THE POWER OF UNMERITED FAVOR TO CHANGE A MIND

A few years ago a young Christian man used to stop in Oasis often on his lunch break. One day he came in angry and announced that there was no hope for a certain named person. I asked him what made him say that, and he told me the story. He said that he and the other man played together on a Christian softball team and they had gotten into an argument. The other man had picked up a baseball bat and threatened him with it. From that point the conversations reflected the following. See if you can relate.

Me: What he did to you was really sinful.
Brother: No need to tell me.
Me: Is he a Christian?
Brother: Yeah.
Me: Has God forgiven him for all his sins?
Brother: Of course.
Me: Is God counting his sins?
Brother: No
Me: Then why are you mad?
Brother: I am counting.

At this point the conversation changed and the brother relaxed realizing that his problem was that he had forgotten how God viewed the other Christian. Also he admitted that he had been angry in the argument. We rejoice together in what Christ had done for us all and he said that he would call the brother that night and admit his wrong even if the other brother didn't. The next day he came back and said that when he called the brother, the brother was in tears confessing his own sins. The rest of the story is that these two men became fast friends. Grace is powerful.

Unmerited favor takes what seems a hopeless relationship and fills it with hope of the gospel, not of personal performance. But it is not automatic. It requires remembering the freedom Christ has given in His work on the cross and understanding what that all means. Do you have any troubled relationships with Christians? Talk to God about it and tell Him how bad the other person's behavior is. Don't minimize it--maximize it. Tell Him that the person deserves hell for that sin. Thank Him for the cross freeing that person from what he deserves: from all condemnation, guilt, shame, and score keeping. Maybe even thank Him for smiling down on that other person who troubles you so much. Try it and see what happens. You might find you actually like that person. Miracles do happen.

SEEING RIGHT-SIDE UP: GRACE FOR OTHER PEOPLE

Unmerited Favor for You

If you are a Christian then you have been saved by grace (unmerited favor) through faith without any personal works. Does that make your heart sing? As a Christian you now have a relationship with God based on unmerited favor. That ought to make your heart sing, too.

Satan is Real and a Liar

Do you believe that Satan is real? I do. I think that his big lie is all about persuading and deceiving me to think that there is somehow still some merit that I need to bring to my relationship with God. I consider that to be a lie and keep alert for it, but freely admit that I have swallowed it more times than I realize. How about you? Do you agree that it is a lie? Are you alert to avoid buying it? Have you like me been tricked at times?

The Big Identity Change

I became a Christian 37 years ago. Like everyone else, I started life with an identity under the elementary principles of the world (Galatians 4:3), under the merit system of my conscience, under the law. My conscience told me to always do the right thing. I didn't; I made excuses; I blamed others; I tried to feel good about myself by comparing myself to others; I became rather proficient at looking down on others; and I saw Jesus as a lawgiver who needed to be obeyed or placated in order to obtain forgiveness from him. Can you relate to my experience? One day a Christian knocked on my door at university and told me that forgiveness was a free gift paid for by the death of Christ and offered to helpless sinners. I couldn't believe my ears. That guy was really wrong and I told him so. "You have to be good to get forgiveness, and if I am not good enough then the line behind me is really long." I laugh at that statement now as it seems rather self-righteous, but on that day I was dead serious about it. I had quit a Protestant church and become an agnostic, but still my mind and my identity were all about merit. I resisted that guy, but went with him and his friends to Bible study and church for months to prove to myself that religion was a waste of time. But they were clean cut like I was, and they liked me, in spite of my very self-righteous attitude. I was intrigued. Watching them and reading the words of Jesus for myself for the first time slowly sensitized me to the truth that Jesus is a grace-giver, not a law-giver, and won't cheapen perfection for anyone. It is like I woke up one day rejoicing that forgiveness was a gift and I had it. My identity suddenly changed; one day I was under a relationship of merit with God and life, and the next day I knew that I was free in Christ from God requiring merit from me. My testimony of God changed from one of merited favor to unmerited favor. 

