FREE TO BE A LIFE-GIVER
25/11/24 08:17
I have known people to resist grace, because they are fixated on their own measures to earn it – usually by some form of good works that their head insists holds them in good stead before God. This is why Kingdom peace and fruitfulness begins from the Mary position and not from the Martha position.
FREE TO BE A LIFE-GIVER
The beauty of our living in non-confected grace* is that we are free of self to be the life-giving self that we are when incarnated with Jesus. Jesus as the Bread of Life gives us spirit and life as well as food.
RESISTANCE
Radcliff, following Torrance writes, “Without any doubt the gospel of unconditional grace is very difficult for us, for it is so costly. It takes away from under our feet the very ground on which we want to stand, and the free will which we as human beings cherish so dearly becomes exposed as a subtle form of self-will—no one is free to escape from his self-will. It is the costliness of unconditional grace that people resent.” (1) That’s the offence of the cross – that all spirit and life comes from Jesus who put us to death in Himself so that we can live true life. “It is this message of the unconditional grace and vicarious humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ that people have often told me that they have found the healing and liberation that they never thought possible.” (2)
DO NOTHING
There is a living way of being a true self and helping others to live the life that it theirs in Christ. This way makes us Kingdom Multipliers as well as charity workers. In this mode of Christ as us we are alive in the Spirit of God – not dead folks working. Radcliff cites this example, “..He was ministering to a man who was trying and failing to work up enough faith and repentance in order to receive salvation. [he] said to him, “What you have to learn is to do nothing at all! . . . When Christ said on the cross ‘It is finished,’ he was saying ‘I have done everything for your salvation. There is nothing left for you to do. Your salvation is complete and assured. The only thing left for you to do is simply to say Thank You! And then go on saying Thank You!’”.. The good news of God’s claiming of humanity in Christ liberated this man from his own efforts so that he could freely and joyfully offer himself back to God.” (3)
DEAD ACTIVISTS
Unfortunately, many Christian activists are not alive in their spirit.
Real grace is not a cop-out. It makes us alive in the Spirit of God as life-giving daughters/sons who multiply spirit and life in all their ministry to others. In this mode all we need to do it to be ourselves in Christ who has come in our flesh. And we are also set free from irritating others with the assumption that God wants everyone else to do what He means us to be doing. In this way ‘mission’ is not just a plan adopted by a church. It is the spirit/life of God flowing from the throne room into you and us as an agent of Jesus’ spirit and life.
*Made from a formula that we can manage ourselves.
(1) Radcliff, Alexandra S.. The Claim of Humanity in Christ: Salvation and Sanctification in the Theology of T. F. and J. B. Torrance (Princeton Theological Monograph Series Book 222) (p. 5). Pickwick Publications, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Op cit.
FREE TO BE A LIFE-GIVER
The beauty of our living in non-confected grace* is that we are free of self to be the life-giving self that we are when incarnated with Jesus. Jesus as the Bread of Life gives us spirit and life as well as food.
RESISTANCE
Radcliff, following Torrance writes, “Without any doubt the gospel of unconditional grace is very difficult for us, for it is so costly. It takes away from under our feet the very ground on which we want to stand, and the free will which we as human beings cherish so dearly becomes exposed as a subtle form of self-will—no one is free to escape from his self-will. It is the costliness of unconditional grace that people resent.” (1) That’s the offence of the cross – that all spirit and life comes from Jesus who put us to death in Himself so that we can live true life. “It is this message of the unconditional grace and vicarious humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ that people have often told me that they have found the healing and liberation that they never thought possible.” (2)
DO NOTHING
There is a living way of being a true self and helping others to live the life that it theirs in Christ. This way makes us Kingdom Multipliers as well as charity workers. In this mode of Christ as us we are alive in the Spirit of God – not dead folks working. Radcliff cites this example, “..He was ministering to a man who was trying and failing to work up enough faith and repentance in order to receive salvation. [he] said to him, “What you have to learn is to do nothing at all! . . . When Christ said on the cross ‘It is finished,’ he was saying ‘I have done everything for your salvation. There is nothing left for you to do. Your salvation is complete and assured. The only thing left for you to do is simply to say Thank You! And then go on saying Thank You!’”.. The good news of God’s claiming of humanity in Christ liberated this man from his own efforts so that he could freely and joyfully offer himself back to God.” (3)
DEAD ACTIVISTS
Unfortunately, many Christian activists are not alive in their spirit.
Real grace is not a cop-out. It makes us alive in the Spirit of God as life-giving daughters/sons who multiply spirit and life in all their ministry to others. In this mode all we need to do it to be ourselves in Christ who has come in our flesh. And we are also set free from irritating others with the assumption that God wants everyone else to do what He means us to be doing. In this way ‘mission’ is not just a plan adopted by a church. It is the spirit/life of God flowing from the throne room into you and us as an agent of Jesus’ spirit and life.
*Made from a formula that we can manage ourselves.
(1) Radcliff, Alexandra S.. The Claim of Humanity in Christ: Salvation and Sanctification in the Theology of T. F. and J. B. Torrance (Princeton Theological Monograph Series Book 222) (p. 5). Pickwick Publications, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Op cit.
