One of the first things I learned on project was from my Bible study leader, Lindsay. It stuck with me for the whole eight weeks because it was something I had never made true in my life: Because of what Christ has done for me, I am no longer a sinner but a saint. If Christ is within me, I have His nature. It sounds crazy doesn't it? And let me clarify that it doesn't mean I don't sin or I don't struggle with temptations, it means that I am not condemned for it. Something else that struck me was the fact that so many people know the beginning of Romans 3:23 (For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God), but THERE'S A SECOND PART.
"And all are justified by grace as a gift through the redemption of Jesus Christ."
Yes, I absolutely fall short of the glory of God. But that doesn't mean I get to feel sorry for myself or wallow in my mistakes or feel too unworthy to be loved by Him. It means I can CELEBRATE because when the Father looks at me, he sees his son. He sees the light of Jesus shining through me and he is PLEASED.
I feel like the Gospel is hard to hear sometimes because it reveals how unholy we are. And it points out our brokenness, our darkness, our pain, our fear, our lonliness, our sin. But I think the true definition of unholy isn't full of sin, I think it's void of God. Because He IS holiness. He is completely good, completely love, completely sinless - He can't be anything BUT holy. So I think the unholiness of this world, of our hearts and thoughts and actions is a pretty easy thing to dwell on, to sit in, to let consume us with pity and hopelessness and apathy.
But when we grasp what the LORD did for us in sending His son, in becoming flesh, in being nailed to a cross - holiness becomes attainable. Because we have been RECONCILED with our Maker, we can be holy as He is holy. There is no more shame, no more condemnation. There is only HE who is alive in us. I am restored to oneness with Him. And His holiness is reflected on me so much that I am a BLINDING light that cuts the darkness of sin like a knife.
He has called me His own in spite of my unholiness so I can call His holiness my own. That's what Grace is: a sinner becoming a SAINT through the holiness of Jesus.
The story of the bleeding woman is one of my favorites [Luke 8:40-48]. Something about it reminds me so much of myself. Not that I'm an outcast of society or have a strange disease, but I know how being hopeless and desperate feels. And I too have tried to heal myself and produce an identity for myself and survive by myself. And that might as well be a disease. Let's be honest, when I take control of my life and hold onto my sins and fears, I'm not living as the saint He has created me to be. But when I reach out my hand, He's there. And He knows me by touch. One look at me and He sees all I've been through, all my pain. He sees how desperately I need Him. And He sees what I've done - my guilt and shame - but he doesn't hold it against me. He gazes into my eyes and gives me new worth. And in that moment, I know I'm His forever.
The coolest part about the story is that Scripture gives the woman no name, but Jesus calls her "Daughter." And isn't that what He does for each of us? He gives us an identity not by our own worth or works, but IN HIM and THROUGH GRACE.
me likey.
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