The reason my testimony changed is that my identity changed. In 37 years I have never had the thought that merit was required to be with God forever. But before I was a Christian I never had the thought that such was unmerited. I have asked Mormon students if they could remember the last time that they told someone that full exaltation (being forever with God) was a free gift that didn't require any personal works. As I have pushed them to try harder to remember, they have replied in this vain: "Why would I say that since I have never even had the thought that it was free." Their testimony is merited favor because their identity is merited favor. Which is your testimony?

The Surprise of Grace as Community

When I became a Christian, my identity changed. This was personal but it was not merely personal. In the universe there are two identities as Romans 6:14 declares, "For sin shall not have dominion over you because you are not under law [merited favor] but under grace [unmerited favor]." Because of the way God created the universe, every person is born in the world under the authority of law; doing good is obligatory to avoid judgement; and favor is merited. At the creation of the universe unmerited favor existed in the heart of God but did not exist in the created universe--not until Jesus died on the cross. The conscience knew about unmerited favor but had no authority to grant it. Until the cross God had passed over sin, He had not technically forgiven it yet. (See Romans 3:25) The substitutionary death of Christ opened the door to unmerited favor, to redemption from law, which is the forgiveness of sins. (See Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14) Fifty days later at Pentecost, God poured out His promised Spirit of righteousness on Israel, freeing it from the Old Covenant of pure merited favor and giving it the New Covenant of pure unmerited favor. Sins and transgressions would be remembered no more by God. A new community was born within the old and all in Israel were commanded to change their minds, abandon confidence in merited favor, and enter this new community of the authority of unmerited favor. Then the Samaritans were welcomed in, (See Acts 8) and finally the Gentiles were welcomed in. (See Acts 10) God intended this new community to fill the whole earth. All are born in the world, and all are called, invited, commanded, and welcomed to turn from merited favor and come into the Community of grace, of unmerited favor. 

Unmerited Favor For All Other People

Do you see these two communities and their authority--the world (merited favor) and the New Covenant gathering (unmerited favor)? Every individual is in the world, but those who God has adopted into His royal family have entered the community of unmerited favor and are not of the world because they are dead to merit with God. Satan and the world hate this new community of freedom from merit, but God delights in it as it is His community built on His love and His righteousness alone. As you relate to the people around you, do you seek to notice the identity of each and relate to each based on their identity? Or do you tend to view people based on their behavior? Are you attracted to broken people as Jesus was, longing to show them the door into the community of grace? Do you see each of those still trapped under the authority of merit as hopeless no matter how much they improve? Do you see them all--the most evil ones even--as invited into the celebration of unmerited favor? You may say that you see identity clearly, but let me offer a test of your optimism. 


Jesus saw people perfectly through their identity. He was never distracted. He saw evil behavior but always saw it in light of identity. So when He was hanging on the cross naked and in great pain, He cried out to the Father for the Father to free His persecutors from their guilt by giving it all to Him: "Father forgive them, give me all their shame and guilt." So when a fellow saint--one delighted in by God, free from all shame and guilt, and free from the pressure of merit--mistreats you in some way, what is your reaction? Have you thanked the Father for the privilege you have of carrying that burden for the other person? Think over the past years and seek to remember times of great betrayal, pain, abuse, criticism, or financial deception you suffered at the hands of another Christian. How did you respond? Did you see that person as free from the pressure of merit while he was mistreating you? If so, do you think that violator sensed a warm welcome from you to a closer relationship? Did you give that violator a piece of your mind or did you give him the peace of the cross? Contact me, give me the name of the person who badly hurt you, and let me ask that person if he felt a warm welcome from you while he was criticizing you. What do you think he will say? If you gave him a warm welcome while he was criticizing you, then he will remember it--at least in general. Why? It is very rare among us Christians to welcome criticism gladly. If you did it, it will be note worthy. Let's stop pretending and admit that good behavior on the part of other Christians is what we really care about.  

Thinking of Real Life Brings Understanding

My friend John and I talk much seeking to stir each other to understand grace more clearly. It is a great blessing. He and I had a conversation last summer that reflects the following. 

John:  Brad, I know that God always smiles on me even in the middle of me being an idiot and not treating others kindly.  When my attitude is awful and my action towards others is hurtful God still looks fondly upon me.   Even through all my badness God still likes me.  The work of Jesus on the cross is all I need for God to be pleased with me.

