Grace like a River

It is interesting to see how people interpret what they read and how they digest information. I read an article by Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, on his thinking surrounding Syria and the whole region, where conflict between rival factions are threatening the stability of the Middle Eastern and North African regions. It was a clear re-setting of the Geneva Convention on military intervention and an affirmation that although there are differences in culture, the willingness to work together for peace was as important today, as it was during the Second World War.

I re-tweeted the news article because I thought it to be a powerful message to President Obama and the rest of the world leaders about the consequences to the threat of using military action to solve an extremely complex multi-ethnic and multinational problem. In getting into work however, my colleague was sceptical… ‘They (the Russians) have got something to hide’ was his overarching comment.

Have we become so cynical of how society goes about preserving humanity on a global scale, that we cannot accept comments like the one made by President Putin at face value? How can we fail to see the glimmer of hope that could arise from defusing the chemical weapon threat? Since writing this, an agreement has been made to assist Syria in declaring a chemical weapon amnesty, where we can only hope that their actions fulfil the rhetoric. What is left to solve is the devastating death toll that already exists through the use of conventional weapons and the status of the refugees fleeing the conflict.

Taking a lead from my colleague, I can often have a less than enthusiastic manner to the way that I approach life, particularly in the morning when I have to get out of bed at an unreasonable hour! If I leave my emotions unguarded, I can slip into periods of gloom and be pessimistic, particularly about work! This can express itself in my personality as a very dry and sarcastic sense of humour. I had honed my skill to such a fine art at one point that I was described as being ‘spikey.’ However, this is not the real me; I am a realist and approach life in a pragmatic sort of way, but underneath all of the hustle and bustle of my outward personality is an eternal optimist and idealist.

I am optimistic because of the hope that God has placed in my heart, in regard to my salvation from sin and the new life I can now live. I am ‘free to live; free to give; free to be; free to love you - Lord’ as the song writer Tim Hughes penned in one of his tunes. I revel in the contentment that I find deep down in my soul; the assurance of faith to conquer life’s attacking arrows that so often sink into our conscious behaviours, doing their damage as they penetrate our defences. That is why when left unguarded, I can come across as being a bit negative perhaps, but this is never intentional.

What a weird picture of myself I have just posted. Thank you God for your humour – when our vision of whom we are under the grace of God is expanded and we can see his glory through all the different aspects of our lives, it can reveal how peculiar we are. I want all those who have not met Jesus to know of this saving grace… he is such a wonderful counsellor, that I would never have managed the struggles within myself without his presence. The Holy Spirit’s call to worship God with our whole being, body mind and soul, is as contagious as the well-used metaphor of ‘yeast’ in bread.  Long may I walk in his presence so that all of my being is transformed by his grace?

I can get caught up in the glory of God’s love and yet I know that there are Christians who believe that this gift of the salvation is not poured out for all; that it is limited to only those that God chooses; or who have been predestined to become his children. This view is one taught by John Calvin through his exposition of his theology developed through the protestant reformation of the 1530’s, and adopted by many evangelicals today. 

In Calvin’s view, humanity is morally corrupt and there is nothing in us that when confronted by the omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (everywhere) God, that we can do about the sin that resides within us. Calvin states that before the world began, some people were predestined for eternal salvation, which he called the Elect. Those who were not pre-destined for faith would suffer everlasting damnation, of whom he coined the term Reprobates.

The chosen elect were saved through the operation of ‘divine grace’ which cannot be challenged and cannot be earned. You might have led what you could consider to be a perfectly good life but if you were not of the elect, as a reprobate, you remained eternally condemned. No matter what your efforts were, you were inherently corrupt. A reprobate, by behaving decently, could achieve an inner conviction of salvation if that was any consolation, but I am not certain what that would look like in the kingdom of God. 

"We call predestination God’s eternal decree, by which He determined what He willed to become of each man. For all are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is ordained for some, eternal damnation for others." 

(Institutes)

When I read through the many web pages and discourses to make certain I have written a true account of what Calvinism aims to teach, I discern something in it that does not sit well with my understanding of God. I am aware of the specific texts from scripture that point to predestination, but as far as I can read, they seem to refer to the Nation of Israel as Gods holy people – the elect, not us Gentiles. Gentiles like you and me were, to use the metaphor from Matthew 15: 27, as ‘dogs’ that are not worthy so much as to pick up the crumbs from under his table. Yet we know that God shows mercy to us in (v28):

Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once.

