Monday, September 14, 2009

Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me

I had agreed to lead and speak at a service somewhere - I don't want to be specific but regular readers may be able to guess where I was.

The theme of the meeting was that a fresh start was available to everyone, no matter what they'd done, a theme that was particularly applicable to the 'congregation'. At the end the person in charge stood up to thank us for going in and said, 'If there's one word that sprang out to me from this morning's service it is forgiveness.'
(Yes, good.)
'But don't forget: we have to earn our right to forgiveness.'
(NOOOOOOOOO! Followed by sound of head being banged against a wall.)

So the last thing the 'congregation' will have in their minds is that forgiveness has to be earned. No, it's God's gift to us. How can we earn it? What can we do to deserve it?

Nothing. We can't earn it; we can only ask for it and accept it. It is by the grace of God that we are saved. God's grace: giving us what we don't deserve instead of what we do deserve.

Oh phooey.

6 comments:

NitWit1 said...

Oh my. I might have bammed the person's head that said that, with a rat-a-tat-tat "What did I just say???""

Leslie: said...

Oh gosh, couldn't you have subtly added something to the effect that God forgives if you just ask? I can just imagine your head banging on the wall...lol

ChrisJ said...

I was just thinking this morning that if there is any quality that is absolutely essential to being a Christian, it is forgiveness. Forgiveness for me and me forgiving others. Sometimes I think some people have a spiritual blindness that just prevents them from seeing it. On the other hand, maybe that person had an ax to grind about needing to forgive someone and not wanting to. So sad to expend all that energy on trying to earn forgiveness. It'll never happen.

Liz Hinds said...

The person concerned was a Roman Catholic but I thought one that was very much on an evangelical wavelength. Seems I was wrong!

Berni said...

Someone was there who was meant to hear your message and took it to heart. I am sure it wasn't wasted. Unfortunate that that person added their two cents but God knew he'd be there, it didn't change the truth that will set an open heart free.

Furtheron said...

A shame - no doubt many of them have felt they have done much in their lives already to earn forgiveness