Brad: I am glad that is true for you and me, for your wife and mine, for your children and mine, as well as for all other Christians.

John:  As hard as it is to understand I am learning to see the truth of it and usually only get depressed when I fail and in the middle of my failure forget what Christ did for me.  It is sometimes easy to forget that even at my worst God always likes me because of His Son. The really hard part for me is seeing how it works for others who are unkind to me.  I know this sounds hypocritical, but when someone sins against me I really want God to avenge.

Brad: Don't all Christians have the same grace relationship with God that you have?

John: Of course they do, but how do I see that for them when they are mistreating me?

Brad: So while you are upset at your wife and speaking rudely to her, are you totally free and God is smiling on you and likes you?

John: Yep.

Brad: The same applies to other people. Let's say you do something wrong and your wife gets really upset with you and not only speaks rudely to you, but in revenge donates your expensive golf clubs to the thrift store. She has done a terrible thing, but while she was doing all that to you God was smiling on her and likes her all because of Christ.

John:  I understand it, but that it doesn’t mean it’s easy. I’m forgetful. However, remembering this one thing would be a game changer. It would mean never getting upset with anyone again.   

Do You Want to See Grace for Others?

If you say that you want to get a vision of grace for other people then I would suggest that you talk to God about it. Be honest in your conversation and even humorously so, if needed. God can handle honest conversation. Start where you are not where you think God wants you to be. Tell God things like:

• God what I really want is for other people to behave properly and stop making my life difficult.
• God, you want them to remember what Jesus did for them so that they will change and do good things out of thankfulness. 
• But God I don't want to wait. I am tired of carrying burdens for lazy Christians. I want them to change now.
• I am glad that you have forgiven me freely and completely because of the cross, but salvation changes people and that Christian (name him or her) isn't serious about changing.
• God, you call me to rejoice always, but do you really mean for me to rejoice while other Christians are mistreating me?
• God, you do tell me to do everything without complaining, but certainly that does't apply when I feel hurt by other Christians, does it? 
• God, you do tell me to give thanks always, but you don't know how frustrating my wife and children can be at times.
• God I am really angry that my husband gives me almost no tenderness and understanding. He treats me like his servant. He is making my life miserable. He says that he is a Christian, and so why don't you fix him? 
• God, don't you realize that M_____ keeps hurting me and deserves a piece of my mind?
• God, I am not as bad a Christian as M_____, at least I am trying to do right. Of course compared to Jesus we are both failures, but do you really want me to think so negatively?
• God, thank you for not giving me what I deserve, but giving all my guilt, shame, and condemnation to Christ. Thank you that the finished work of Christ is all I need for life. Thank you that all the Christians, especially M_____, who hurt me are completely free from condemnation, even while they are hurting me. Thank you for rejoicing over me with singing and for rejoicing in song over those who bother me.  Thank you that you really like those Christians who hurt me and even like them as much as you like me. Thank you that even though M_____ can't stand me, you fully welcome him in Christ. Thank you that Jesus was glad to carry all M____'s sin. Thank you for giving me the privilege of knowing M____ and carrying all the burdens M_____ chooses to give me. Help me remind him of how much you love him. Thank your for making all my troubles, afflictions, weaknesses, and critics to be a blessing to me. Please bring them to me whenever you think I need them. Thank you for being a tender Father and for bringing into my life only what is good for me and brings you glory. Thank you for adopting us all into your royal family and promising never to cast us out. Thank you for putting me with all the saints in your kingdom of unmerited favor where we all are free from all condemnation and all have all the treasures of heaven.

Make your prayers practical about other Christians (name them individually) you perceive to be troubling you and watch your heart open toward them. You might begin to like and enjoy them while they are mistreating you. You might even feel compassion toward them for the pain they are feeling for forgetting the cross--a forgetfulness that is the cause of their mistreatment of you. You might begin to notice their failings as God does--as hell-deserving--and notice them as God does--as righteous in Christ, fully covered by the blood, and a source of joy. Wouldn't that be a novel way to think? 