Do you know what the most amazing thing about this woman’s faith is? She was a Canaanite – a nation that God told the Israelites to completely destroy when they took possession of the Promised Land. God’s GRACE was granted to even these ‘sinners’ or as Calvin would suggest, reprobates! I simply cannot get my head around the intellectual argument that God would predestine some for Grace, and others for eternal damnation. So in summary, Calvinism centres on the supreme sovereignty of God, predestination, the total depravity of man, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints.

Is it true, that sinful men and women have no reasoning or intellectual understanding of the need to search for righteousness? Is it true, that some are destined for eternal damnation due to a theological concept known as limited atonement? Why would God create people without the capacity to seek and find his Grace? The only rational understanding that I can bring to this, is that as Christians, we are challenged to live out our faith without fear and to withstand the storms of life so that our hearts reveal a desire to serve God above all else. We recognise our sinful state for what it is when God reveals the depths of our depravity, yet when touched by the Holy Spirit; our hearts yearn to break-out from the bonds that bind us to sin.

With the issue in Syria, where the US and France had decided on military action because one specific law had been broken, despite all of the other atrocities that have clearly taken place, the mandate for action was established under the rule of law, rather than the philosophical or social reasons that could have been used to call for intervention. The Geneva Convention explicitly forbids the use of chemical weapons, hence this specific issue being the trigger for the sequence of events that have taken place. 

So how does this apply to Calvinism? The Apostle Paul writes in his amazing theological text found in Romans about how some are ‘predestined’ to find faith. If we take the word ‘predestined’ literally, it means ‘decided on’, or chosen prior to an event’. By implication, there are some things that may not have been thought of or ‘chosen’ in advance. The word 'predestined' has been applied globally within Christian doctrine to those who are chosen to receive the gift of faith. However, I feel that this text has been taken out of the context that is written for.

America and her allies, in favour of asserting a literal interpretation of the rule of law, are lined up to defend it. However the Russians and others have shown that there is another way that is as equally logical, and is as equally rational as direct action. Rational minds can see both perspectives and support the path that leads to a settlement that suits all those affected, and retains Syria’s sovereignty for the moment. There are still people who will be left behind in both positions: the refugees and the thousands of injured and orphaned, so how can international law help these…? There seems to be a stalemate - not all will be saved.

Calvinism does not consider that man has any responsibility in the path to faith, and it cannot accommodate an alternative view point due to the way that scripture has been interpreted. Just as America and her allies didn’t propose the same course of action as that of the Russians, Christians too, can have alternative interpretations within the context of faith.

An alternative viewpoint to Calvinism is Arminianism. Arminianism centres on man’s free will to see God’s grace through the cooperation of the Holy Spirit. We can be certain of our faith by choosing to follow Jesus. Calvinism doesn't cater for man’s ability to choose grace because of divine determinism and the assertion that God is irresistible; the elected are going to sign-up anyway and the reprobates do not have the capacity to recognise the grace offered.

Arminianism argues that at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out for all and is at work amongst all people, rather than an elected few, so that all can understand our need for Salvation. However, some still choose to reject grace and are subsequently lost… I believe that this fits with the command of Jesus as our salvation is guaranteed through Christ:

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptised will be saved.”

(Mark 16:1516)

So do we preach to all as Jesus commands as though they are all predestined? No… we preach to all in the hope that some will respond to the Holy Spirit. Christians that support the interpretation of scripture written by Calvin believe that God is able and willing by virtue of his omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, to do whatever He desires with his creation, of which I do not contest. What I have an issue with, is that to accept Calvinism as a theological viewpoint, I have to believe that God doesn't desire all of humanity to be saved… only that some be saved. This is called ‘limited-atonement’.

When we think back to the issue of Syria and chemical weapons, limited atonement could be likened to an air strike on military targets that remove the threat, but fail to alleviate any of the problems that the general population face amidst a violent civil war. Similarly, Calvinism does not bring assistance to those who are not predestined except through seeking to control our moral response to the world… only those who believe and have faith will be saved.

I struggle to accept that men and women would be incapable of knowing God because they were not predestined. Does sin indeed blind us to the point that we disregard faith even when presented with Jesus? Is it God who removes the veil, or can we search within our own self, to find that something has polluted our souls? Surely as Jesus’ death tore in two, the veil of the inner sanctuary of the temple, Jesus’ offer of salvation is transparent to all who seek him? Therein lays the key – ‘to all who seek him’ - Jesus is the only choice we can make. He alone can deliver us from the bondage of sin through the grace revealed on the cross… Was the robber on the cross next to Jesus, also predestined to believe, or did he have the free will to make a choice when reflecting on his own life, against that of the Christ hanging beside him?

And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise."

