No Strings Attached

I recently finished a group of classes at my church to initiate me as a member into the church. During one of the classes, a lady I had become friends with asked me to pray for her friend Karen. She said that Karen had started the classes, but hadn’t realized that baptism was necessary to become a member. Apparently, Karen had never been baptized before and did not want to now because she felt unworthy; she felt too unclean to be recognized and cleansed by God. While I admire Karen’s humility, I realize that she is missing the entire point of baptism. We don’t deserve God’s love. We don’t deserve to be recognized by Him and we certainly don’t deserve to be forgiven, cleansed, and allowed to enter His presence. But that’s what grace is all about!

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

but let’s not forget the best news…

and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus! – Romans 3:23

Karen is absolutely right. She doesn’t deserve to be cleansed. Neither do I. Neither do you. But when we turn to Him, God chooses to cleanse us anyways. In fact, He chose us before the creation of the world to be “holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:4). This is nothing we could ever earn or merit. His grace is freely given!

Yet, as I think about Karen’s hesitation, I realize that she’s not the only one to reject God’s gift; I am guilty of the same crime. So often, I live as though I am trying to earn God’s grace. I know that I have salvation and that His work has already set me free, but I live as though I am afraid I will lose it.

Grace is totally alien to human psychology. We want to get our house in order and then let God love and accept us. The psychology of works-righteousness and self-certification is foundational to the human psyche and totally at odds with grace. -*Benner p46.

The idea of receiving salvation without earning it is completely foreign to us. How strange that we should receive something we did not work for? I think society has taught us to take pride-of-ownership of the things we have worked for; we have been taught that the more we do, the more we deserve. As a result, when we receive salvation freely, things just don’t seem right. It often seems like that salvation will be taken away or that we are guilty of taking something that is not rightfully ours. But that’s just it; salvation/grace is NOT rightfully ours and we could never deserve it, yet it is ours wholly and completely.

I cannot feel the love of God because I do not dare to accept it unconditionally. To know that I am loved, I must accept the frightening helplessness and vulnerability that is my true state. This is always terrifying. -*Benner p78.

Accepting God’s grace requires an act of surrender. Because I don’t deserve His grace, I must realize that I can offer nothing to the deal. I am a wretched sinner. I do not deserve to be seen as holy and blameless. In order for me to accept God’s grace and salvation, I must abandon my ego, my accomplishments, my abilities… they all add up to nothing apart from Him. I cannot realize the grandeur of grace unless I first stop trying to please God and start allowing Him to love me even in my failures and weaknesses. God is not only going to love the cleanest and strongest parts of my life; He loves all of me because of His grace that is freely given.

Perfect Love meets me where I am and asks only that I open my heart and receive the love for which I long. -*Benner p46.

God’s grace is a free gift. Neither you, nor I, nor Karen can ever be clean enough or do enough to earn it. But through His sacrifice and unconditional love, salvation is freely ours for the taking--no strings attached. And for some people, maybe a lot of us, that "no strings attached" idea will take some getting used to. In fact, it will involve a complete surrender and abandonment of ourselves and what we have done to realize that it all comes from Him. That's what Christ's death and resurrection are all about! That's why we celebrate this Easter season!

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. –Ephesians 1:4-6

HAPPY EASTER!

*Benner, David G. Surrender to Love