What If We Are Wrong?
We at Bold Grace believe in a nutshell that God is perfect LOVE and that the end result of our visit to this life will be glorious. None of us claim to understand just what that "glorious end/new beginning" will be like but we have come to trust that our creation has purpose and that regardless of the choices we make God is able to use each and every one of them for our ultimate good.
Now with that brief description of our beliefs the question is; What if we are wrong? If we are wrong then what will be left for us is nothing but FEAR. When you truly investigate all the religions of the world, especially christianity, you will find the "glorious end/new beginning" to always be in doubt because your own performance always dictates what chance you have.
I don’t know about you but I have yet to meet the person who feels their performance is up to par. Even the bible clearly says the most righteous person is nothing but a filthy rag. Christians will say, "Well it’s not our performance but our belief in Jesus." But remember even the devils believed and trembled, so no matter how they try to slice it performance will always be included.
Did God really desire for us to go through this life with that constant doubt that maybe he will deny us a place in heaven, and even worse cast us into a torture chamber for eternity? If we are wrong at Bold Grace then that’s exactly what you would be plagued with, and believe me I have known thousands of christians that feel that way. Their days of peace are only as good as their the good performance for that day.
In the last few months I have endured more mental torture, grief, pain, & sadness then I have in the previous 55 years of my existance on this earth and yet at no time did I ever doubt that God’s love for me was anything less then perfect. Even at one point when I considered ending my life I was certain God would be there walking with me through the valley of physical death.
During this time of difficulty there have been those who suggested that God is punishing me for my message. I suppose those people have never read the book of Job. Even his best friends assumed Job was being punished for some sin he had commited, but if you read the end of the book you realize God loved Job through it all and his friends couldn’t have been more wrong. What did get Job through his difficult circumstances was his unwaivering trust that God was Good. He didn’t always understand what was happening to him or why but he knew God could be trusted.
I love his statement of faith:
NAKED I CAME INTO THIS WORLD AND NAKED I WILL LEAVE BUT BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.
I read that to say: I came into to this world without any sin and I will leave without any sin and for that I say, BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD. GOD made us perfect even if we don’t believe it and when we go home to him we will return perfect, spotless, and filled with awe at the process we went through.
The bottom line for me and my house is that WE TRUST THE LORD. WE TRUST HIM WITH OUR GOOD CHOICES AND WITH OUR BAD.
So, let the mockers come. Bring it ON! My perfect God will see me through whatever comes next.
In the words of Hannibal Smith (The A-Team):
“I love it when a plan comes together”!
Cliff,
If there was still such a place as hell I would say, “to hell with all of the ones who say this is punishment from God for what you live, preach and teach”! It amazes me how people lay all of their own evil beliefs at the foot of God and say it is His belief! THEY MAKE ME SICK! But even they as much as I in my flesh dis-like it are RIGHTEOUS and Holy! Because of Jesus and not of themselves. I have a long way to go in my progression as a human even tough my journey of faith is finished in Christ my expression of my humanness shows a little to much sometime.
I LOVE YOU Guys!
Peace
Geo
As always I love your honesty as this is the common thread that always runs through your posts. I can identify with all that you say. I can’t say what it is to walk in your shoes, and by the little that I know I can’t say that I would want that. Each of us I’m sure has struggled with that nagging ?, What is truth? Pilot truly did ask the ? for the ages.
For me and where I am in this journey, I still have doubts and fears. Oh I know, Perfect love casts out all fear, so I guess I have a ways to go in this process.
As I was reading through this one what came to me was that according to the word He is coming back for a bride without spot or wrinkle. This begs a ?, are we already perfect or is that ongoing, or is it both?
Anyway all I know is that it has to all be Christ and none of me, because I don’t see myself living long enough to accomplish this myself.
My prayer these days is just grant me enough grace to trust you because I know that you are my enough.
Amen!
Living life in fear is not living at all.
Interesting when I read a bit about the bride in these comments…..I look at it this way, He has already come for His bride and it is now without spot or wrinkle. I say that because we are already seated in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. If I am waiting here on earth to be His spotless bride, than I like Randy, will not live long enough to even come close to attaining that. If we look at ourselves in our human form, we will never be a spotless bride but when we see ourselves in Christ, it is already an accomplished thing that was done over 2000 years ago.
I firmly believe that what John saw when He received the revelation of Jesus Christ and is written in the Book of Revelation, was the cross and all these things coming upon Jesus. The word bride is 4 times towards the end of Revelation (Ch 18 to 22) and if John was seeing the cross, then the bride is already without spot or wrinkle and is already perfect. If we try to achieve any perfection by our performance, then we will having nothing but fear and doubts. That was preached to me for years and years. I am very happy to say I no longer listen to that preaching and my doubts and fears are gone as far as redemption is concerned.
I may be a bit off the subject here but I did enjoy reading your post Cliff as always.
“Ahh… ‘Tis so beautiful to see the loving Groom as He lifts the veil of His long awaited Bride, while ALL revel in Her glorious radiance.”
Wonderful comments by all. Each of you are dear to my heart and I’m thankful that there are more and more of us who are realizing this message of bold grace from a perfect God of Love.
WE will always think we are wrong, because we are ignorant. But we are by no means at all. Christ tasted death for every man. hb2v9,..
Ciff the gospel is life everlasting to all. Let us proclaim it.
Did you see what religion can do at its worst? Because a teddy was named by the name of mohammed, this woman for whom christ tasted of death for has been condenmed to die. Go Figure?
Crazy world of religion
AMEN!!