THE SURPRISE IN SEEING GRACE AS UNMERITED FAVOR

Are you a Christian? If you are, then likely you rejoice that you were and are saved by grace. You likely have heard preachers explain that grace is unmerited favor. Thus every Christian has a relationship with God based on unmerited favor.

But what exactly is unmerited favor? Having favor with another person means to have a relationship where there is peace and harmony and no walls keeping you at a distance. You are welcome into the heart of the other person. If that favor is unmerited then there are no performance rules that you have to keep to fully experience that favor. Unmerited favor is a gift from one person to another. This is what separates Christianity from all other religions--unmerited favor. 

Lies, Lies, Lies

I suggest that Satan is real and that there is a good reason why Jesus called him the father of lies. The world is full of lies that are intended to destroy, hinder, suppress, or mock good relationships between people and between a person and God. One of those lies is about unmerited favor. I would like to test to see if you ever buy that lie as I sometimes do.

The Blessing of Living in a Culture of Pure Merit

The culture where I live is a wonderful place to see the nuances of what it means to be a Christian. The nuances of the lies are more visible too. In my area of Utah about 90% of the Anglos identify as Mormons and say that they are Christians. They strongly emphasize being kind and generous to neighbors, helping the poor, forgiving those who wrong them, and seeking to be humble. But something is missing in my Mormon culture: unmerited favor. Mormonism teaches that all favor is merited--that is what life is about. They call life on earth a time of probation. Probation is always about merit. When I witness to Mormons I explain that God loved the world and sent his son to die on the cross to offer a relationship with him of unmerited favor. When they get the meaning of my words, they are surprised and disagree saying things like: "There is no free lunch," "You have to be accountable for your actions," "We are here on earth to learn to do what is right," or "Why do anything good then." One old man put it best: "You do the crime, you do the time." Mormons do use the word grace frequently but mean by it God's kind second chance and help to do what is right. They say that doing the right thing is necessary to avoid the consequences. They often volunteer that their hope includes another chance in the next life to stop sinning. This is pure merited favor. It is a heavy burden. The lie is that if God or I speak kindly, give more chances, but also require merit, then it is grace. The lie about relationships happens when merit is mixed into the equation or when unmerited favor is left out.

The Fruit of Merit Thinking

How the merit system plays out in my culture is where the lie hits home. See if you can relate to  any of following. It may be a bit uncomfortable. Since I am not a Mormon and because of my approach in witnessing, Mormons seem to easily tell me their problems. I have had many hundred Mormons tell me one by one what they don't like about other Mormons, or about how they have been hurt by other Mormons (family, friends, neighbors, or people from church). I listen, waiting for a door for the gospel, which nearly always appears. Often the door is almost too big to miss. They never tell me that the problem with the other Mormons is that they are too forgiving, too loving, too kind, too generous, or too humble. What they tell me is that the other person has not merited forgiveness, or friendship, or a smile, or a kind word. The list goes on. Parents tell me of how their children are so frustrating or disappointing. Teenagers and university students tell me how they hate their parents attempts to manipulate their behavior. What is really common is for them to tell me that what really bothers them is pride and judgmentalism of "all the other Mormons." How do they know all the other Mormons? It is common to hear things like, "When that person apologizes or really changes then I will forgive him." "He doesn't deserve my forgiveness." "There is no hope for that person for what she did." "At least I am not as bad as that person." "He is such a disappointment." Do you hear the constant chant of: merit, merit, merit and the brokenness of the relationships caused by keeping score of merit?