(Luke 23:43)

It is Gods will for us to be saved even if for a time, our eyes may be blind to what God is doing in us and around us. When the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to our sin, we are compelled to accept his grace and his offer of forgiveness, though some may still grieve the Holy Spirit and pass on the invitation to repent. If we did not possess this liberty to choose, we would not have free will. If we do not have free will to choose, what makes our humanity any different to the Angels and the Heavenly Host, or at the very least, some holy robot following some kind of divine plan?

God wants people who will choose him when his nature and purpose is revealed. For this reason, I do not accept that having free will corrupts the omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent nature of God… I believe it enhances the kingdom of God because he adopts a people who will be faithful and obedient because they recognise the character of God to be true for themselves, rather than because of it.

‘For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord.’

(Jeremiah 29:11-14)

This quotation from Jeremiah is a reference to the promise made to the Nation of Israel which we also apply retrospectively to ourselves, as a promise that God will honour those who call Jesus, ‘Saviour’ and ‘Lord’ take a step of faith.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sum up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7: 7-12)

If we are indeed predestined, it is odd that some Christians expend so much energy on questions that seek assurance for their faith: Questions such as ‘What is the greatest sin?’ This type of reassurance seems to come from a place that is contrary to the hope that Christ offers; the formal answer given by the Apostle Paul is when he speaks of grieving the Holy Spirit.

And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

(Ephesians 4:30)

When you read the full chapter, Paul is encouraging those who are saved to refrain from a lifestyle that dishonours God. The early churches were taught, as indeed we are today, to guard their minds, bodies and souls in honour of the living God who dwelt within them. Failing to honour God with our lives by falling back into sinful behaviour, grieves the Spirit within us because it is not what God intended of us. To add to that, there are also those who grieve the Holy Spirit because they do not accept the revelation of God for their lives.

It grieves God when the lost are indeed… lost. When we grieve, we experience a mixture of anger and an immense sense of loss, generated from the love we have for that person or situation… when the Holy Spirit is grieved it is not a violent anger, but one where the sting has been tempered by the love that he has already shown to us through Christ on the cross. Without God, death is finite; absolute… those who grieve for loved ones can be completely lost in their raw emotions and blame God for what has happened in their lives, but it is sin that ultimately draws us to death, not God.

Imagine how the Holy Spirit feels when those he loves reject him or blame him for the problems we experience in life? All he wants to do is to point us to Jesus so that we can live full and abundant lives; free from the burdens of sin. It is impossible to love without the free will to choose who we want to love. Genuine freedom is also the cause of the wrong actions we choose to make. We are at liberty to make choices that could ultimately lead to us making a mistake. The choices that we make can highlight our need for guidance, which the Holy Spirit is only to eager to provide.

Sometimes when we consider faith, we can think of a number of reasons to doubt God’s omnipotence for the predicaments we find ourselves in and the state of the affairs that exist in the world. Why does God allow suffering or natural disasters… why do people die of horrible illnesses… why are those on the margins of society living in hunger or levels of deprivation that many would not contemplate as being life in a civilised world? When we recognise that the most common denominator behind the problems that we face, is our own human nature, we learn to stop blaming God for those things that we feel are out of our control, and start to become involved in making things right.

The role of the Holy Spirit is to guide us towards an encounter with Jesus at the cross so that we can begin to understand the sacrifice that he made in granting us new life. He enables us to cope with the problems that we will encounter by submitting to our omnipotent God who is mighty to save. As the Holy Spirit dwells within us, he disciples us in the way of faith and it grieves him when we forgo this responsibility and fall back onto our former lifestyles.

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

(John 10: 9-10)

As Christian’s we are challenged to take up our place in the church and serve those who do not yet know Jesus. The lives of those in the church demonstrate to the world, the love of God. Yet so often, the church gets it’s wrong and some are dissuaded from continuing in their faith or even to accept the outstretched hand of the Lord. Often in our post-modern society, the perception that people have of the historical actions of the church, have left a legacy of scepticism and mistrust that is difficult for today’s Christians to bridge. This too grieves the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of truth convicts people’s hearts to the love of God. As ambassadors of God, and through the work of the church, we sow seeds of grace into our communities by the lives that we live and the connections that we make with those neighbours we live and work amongst. There is a wealth of talent and ability in us as we depend on the Holy Spirit to live both ordinary and supernatural lives that profess the name of Jesus Christ. Our actions and the words we speak reveal the righteousness of God and draw people to the saviour. If we allow the spirit to do the work he has to do within us, we become effective people of God – he is the author and perfector of our faith.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

(Hebrews 12: 1-2)

The spirit cannot approve of the sin within us as this locks us back into the shackles that Jesus has released us from. He endured every wound that his body took, in order that we may be saved… by his wounds, we are healed. Jesus deserves our best efforts to live righteous lives for the sacrifice that he made for us. Christ’s love for us is all encompassing; he died for love; he died to save us from ourselves. How could the Holy Spirit not grieve if we were to pass up our opportunity for faith or enter into our walk with a half-hearted or lukewarm spirit; feeling powerless and full of doubt? It’s time for each one of us to take our places in the church and fulfil the potential that God has given birth to in our lives through our acts of service.

But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! (Revelation 3:16)

Calvin was able to convince the authorities in Geneva that his way was indeed, the right way. In so doing, he was able to link the rule of law to the lawlessness of people’s behaviour through the interpretation of scripture. Where the Apostle Paul wrote about how those in the Church should behave, Calvin was able to bring in laws to control those behaviours that existed in society which brought dishonour to God. It is this form of control that society now rejects in favour of its own ethics derived from their experiences of life today and the sense of mortality that this inevitably breeds.

Rather than choose God through the example that the church has given, many have rejected the church because of the way it has chosen to go about revealing God’s will to the world. Trying to enforce moral values that are out of step with the world, without first building the relationships that enables healthy dialogue is often a recipe for conflict; there are those that only hear the criticism, and never hear the still quiet voice of reason resonating within. Gospel preachers, who use the Calvinist doctrine to tell others to live sober or conservative lives, first warn people of their sin, then point out the error of their ways, which seems to condemn this generation, the one that came before it, and the next one to come.

First reveal who Jesus is; his place in history and the influence he has made on the world; reveal why Jesus had to die; then in love identify that sin put Jesus on the cross; that sin resides in each one of us; for this reason alone, we need to repent and turn from our rebellion; now go, be filled with the Holy Spirit and seek to live out righteous lives.

Pointing out people’s faults and failings was never going to be an act of reconciliation without the power of the Holy Spirit. Rather it is destined in this culture; to be one of alienation and division… this is why street preachers speaking in the streets of London are being arrested for what they are saying about homosexuality. We all make our choices to do what we feel is right, while God is working tirelessly through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to direct us to a life of faith. At the crossroads between life and death, he urges us to choose life. The other road leads to certain destruction and an eternity of anguish.

My theology differs from that of Arminianism and Calvinism, in that I cannot accept a view where there is an elect who are determined in favour of others, and that God’s grace is viewed as being limited, nor do I accept that all will be saved. I tend to sit somewhere between these two views which is often referred to as Molinism. This is a theological viewpoint that recognises that God has sovereignty to do what he feels is right and has free will to determine the fate of what he has created. Molinism also allows Christians to apply our understanding of philosophy to the scriptures, in order to make sense of the social interactions and divine encounters contained within its pages.

As humanity fell from grace into a sinful life in the Garden of Eden, we questioned God’s sovereignty by taking the forbidden fruit, and entered into a life in rebellion from God. We are born into this corrupted nature and there is no good in us. Mankind exercised its liberty to make a choice and our curiosity got the better of us. We used our confidence in our intellect and our rational thinking to decide what would be the best way to conduct our lives; well the fruit did look tasty; but no matter how benevolent or altruistic our motivation, we still displayed enormous stupidity in rejecting God’s moral command to not eat from the tree of ‘good and evil’ and as a result, became morally bankrupt.

“A man planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. The owner then sent another servant, but they insulted him and beat him over the head. The next servant he sent was killed. Others he sent were either beaten or killed, until there was only one left—his son whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ “But the tenant farmers said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard. “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do?” Jesus asked. “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.  Didn't you ever read this in the Scriptures?

‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord's doing,
    and it is wonderful to see.’”

(Mark 12:1-11)

However, as shown in the parable of the sower, God is in the rescue business even when we continually fail to recognise his sovereignty over us… He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and he reaches into every aspect of our humanity. Knowing all things, he has perfect love; he is morally incorruptible and so can bring judgement to those acting immorally. As creator God, he can choose to do what he wills with his creation; as creator God, he has an intimate knowledge of the life that we chose to live and the possibilities that lie ahead. In so doing, God interacts with his creation, offering a plethora of possibilities to experience his grace… God has considered all of the outcomes that we are ever likely to consider, and has ordained the best way in which we can encounter Jesus.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121:7-8)

God understands the culture into which we are born and he knows the human heart. He directs us through the glory of creation and through the work of Holy Spirit, towards a divine encounter with Jesus at the foot of the cross. He has predestined if you like, opportunities for us to express our free will in finding Jesus because he has made it that way. In order that we might receive salvation, God created each one of us to exist in this time and in this place, with all the pressures that life holds. There is always a chance that we will use our liberty to divert from the path God has predestined for us but God has considered all of these things in advance and works through all things for good.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28)

This is an optimistic Gospel – Our Omnipotent God designs into the fabric of our lives, opportunities for us to respond to his call by orchestrating life. It isn't by coincidence that our omniscient God has connected us together in communities so that as Christians, we can influence the culture we live in through the Holy Spirit alive in us.

I would prefer not to have to fit into any theological doctrines that restrict my understanding of who God is, and how he functions in the world he created… it is indeed as the Apostle Paul concludes a mystery. I simply want to call myself a Christian. I am also not so foolish to deny that the arguments for Calvinism, Arminianism and Molinism are as equally routed in scripture as that of my own interpretation of what I read through the gospel narrative.

We are all at liberty to choose our own pathway in life and we can try to make sense of the world through the decisions that we make. We can accept the Holy Spirits gentle persuasion for the truth of the existence of God and in a philosophical sense, a person can choose to accept God through the Holy Spirit’s actualisation of faith because it is indeed irresistible or we could choose to ignore God through the same type of self-actualisation that mankind displayed in the Garden of Eden.

If I felt that I only chose God because he predetermined it, I'd simply be a chess piece. The fact that I recognise God's love, whether it was his divine intention for  my life, or a realisation of truth through the coaching of the Holy Spirit, my response to him should be to live for him. I believe the gospel is for all who will listen; if my neighbour is denied this revelation because of divine determinism and limited atonement, it does seem at odds with the gospel story.

 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgement against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” (John 3:16-21)

God’s purpose is to build his kingdom. When the Gentiles asked Jesus for healing, he often spoke about it not being the right time or that he had come first for the Jews – the elect – the nation whom God promised to protect in the covenant he made with Abraham, with Moses and with David. Jesus also gave many references to the fact that the Holy Spirit was to be poured out for all, even in the parable of the sower read earlier. Through the Apostle Paul, himself a Jew, being one of the elect, God provided an ambassador for Christ who tirelessly preached the good news to the Gentiles.

The whole purpose of the Jewish nation was to be a beacon of God’s purposes to all peoples of earth. By her actions, the world could see that God was indeed sovereign over all... indeed many who were drawn into God's kingdom had to show their acceptance of the sovereignty of Yahweh by being circumcised before they could do business with Israel, which for an adult, was probably very painful!

Those who accept the world view of limited atonement would argue that if we have the liberty to choose God's grace, in what way is God sovereign? Surely then, the ultimate authority is our own and not Gods? However I would argue that to state that limiting his grace to a predetermined elect also questions God’s sovereignty and his omnipotence. Some seed does fall on fertile ground and some on stony ground... does God predetermine those whose ground is fertile as being the elect, and those with stony soil, the reprobates condemned to a life of damnation, or is it our human nature to harden our hearts when we chose to close our ears to call of the gospel?

One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” (Luke 8:4-8)

This story suggest that salvation is indeed offered and accepted to some, but the circumstances of their lives ‘snuff-out’ the fire set in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. This does not degrade God's sovereignty, although it grieves the Holy Spirit when we do so - we are ALL his precious creation. Like the prodigal Son, He is desperate for us to return to him. Jesus is the one and only way that we can find peace.

For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:24)

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

 (Luke 15:31-32)

Before I accepted Jesus as my saviour, I was either unaware or unwilling to accept Gods Sovereignty as King... I served self, much as we do with our relationship in the UK with Queen Elizabeth II. We may brush alongside her government from time to time and I know she exists because I have seen her on the TV, but her presence has no impact or bearing on my life… I do not recognise her sovereignty over me as her subject, in just the same as sin displaces our understanding of Gods sovereignty in our lives.

When Gods will for my life was presented to me in the Gospel message, the Holy Spirit helped me to reflect on my wilful disobedience and I was compelled to make a choice because of what Jesus has done. The Holy Spirit revealed that sin placed ‘me’ at the centre of my life. In following the desires of my own heart, no matter how virtuous or altruistic that might have been, God's righteousness and sovereignty cut through my arrogant presumptions to living a ‘good’ life, to reveal the wretched sinner that I am.

In recognising my broken nature, I was able to see that my misguided thoughts and actions were in rebellion against Gods kingdom rule and reign; I had been trying to sit on a throne already occupied by God, and built for his kingdom purposes. I had to make a conscious decision to lay down the perception I had of my own rights, and choose to accept Christ’s yoke, by submitting to the new covenant established through the last supper, I willingly and joyfully surrender my will to his.

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

(Matthew 11:28-30)

I am not a pawn on a chess board playing out some great battle between good and evil. