Cary The Load...

I remember a time when I was moving a heavy piece of furniture with a few other men. It was a difficult task since we had to navigate through some tight corners. Also, the piece of furniture we were moving was awkward in size and extremely heavy. We groaned, grunted, and struggled, only as men do, as we attempted to move it. When we came to the doorway we had to shift places in order for everyone to fit through while we continued to carry the heavy load. I decided to go through the door first. I let go and quickly went through the doorway and I waited to once again help lift the furniture when it came through.

I had a bit of an epiphany when I let go. Even though I was lifting with all my might, as soon as I let go it didn’t seem to significantly affect the other guys who were still carrying the load. The other men didn’t seem to struggle more, and the item didn’t drop or even dip a little when I let go! I know I’m opening up myself to some fun comments here by sharing this story. I can just hear it now, “Pastor Pat you need to work out more!” While true, this is beside the point. I know I’m not the strongest man in the world, but I still thought I was helping carry the load. I was groaning, grunting, and struggling just like the other men. However, was I truly making a difference? Did the other men really need my help?

 I wonder how often we try to “help” God out by “carrying” something that God already stated in His Word that he would carry. For instance, consider Ephesians 1:13- 14 which states, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” The emphasis to our salvation is that of belief not works. We can do no work that adds anything to our salvation. Yet at times, in our flesh, we try to “carry the load” through good works instead of trusting in the Gospel itself. We need to remember that God has already carried the load of our salvation. Good works are a product of our trust in the security of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, and biblical truth coming alive in our hearts. We don’t try to do good things to earn our salvation, for God already secured that in us through our belief in the Gospel. Rather, good works are a product of a life transformed by the Gospel. May our security in the Gospel compel us to a life “worthy of our calling” (Eph. 4:1)!

More Than Simply a Spiritual Transaction

A central message of the Bible is that of restoration. No doubt, the world is marred by sin, and if God had not intervened then mankind would be left in a predicament of utter depravity. In other words, we’re messed up. And not just a little bit. At the very center of every human being is a depravity that is incredibly dark; in fact, there is no spiritual life for those apart from God. This does not mean that those who are not Christian are unable to do good things. What it does mean is that unless God works in the life of someone spiritually dead he will remain spiritually dead and separated from God.

When we think about what it means to awaken from spiritual death to spiritual life it should cause us to greatly rejoice! This is not merely a transaction. This spiritual metamorphosis is precisely centered on our relationship with God. We do not simply receive some type of notice that our sin has been cancelled and consequently we now have access to eternity in heaven after we physically die. We receive God Himself, and it is privilege to enjoy Him now! Our relationship with God, which once was broken, is now made available to us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. And all our deepest desires and longings can be met in Him, like Adam and Eve enjoyed before the fall!

I mention all of this because Christianity is not to just about having our sins forgiven by God so that we gain access to heaven someday. The message of Christianity is to have our broken relationship with God restored. He is our prize. He is our goal. He is our treasure in the field worth far more than anything in this world has to offer. God is not just part of the transaction for which we receive His grace. He becomes everything to us!

You may be thinking to yourself, “OK, Severson, I get this. I know what you are talking about.” Good! But my question is, do our lives reflect this reality? Do we treasure our relationship with God far more than anything? You see, if we don’t we’ve missed the whole point, and our spiritual lives are based on something contrary to Scripture. To reduce the Gospel message to merely be a transaction is to miss the main point of the Gospel – that of restoring our broken relationship with God.