Unmerited Favor and You

You and every other Christian you know has a relationship with God of unmerited favor that is free from the pressure of merit. Do you agree? If it is not true then we all are in big trouble. Now let's evaluate. When another Christian wrong's you how do you respond? Do you delight that God is not keeping score for that person because of Jesus? Do you draw near that person to comfort her in her failure as she might have forgotten how much God loves her and have moved into the lie of self-condemnation? Do you freely accept the blame that you don't deserve, as Jesus did, and remind the person of how glad you are to be together with her in God's unmerited favor? When your spouse sins against you are you glad to be married to that person and have the privilege of working together through that difficulty? Or do you feel disappointed with the failures of others, especially if against you? Is it hard for you to forgive others because you aren't sure that they are sorry or wanting to change? When people repeatedly fail, neglect or hurt you do feel frustrated, disappointed, or angry? When others hurt you do you tend to feel cold and distance yourself from them? Do you get frustrated or disappointed with your children? Are you afraid that your children will make you look bad in public? Are you afraid to be seen around the wrong kind of people? Are you glad to get away from pushy or complaining Christians? Do you worry about what people think of you at church? Do you tip at restaurants based on how good the service is? Are you quick to complain about bad service or the failures of others? Do you get angry, frustrated, disappointed, or depressed about your own failures? All the actions above are symptoms of a choice you made in the moment. If you have unmerited favor and zero merit in the equation with another person, then you can't possibly feel disappointed, frustrated, angry, cold, unforgiving, bitter, distant, or worried over the failures of others. It is impossible. You can lie to yourself and tell yourself that I am wrong, but if you aren't keeping score with that person, then there is no bad score to keep and thus no bad score to worry about. Do you get it? By the way, the only good score is perfection. By that I am a failure. How about you? I am so glad that my score is Jesus.

God is the Only Good Scorekeeper

The reason you feel horrible about the other person's sin against you is because you have usurped God job as scorekeeper. No person has a right to be the scorekeeper of others. Our job is to always notice how God is keeping score. God is always delighting in that Christian who hurt you. If you have unmerited favor in the equation, and no merit, then Jesus' death is always in view in the equation and you will always be looking over God's shoulder at His scorecard and will not only be at peace with what you see but you will share in God's delight--even while you are being sinned against. We all are together on that same scorecard as dearly loved and free from merit-measuring by the merit of Christ on the cross. When a person sins against you and you are looking at God's scorecard, then you will rejoice in the blood of Christ that has freed that person from all condemnation. In all honesty, all your misery about relationships is cause by you complaining to God about the way he keeps score. It is true for me, too. I have a low tolerance for misery and seek to always keep my eye on God's scorecard no matter what happens in life. 

The Big Lie

The big lie is that unmerited favor is the door into a good relationship with God but that after that at least some merit is required to maintain the relationship--or to keep God happy, to put it more crudely. If God is ever disappointed with you as a Christian then He still has a merit relationship with you as a person. Of course your bad behavior is evil, and of course God notices it. But you are not your behavior. This is a careful distinction to make in order to thrive in relationships and to avoid ruining them. I am glad that all Christians are always in our identity even when we forget it, even when we are asleep, and even if we get dementia in old age. Do you see yourself in your identity of having a relationship of pure unmerited favor with God? Do you see your behavior as separate from your identity? Bad behavior simply results from looking away from God's scorecard. Practice thinking this way about yourself and then begin thinking it about all the Christians you know--especially the most obnoxious ones--and you may be surprised at how much you enjoy other Christians even while they are sinning against you.

ARE YOU A GOOD CHRISTIAN?

What would you think if you overheard a friend tell someone that you were not a good Christian? Of course if you claimed to be an atheist, Muslim, or Buddhist you would not in the least disagree, though you might wonder about the motive for such a confused statement. But let's assume that you see yourself as a Christian. In that case, what would you think of those words? Would you think them to be judgmental or hypocritical? Might you feel a bit offended? Now let's say that the next day you overheard another friend talking about you, and that person said that you were a good Christian. How would you respond to those words? Let's evaluate more closely.

The Surprise in a Good Question

Are you a good Christian? There are only two possible answers. If you are not a Christian at all then the answer is obvious. But if you are a Christian, then what does it take to be a good one? I live in a part of Utah which may be the friendliest and most expressively religious part of the USA. Ninety percent of the people claim a heritage with the Mormon Church and all of them now claim to be Christians. Outsiders may say that they are not, but they claim to be. I discuss religious matters with hundreds of Mormons annually and commonly inquire whether they consider themselves to be good. Nearly all Mormons tell me that they see themselves as good. I always ask curiously how they come to that conclusion. They then always explain that they simply compare themselves to other people. One USU student said that she was good compared to everyone else. When I then ask how they would do if compared to Jesus, all stop smiling and say they would not be good. The conversation usually turns humorous at this point as they all declare that it is not good to compare oneself to others, but that we all do it. They are often surprised that they think it good to compare oneself to Jesus. They also say that they don't like people looking down on them but freely do it to others to feel good about themselves. Do you see the quandary this puts us all in?

Now back to our question. If we honor what my Mormon acquaintances tell me, then it is never good to compare myself to you, my wife, or any other Christian to determine if I am a good one. The Apostle Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 10:12 that it is not good to compare myself to my past performance. Now compared to Jesus I am a failure. How about you? Thus no one is a good Christian if being a good Christian is based on right behavior. But what does God see when He sees a Christian? Certainly He notices our behavior. But when He sees me as a person He sees me in Christ as dead to law--as dead to my old identity under the obligation to always do what was right. My righteousness was corrupt, lawless, and sinful. Christ took my righteousness, my identity as a law breaker, and gave me His identity as a righteous son. Because of the cross He could do this. It is a real identity exchange; it not an illusion. It is not just God checking a box in heaven and then continuing to relate to me like I am still in my old identity as unrighteous under law. I really am always in Christ and thus am always in a right relationship with God. God sees me as being as righteous as He sees Christ because Christ is my righteousness. This means that my behavior is not my righteousness. 

Identity or Behavior?

So in God's judgment--which is the only one that really matters--I am always righteous and He always smiles on me because of Christ, even at my worst. This implies that God always sees me as a good Christian because of Jesus. Thus to be a Christian is to be a good Christian--to be filled with all goodness as Paul says in Romans 15:14. This is true for you if you are a Christian. Our question reveals how much we are gripped with seeing ourselves and all other people through behavior. Behavior is important, but it needs to be kept in perspective. A non-Christian who works hard and stops most of his sins is still trapped in his identity under law under God's good reaction against all evil. I live surrounded by some really nice people who hate the gift of righteousness with a passion. They are in big trouble with God if they don't swap identities with Christ. It is important for us saints to take seriously our role as God's ambassadors of reconciliation to these nice lost people. The behavior of Christians also concerns God. He cares so much about it that he has made our good behavior the work of His Spirit. I suggest that the Spirit always points every saint to the person and work of Christ--to perfect love and righteousness as a gift--and when we hear the voice of the Spirit and keep our minds set there, then the fruit of the Spirit flows out effortlessly to everyone we meet. This sounds like good behavior to me. God worked at the cross, and when we remember the meaning of that work, then we work God's way.

Identity, identity, identity. Right thinking leads to right action.

The answer to our original question depends on whether you are thinking of behavior or identity. God thinks in terms of identity. Which will you think in terms of? It is critical to learn to think and speak clearly so that God gets the glory and we don't quench the work of the Spirit. I suggest that you start by pondering the meaning of your identity as fully righteous in Christ, then begin thinking about how that identity applies to all the Christians you know, and finally ponder how it applies to all the non-Christians you know. Especially apply this to the obnoxious people you know--non-Christians, Christians, and yourself.

WHERE IS YOUR SECURITY?

"For in Him [Christ] all the fullness of Diety dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;" -Colossians 2:9-10

Every true Christian is complete in Christ, which means that they lack nothing and nothing can shake their identity in Christ. And since Christ is above all other authority, no authority can take away from that completeness. Neglect, misunderstanding, slander, mistreatment, or worse by anyone else cannot shake that completeness. True? Why then is it so common for us Christians to get impatient, offended, proud, angry, and worse with each other? Why this touchiness and defensiveness if my completeness has nothing to do with me or my critics? The whole issue is about setting your mind on Christ as your completeness. Every bad reaction you have is rooted in distraction, ignorance, or forgetfulness of your identity in Christ.

Are you persuaded that this is true? God loves you and delights to help you learn this lesson of love. All your critics and all your troubles are HIS messengers to help you notice and keep focused on your identity in Christ. The last time you were disagreed with, criticized, mocked, or neglected by a fellow Christian, did you embrace such as grace from God, giving Him thanks for your and your critic's completeness in Christ? Did your critic receive a warm saintly welcome from you and maybe even an invitation to expand on the criticism? Did you embrace such as a good opportunity for YOU to learn more about YOUR own weaknesses? Did you see God's smile of delight on that dear saint WHILE you were being mistreated? Or, did you think in terms of your own rights, and respond defensively? The truth about your completeness in Christ while you are being a jerk to others, is also true of others WHILE they are being jerks to you. True? If you thank God often that this is always true for all Christians, it will be more natural for you to remember it in the heat of the moment.

