Raw, unfiltered, nothing artificial.
It’s more than a healthy way of life, it’s getting down to the basics of what our relationship with God is all about. So often we complicate things far beyond what is necessary, adding endless traditions and rituals to our faith. Our lives hold so much more purpose than following arbitrary rules set up by religion. Raw grace is about taking a look at what God’s grace is all about and what it actually means to us on a daily basis.
This is a series of posts examining how the gospel has impacted my life and what I’ve learned about grace over the past year. Grace that is simple, but powerful. The same way changing your eating habits after a lifetime of unhealthy living is difficult, stripping away the artificial aspects of religion can be hard at first. But once you’ve tasted the freedom of Christ, nothing else will do.
Love, Grace and Forgiveness
One of the most powerful reminders I’ve had over the past year is of the completeness of God’s forgiveness. It’s a common lie – you’re not good enough. You’ve messed up too many times. You’ll never get it right. If you don’t stop, if you don’t start, then God’s forgiveness isn’t enough for you. How often do you feel completely unworthy of God’s love? Good. Because you are unworthy. The truth is, nothing you do, even in your best efforts, would ever make you worthy of God’s love. But it doesn’t stop there. When Jesus died for you, he took away your sin completely – and not just some of your sin – all of it. He made you worthy.
When we buy into the lie that we have to earn back God’s love we short-change the power of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. It leads to depression, frustration, and an endless cycle of effort as we struggle to stop sinning and “get right with God”. Sometimes you just have to STOP. Take a step back and realize your sin is gone. Gone. Past, present and future. Take a moment to let that sink in. Instead of fighting against sin to be right with God, recognize that it’s Jesus alone who makes you right with God – no matter what sin you struggle with.
To defeat sin requires the power of the Holy Spirit, and as a Christian you already have that power. Instead of avoiding sin in order to be right with God, avoid sin so that you live a life worthy of the forgiveness God has already given you. That’s raw grace. Religion says you need to clean up your life before you come back to God. Grace says, no… God has already cleaned you.