Lie: Salvation is a transaction
Truth: Salvation is a gift
. . . believe in Jesus and you’ll be saved.
. . . trust in Jesus and he’ll save you.
. . . commit your life to Christ and you’ll be forgiven.
. . . give your heart to Jesus and he’ll cleanse it.
We’ve heard variations of similar calls to become a Christian, but the formula does not change:
If and when you _____, then God will _____. (But God will not _____ unless and until you _____.)
We may not say it quite so plainly, but that’s the assumption that precedes an individual salvation in most evangelical churches. We’re taught that the ball is clearly in our court. After all, God has already made the first move when Jesus died on the cross, right?
This breaks down to salvation as transaction, or exchange, initiated by us. Here’s a simple definition of the word:
transaction — an exchange or trade of ideas, money, goods, commitment, etc.
But mystery surrounds such a ‘salvation transaction’ because it requires a posture of humility, sorrow, sincerity, and faith — a mix of subjective attitudes that combine privately in the mind and heart. We, of course, can never validate such a transaction; it must be borne out over time by whether or not the person produces any fruit. Yet God knows whether the person had the right combination of attitudes and words; and if so, God saved them. Yet if not, no salvation transaction could have occurred, or so we are told.
No doubt, this mix of attitudes and words IS important. We should and do need to be humble, sorry, and sincere before God. But as a required attitude to elicit God’s forgiveness?
Recently, a friend told me that, after his sermon to a few prison inmates, when one man raised his hand upon receiving the ‘altar call,’ my friend said: “I explained that I would lead him sentence by sentence in a sinner’s prayer, but that he had to really mean it.” Our internal mindset is critical to receiving salvation, or so it would seem.
Consequently, because this transaction is shrouded in such ambiguity and mystery, people struggle with the assurance of their salvation. Questions arise in their weaker moments:
. . . was I humble enough, sincere enough?
. . . did I say the right words, did I use the right prayer formula?
. . . but I’ve sinned so much since that time . . .
. . . if I’m really saved why am I still tempted like this?
And other such doubts and recriminations. This kind of subjective ‘transaction,’ if it could be called that, may create more confusion than it’s worth.
But what if I told you that God’s forgiveness is not a transaction at all? — that God is NOT waiting on us to pray or have the right attitudes or beliefs? — that actually God has already granted salvation to us as an unconditional gift?
But we already know this, right? Of course salvation is a free gift!
Yes, it should not surprise us that salvation is a true gift from God. Of course, most evangelicals would say the same thing. But a true gift comes with ‘no strings attached.’ Then why this transactional formula? Why should we have to believe, feel, or do something to qualify for it?
Unconditional love — the givenness of life
REASON 1: Salvation is not transactional because, overwhelmingly, God’s way is to give unconditionally.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, . . . For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God — Ephesians 2:4–6, 8
The work of Christ was comprehensive, unilateral, unconditioned, ‘by grace’ — ‘not of ourselves. ‘While we were dead in trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ . . and raised us up . . . made us sit together in the heavenlies . . .’ Paul is trying to make it very clear that this was all God’s doing and had nothing to do with us. We were made alive with Christ . . when? — ‘when we were dead in trespasses.’
It should not surprise us that the forgiveness of salvation is a true gift from God because so many other things he’s given us in life are also unconditional gifts. We did nothing to receive them; they were just there from the beginning. In fact, most of life is given to us, yet how quickly we forget. Here are just a few of the givens — things that we did nothing to have — gifts that most of us enjoy every day, yet with little awareness or gratitude. And each one is a fathomless marvel unto itself.
| bodily functions[1] | vision |
| hearing | smelling |
| tasting | touch |
| family: children, grandchildren | sex |
| intelligence, learning | skillfulness |
| emotions | music |
| tears | laughter |
| growth | healing |
| memory | intuition |
| will/intention/action | imagination |
| sleep/awakening | being/consciousness |
| strength[2] | day/night cycle |
| voice | friendship, companionship |
| plants, flowers, seeds | animals, insects |
| artistry | beauty |
| creativity | dreaming |
| air/wind | fire |
| earth, soil, water | gestation, birth |
| elements[3] | speech |
| language | ecosystems |
| produce, fruit, herbs | physics, mathmatics, organic chemistry |
I think this — an awareness of life’s givenness — may have been one of the things Jesus was getting at in his conversation with Nicodemus:
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, [from above] he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” — John 3:3–8
What does it mean to be ‘born from above’? I think Jesus gave us a diamond with several facets, or at least three:
Spiritual awakening. Jesus gives us a hint when he says: ‘that which is born of the flesh is flesh [presumably natural birth] and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit [a spiritual birth or awakening to God and spiritual realities] — a newfound awareness of God’s fingerprints that are literally everywhere, yet hidden in plain sight.[4] I say this also because John plays up the cluelessness of Nicodemus and the fact that Jesus (ironically) uses the word marvel — the very attitude that would characterize this new birth: the fact that, if we were to have a spiritual awakening/birth, we would stand amazed, marveling.