Practice remembering your security in Christ and watch your reactions change.

The Mark of a Christian is Love—But is Love a Noun or a Verb?

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13:35

How do you read this verse? Is a person revealed to be a Christian by his loving behavior? Compared to Jesus, I fail at this. How about you? In the Greek text, as in some English translations, the word love is a noun. Therefore every true Christian possesses a thing called love (agape). What is that thing? I would like to suggest that it is something like a new way of thinking or an imprint on the mind or heart. It is an attraction to righteousness as perfection. The scripture might call it the testimony of righteousness.

Every Christian has it and no non-Christian has it. The trick in identifying it is to get past Sunday School answers and sanctification jargon. While you are actively perceiving a person as righteous in Christ without personal works, does your heart sing or scowl? Non-Christians commonly tell me that they have never even had the thought that righteousness didn't require works. Since church people are commonly trained to appeal to sanctification for proof of justification, patience is needed to get below the surface to hear if a person is trusting in Christ alone for their justification with God.

Heavenly Love Flows From a Vision of Heavenly Love

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfections." 
-Colossians 3:12-15

The cross is the place where God's love triumphed over the powers of evil. The Father, in His pleasure, chose to send Christ to the Cross. Christ "desired us to be with Him where He is" and chose to lay His life down to "purify for Himself His own special people". When you think of the cross, do you see yourself as God sees you? Yes, your sin sent Christ to the cross. Yes, He is the total sacrifice for your sins. But is that all you see yourself as—a sinner saved by grace? The apostles frequently revealed that God's vision of you in Christ is far more glorious than that.

In the above passage, Paul declares through the Spirit, that if you are in Christ, then you are God's elect and therefore holy and dearly loved--not just loved but beloved or dearly loved. The Father loves you just as He loves the Son (John 17:23). Christ is all your holiness and righteousness (1Cor 1:30) and much more. At your "worst" as at your "best", the Father loves and see you this way. It is not about you. It is all about Him—His love, sanctification, and election of you in Christ. Notice in the above passage that God commands, and seems to simply expect, all of us saints to put on these beautiful qualities of kindness, patience, forgiveness, and love in all circumstances with all other saints no matter the mistreatment we receive. This may seem unrealistic to you. And it will, if you are looking at yourself, your past, your circumstances, or your abilities. But if you look at at God's love for you in Christ, you will see that same love toward all other saints around you, and your heart will overflow with His kindness, grace, forgiveness, and love. Such should be natural and effortless on our part. Paul said that he labored with all God's energy that mightily worked in him (Col 1:29). So what is our problem?

You are His beloved. Do you see that the Father's thoughts toward you are always ones of love, forgiveness and grace, no matter how much you fail or are misunderstood, mistreated or abused by other saints? And those saints who mistreat you, do you see that God's thoughts toward them are always ones of love, forgiveness and grace? Do you really see it? Or, have you forgotten? God's love is true and secure for all His children all the time. But we get to choose whether we see ourselves and other saints through eyes of God's love and grace or through eyes of human performance. God does not empower us to love when we choose the latter, but He does when we choose the former. Why do we fail to love? It is very simple, we have forgotten to see His love. Please don't misunderstand. This does not mean that you have stopped believing He loves you. You need to simply "fix your eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of your faith." Then God's love through you, to even the most obnoxious of saints, will be natural and effortless—though not necessarily painless. The effort should all be God's.

If natural and effortless love seems unreasonable to you, I would encourage you to begin thanking the Father often for the riches you already have in Christ. Let this soak in you mind. You may be surprised at how God will slowly change you without your effort. For a testimony of God's faithfulness to work in the life of a weak brother who began to give thanks, download freely and read Thankfulness and Confession at: http://ccmbooks.org/free-literature/

Next time I hope to write on the way to continual and effortless forgiveness, no matter the abuse.