Who came to call us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Christianity is the good news of the gospel which announces that unto us a Son has been given, unto us a child was born—God manifested in the flesh to bear the cost of our crimes and the burden of our iniquity. He is our wisdom and our salvation. He is the Light of the world and the Lamb Who was slain…
“And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6,7)
And that is truly something to celebrate.
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