How many times in your life have you faced situations that you were pretty sure you fumbled? How many circumstance where you felt that you failed, came up short, missed the mark, didn’t try hard enough, weren’t smart enough or some other failing?
And so often what is our response to these situations? Many times our reactions are riddled with guilt, shame and personal efforts seeking to undo our mistakes. But the accusations keep coming: “You really messed that up”, “If you had just…”
I want to share some hope with you today. In every area of your life: personal efforts, relationships, or whatever else, you and I will make mistakes. Our mistakes will be of our own finite mind; our mistakes will come because of our weaknesses, our limited sight/hearing/knowledge etc. However, in spite of our mistakes there is hope for the future, and there can be peace and continued assurance of salvation and the abiding presence of God in our lives.
Your and my righteousness is not based on how well we perform in this life. Our holiness is not dependent on our cleverness, intellect, wittiness, strength or anything we are able to do. Rather our righteousness and holiness are only a gift of God given by His grace. We are saved (forgiven, cleansed and filled with His Holy Spirit) by grace through faith and we are also kept by grace through faith.
This doesn’t let us off the hook regarding our efforts at doing what is best and good and most importantly the will of God, but our standing before God as a Christian does not change based on how perfectly we live. Contrary to the thoughts, words and ways of the world, your life as a religious person is not defined by all of your grand efforts and gestures of piety. NO, NO, NO! Our salvation is by the gift of God of His Son, the propitiation for our sins, provided and made possible completely by His grace. It is God’s unmerited favor that saves us, and it is His unmerited favor that keeps us. It is God’s rich mercy that forgives us of past sin, takes away our selfish desires, purifies our hearts and minds, fills us with His Holy, perfect Spirit of love and it is God’s unmerited favor that keeps us Christians, holy and righteous in His sight, in spit of our many amoral/unsinful mistakes.
When you mess up today or tomorrow, whether sinful deeds or amoral mistakes of our finitude, please give the situation and most importantly yourself unto God and let His grace and love surround you. He will remind you that He has chosen you, He is the one who has saved you, He is keeping you, and He has promised to deliver you from this life unto eternal life (in spite of our innumerable mistakes of both finitude and rebellion, and only/always by His grace!).
Praise God that we are saved and kept by grace through faith.
Pastor Michael Johnson 