Invisible influence. He gives us another clue in verse eight: ‘The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, . . . So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ What’s more gratuitous and ubiquitous than wind and air? It’s inescapable; it’s literally and continually all around us, yet we barely notice. It blends in; it’s invisible, yet quietly (but occasionally forcefully) makes a huge difference. This is a picture of the hidden life of Christ[5] and his effect on others, and likewise what he wants us to be.
Unconditional love under complete dependency/helplessness. ‘You must be born from above.’ The one being born has no choice in the matter and is completely contingent on his parents and especially his mother; he can do nothing for himself. So to be born from above means to realize our helplessness and our complete dependence on God. Yet it’s in this state that we realize we are loved unconditionally. Just as a mother unconditionally loves her baby who can do nothing, so God loves us as we are and simply because we are.[6]
The philosopher David Bentley Hart understands this:
. . . but one should strive as far as possible to let all complexities of argument fall away as often as one can, and to make a simple return to that original apprehension of the gratuity of all things. . . . In that moment of remote immediacy to things—of intimate strangeness— . . . . That sudden instant of existential surprise is, as I have said, one of wakefulness, of attentiveness to reality as such, rather than to the impulses of the ego or of desire or of ambition; and it opens up upon the limitless beauty of being, which is to say, upon the beauty of being seen as a gift that comes from beyond all possible beings. This wakefulness can, moreover, become habitual, a kind of sustained awareness . . . For anyone who experiences only fleeting intimations of that kind of vision, however, those shining instants are reminders that the encounter with the mystery of being as such occurs within every encounter with the things of the world, one knows the extraordinary within the ordinary, the supernatural within the natural. The highest vocation of reason and of the will is to seek to know the ultimate source of that mystery. Above all, one should wish to know whether our consciousness of that mystery directs us toward a reality that is, in its turn, conscious of us.[7]
We all need — no — we crave unconditional love, more than anything else. It is the unreserved acceptance and appreciation of us as a person, warts and all, that quietly enthralls us — to be loved for no reason at all, not because someone needs us for something, needs us to do something for them, to buy, make, help, care, fix, build, or feed them. Unconditional love is the love that simply wants to be near, to listen, to talk just to talk, that can’t wait to see us just because they love to be with us. We NEED this kind of love and it is this love that a mother (most of the time) has for her baby. Mother’s love feeds, cares, protects, loses sleep, teaches, corrects, warns — all for what? Nothing, or that is, only to see their baby thrive and grow and be happy. The baby is helpless, can do nothing for themselves. Yet most mothers would not have it any other way.
Jesus said: ‘You must be born from above.’ I think he’s referring to our need to discover the source of our salvation and forgiveness is simply realizing the depth, breadth, height, and length of his love.
Paul certainly knew this:
For this reason [that Paul wanted them not to lose heart after hearing of his trials] I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. — Ephesians 3:14–19
If we allow ourselves to stop long enough to become like a helpless baby who receives the all-enveloping love of God, this changes everything!
This was Jesus’ desire for Nicodemus.
The Comprehensive Cross
REASON 2: Salvation is not transactional because of clear statements made regarding the cross and what it accomplished.
The gift of salvation and forgiveness came to us all in the person of Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God. He offered himself up as the Lamb of God and rescued us from sin and death, once for all.
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight — if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. — Colossians 1:19–23
Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. — Colossians 1:28
Every man that Paul encountered had already been reconciled; now it was a matter of warning and teaching him to walk wisely — but not so that he could present them to God as saved individuals; it was to present them having a life and work and character that was ‘perfect,’ or complete, as having a life and walk worthy of their calling.
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. — Galatians 6:14–15
The fact that Christ has inaugurated a new creation changes everything. And this was done ‘in the cross,’ which happened once and became the dividing line of history.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:9–11
Universal, comprehensive, without condition or qualification: ‘every name . . every knee . . . every tongue.’ Everyone will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord. Some may interpret this universal worship as some bowing willingly and others unwillingly, that is, that some will be forced to bow (and worship?). But there is no hint that Paul assumed a final major division of ‘saved and unsaved.’ Surely such a claim would not be omitted by Paul if it were true. But the fact is he did not say it. Reading it at face value, he plainly says everyone in heaven, and earth, and even under the earth will bow and worship Christ . . to the glory of God no less, meaning that this massive planetary worship service will serve to focus everyone’s attention on the truly shocking grace of God’s character, which is seen in the character of Christ: ‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.’
Non-transactionality of Faith[8]
REASON 3: Salvation is not transactional because gifts are by definition NOT transactions.
The hardest thing to do is believe that God would have gone to such an extreme to save us. But once we see it — once we have even the smallest inkling, realization, awakening, everything changes. We need this awakening to this givenness — the magnificent goodness and grace of God.
In general, this awakening or faith is very simple; it means to trust in someone or something. We commit acts of faith, believing, and trust every day, even multiple times a day.
For example:
- You hear a compelling speaker online and say within yourself that he has some good ideas, so you bookmark his site.
- Your plumber expertly and efficiently repairs your broken pipe, and you subliminally think: ‘he’s a good plumber.’
- Your medical practitioner diagnoses your condition and prescribes a treatment and a diet that cures you, and so you believe she’s a good doctor.
- You read a novel and enjoy the story so much you buy another of her books.
- You hire a babysitter and the kids are well taken care of, enjoy being with her and feel safe with her. You put her at the top of your list of babysitters.
Of course, this also works in reverse where the product or service you receive does not impress you and so you quickly forget them or cross out their name — you lose trust/faith in them.
REASON 4: Salvation is not transactional because faith, (supposedly our part of the ‘transaction’) would require something under our control, but faith is not under our control. We cannot generate faith by an act of will.
But notice that these ‘acts of faith’ are not conscious or barely conscious; they’re not willfully generated. They are an innate response to receiving something good. We can’t force ourselves to trust; it’s impossible. Faith and trust is simply the involuntary response to a recognition that something or someone is good and trustworthy.
This is true for all emotions and attitudes: for example, you cannot artificially generate sincerity, humility, love, hope or even fear, shame or guilt. These are only and ever responses to something true, inspiring, loving, good . . or evil, disgusting, or deceitful. You may be able to pretend to be sincere or humble, but it will only be an outward act. We all know the facial expressions, the words, the gestures to mimic these attitudes. But we also easily detect them when they’re faked (though some professional actors may deceive us).
REASON 5: Salvation is not transactional because faith (supposedly our part of the ‘transaction’) is not a binary or fixed thing — it’s not something you simply have or don’t have. It’s dynamic and changeable.
There is no one-size-fits-all faith. There is not a minimum required quantity of faith. On the one hand, faith may be deep and abiding when we have a long history of friendship; or on the other hand, it may be tentative with a new product that we’ve only had good results with for a week. Faith runs the gamut. It’s:
- dynamic/changeable
- only gradually given between persons
- grows slowly and imperceptibly
- can be shallow or deep
- mostly invisible
- not under our direct control
But as I’ve described before[9] this faith is not a requirement from God, it’s not a prerequisite, but it is necessary FOR US, without which we will not be able to live out the Christian walk. And the kind and extent of our faith determines the degree to which we will be able to walk out the life of Christ.
Consider both of Paul’s emotions: his comfort and his desire concerning the faith of the Thessalonian believers:
. . . therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith? — I Thessalonians 3:7–10
Faith is not binary, it’s not a single quantity; rather, it has a dynamic range. It’s described with many adjectives in the scriptures:
- lacking: I Thess 3:10
- little: Matthew 6:30
- great: Matthew 8:10
- increasing: Luke 17:5, 2 Cor 10:15
- full: Acts 6:8
- strengthening: Acts 16:5
- measured: Romans 12:3
- proportioned: Romans 12:6
- weak: Romans 14:1
- empty: I Corinthians 15:14
- unifying: Eph 4:13
- steadfast: Col 2:5, I Peter 5:9
- grows exceedingly: 2 Thess 1:3
- sincere: I Tim 1:5, 2 Tim 1:5, I Peter 1:7
- abundant: I Tim 1:14
- suffered shipwreck: I Tim 1:19
- bold: I Tim 3:13
- able to be overthrown: 2 Tim 2:18
- sound: Titus 1:13, 2:2
- fully assuring: Heb 10:22
- tested: James 1:3
- rich: James 2:5
- working: James 2:18
We all know this, but we forget that, belief, faith, and trust, all work in the same basic way in the spiritual world. It’s the same idea, only we’re not just talking about earthly things, we’re talking about heavenly things.
REASON 6: Salvation is not transactional because faith is fundamentally relational.
[10]The gospels are all about this question: ‘Who is this Jesus?’ That question was buzzing everywhere he went. So I love it when Jesus himself just comes out with it and plainly asks:
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. — Matthew 16:13–17
Jesus’ real identity must be revealed
Even though during his ministry Jesus hid his true identity (or at least he did not openly reveal it), Simon Peter DID see it. But that recognition did not come from himself. Jesus said it had come from God — ‘My Father who is in heaven . . . has revealed this to you.’ And our own recognition of Jesus will also be a revelation of God. The fact is that each person encounters the living Jesus differently.
But in a nutshell, here’s my definition of faith in Jesus:
Faith is our response when we recognize Jesus for who he really is.
Faith is our recognition of who Jesus really is and the response that naturally follows. But it’s a somewhat mysterious ‘transaction’ not fully under our control, and yet we’re commanded by God to believe. Often these moments of faith are hidden from us or they may be part of some unremarkable gesture. But God sees and knows. That recognition may come to us as a small inkling, or a full-blown revelation, but often it’s hardly noticeable and may trigger a simple breathed prayer, a thank-you, the reading of a Bible verse, or any number of simple things. The size of the response often mirrors the size of the recognition. And the response is often made in desperation, just as the encounters with Jesus, which are written in the gospels, were also often moments of desperation.
Paul spoke of faith as a concept:
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. — I Corinthians 13:13
Faith isn’t the apex, but it is the first, the foundation.
As it’s commonly explained now, God withholds salvation unless and until we . . . (fill in the blank): believe in Christ, trust Jesus, ask forgiveness, etc. But more often than not, it’s explained as a commitment, something that we owe Christ since he’s done so much for us. As it’s explained now: Christ died for humanity and for each individual, but that ‘universal atonement’ does not become effective or individually applicable until it’s reciprocated/received/appreciated/believed. In other words there must be a transaction, an exchange of attitude, acceptance, and that exchange, on the individual level, must be initiated by us. And this required faith (though it’s not normally described that way), is somehow binary: you either have it or you don’t, or you either have enough of it (it reaches a threshold) or you don’t.
Our faith is a foundational vision of who God is and who we are, and this vision changes — it either grows or shrinks throughout our life. So we must not be passive but active to ‘work out’ our salvation. We have forgiveness as a given; it was granted unilaterally through Christ’s death on the cross. But we must ‘work out our salvation with fear and trembling.’
‘Working out’ our salvation
REASON 7: Initial salvation is not transactional because it’s only the beginning of reconciliation with God. It results in us desiring to work out the transformation of our character and our lives — the consequence of understanding and receiving forgiveness as a gift.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. — Philippians 2:12–13
The context of these verses is the great hymn of Philippians chapter two: ‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus . . ’ Our vision is Jesus Christ and his life and death and resurrection. His life, his mind, forms the pattern, the template of our own lives. But this goal, if we’re serious, takes time and work and fear and even trembling. Salvation is a process of taking on this ‘mind of Christ.’ It will take a long process for all to reach this point of everyone bowing and confessing and worshipping Christ.
One practical thing Paul mentions as an example of working out our salvation is in verse fourteen: ‘Do all things without complaining and disputing . . .’ and also verses one through four: ‘be likeminded . . ’ and ‘don’t be selfishly ambitious or conceited . . ’ and ‘esteem others better than yourself . . ’ and ‘look out for the interests of others . . ’ Working out our salvation means that we diligently engage in the simple and practical attitudes and actions in our relationships.
But to work out our salvation, assumes we have it in the first place. Our salvation should never be in question; it was a gift for which we could do nothing. Yet it does not end there, the emphasis is not to ‘get saved,’ but to live a life worthy of our great salvation.
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. — Ephesians 4:1–3
The general structure and pattern of all of Paul’s letters is to first lay a theological foundation, and then build a practical exhortation based on that:
- Theological: this is who God is; practical: therefore this is what we should be and do.
- Theological: this is who you are; practical: therefore, this is how we should live.
Here’s another example of Paul pivoting from theological to practical:
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. — Galatians 2:6–7
This is salvation — simply ‘receiving Christ Jesus the Lord.’ Salvation is seeing Jesus for who he is; recognizing him for what he’s done. If we truly see Jesus this way, we will trust him — believe/have faith in him — and desire to live for him and be like him. This is no transaction.
The Faith of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables
Let’s bring this down to earth.
Imagine a weary and poor traveler who solicits a room from an orderly and loving family. The traveler is welcomed and sups with the family at the evening meal and then, in the night, while the house is sleeping, he gets up to steal the family silver (his first evil: theft). The father awakens and discovers the traveler’s deed, and then, in his attempt to escape, assaults the father, striking him on the head (second evil: assault). The traveler escapes with the silver in tow, but is later apprehended by the police and hauled back. The traveler then denies that he stole the silver (third evil: deceit).
At this point the father could have pressed charges, which would have been his rightful prerogative, either with relish or bitterness or even compassion. Or he could have allowed him to go free, with a self-righteous smugness. Or, as the story from Les Misérables, the father, Bishop Myrial, forgives Jean Valjean and, ‘turning the other cheek,’ tells Valjean that he forgot to take the silver candlesticks too!
From Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, here is the pivotal scene that changed Jean Valjean’s life for good. It shows how good overcomes evil and how faith is not a transaction, but a shocking and unexpected gift. I quote it here in its entirety because I simply can’t bear to abbreviate such a passage.
“Ah! here you are!” he [Bishop Myrial] exclaimed, looking at Jean Valjean. “I am glad to see you. Well, but how is this? I gave you the candlesticks too, which are of silver like the rest, and for which you can certainly get two hundred francs. Why did you not carry them away with your forks and spoons?”
Jean Valjean opened his eyes wide, and stared at the venerable Bishop with an expression which no human tongue can render any account of.
“Monseigneur,” [Bishop] said the brigadier of gendarmes, “so what this man said is true, then? We came across him. He was walking like a man who is running away. We stopped him to look into the matter. He had this silver—”
“And he told you,” interposed the Bishop with a smile, “that it had been given to him by a kind old fellow of a priest with whom he had passed the night? I see how the matter stands. And you have brought him back here? It is a mistake.”
“In that case,” replied the brigadier, “we can let him go?”
“Certainly,” replied the Bishop.
The gendarmes released Jean Valjean, who recoiled.
“Is it true that I am to be released?” he said, in an almost inarticulate voice, and as though he were talking in his sleep.
“Yes, thou art released; dost thou not understand?” said one of the gendarmes.
“My friend,” resumed the Bishop, “before you go, here are your candlesticks. Take them.”
He stepped to the chimney-piece, took the two silver candlesticks, and brought them to Jean Valjean. The two women looked on without uttering a word, without a gesture, without a look which could disconcert the Bishop.
Jean Valjean was trembling in every limb. He took the two candlesticks mechanically, and with a bewildered air.
“Now,” said the Bishop, “go in peace. By the way, when you return, my friend, it is not necessary to pass through the garden. You can always enter and depart through the street door. It is never fastened with anything but a latch, either by day or by night.”
Then, turning to the gendarmes:—
“You may retire, gentlemen.”
The gendarmes retired.
Jean Valjean was like a man on the point of fainting.
The Bishop drew near to him, and said in a low voice:—
“Do not forget, never forget, that you have promised to use this money in becoming an honest man.”
Jean Valjean, who had no recollection of ever having promised anything, remained speechless. The Bishop had emphasized the words when he uttered them. He resumed with solemnity:—
“Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.”
This is not a passive but an active good. It mirrors the active assault, with an ‘assault’ of generosity and grace. Good here carries its own force.
Of course this was the shocking turning point in Valjean’s life and which triggered his remarkable transformation. This reveals the character of the good that we as Christ-followers are called to give. It is no run-of-the-mill good, no pedestrian morality; the good to which Christ calls us is the kind of good he showed: the radical and shocking good of the cross.
When we see Jesus for who he is, whether it’s a sudden realization as Valjean had, or if it takes a lifetime, our life will ultimately mirror the life that we worship.
We become what we behold.
[print-me]
[1] including: metabolism, movement, circadian rhythm, coagulation, pain/pleasure, lactation, etc
[2] including: flexibility, movement, dexterity, balance, etc
[3] including: gold, silver, mercury, carbon, hydrogen, etc
[4] I love the third chapter title of Dallas Willard’s book, The Divine Conspiracy: ‘What Jesus knew: our God-bathed world.’
[5] In the gospels, it’s clear that Jesus purposely did not make known his true identity; yet, this hidden identity had a huge effect.
[6] To realize this, we need to learn the disciplines of solitude and silence — simply being before the Lord, basking in his goodness and love without doing anything. These practices, more than any other, increase our faith and establish our relationship with God. We must realize his unconditional love down in our bones. Jesus knew that Nicodemus had to start there.
[7] Hart, David Bentley, The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss, page 150.
[8] See also my article: LIE: Faith is a requirement from God and LIE: God only grants salvation to those who have faith in Jesus.
[9] See my article: LIE: Faith is a requirement from God.
[10] This section is from the article: LIE: God only grants salvation to those who have faith in Jesus