Almost Saved?

In my life I wrestled with this, and sometimes still do to an extent. Being raised in the church, I learned a lot about “what not to do”.

Don’t drink

Don’t smoke

Don’t do drugs

Don’t have sex (ever)

Don’t ever mess up, cause “you never know when Christ will return and you will be left behind”.

Don’t see “R” movies

I also learned about the things I “should do”.

Read your bible

Pray

Go to church

Give your tithe

Serve in some area of the church

I lived a miserable life. If I wasn’t happy cause I couldn’t do anything “cause I was a Christian”, I was unhappy cause I struggled constantly with the things I was supposed to do that I was not doing. I didn’t make a good sinner or saint! That depressed me too!!

It finally sank in my thick skull that I was totally guilty (100% sinner) and totally lost, no matter how much “good” I did,  and  I realized Christ received the punishment for every sin, every hurt I caused someone, every time I disobeyed Him, every time I fell short of what I or anyone else thought I “should” be doing, that I was able to experience the freedom and the joy that I longed for so much!

The idea of being loved with no stipulations, no catches, no God waiting to zap me if I fail, still boggles my fallen fleshly brain. It fills me with so much peace to know that I am saved, not “almost saved” depending on certain conditions that I must fulfill.  His grace was freely given before I had a clue about what grace even was!

That love is so powerful, it compels us to do even greater things than we tried to do in our own strength to gain His approval! His radical love compells us to action for the sake of love, not obligation or religion. It goes beyond our “self” to the end that we lay down our lives if necessary.

That is the gospel for church folk like me. It is even more amazing than the day I accepted Him into my heart.

 Kevin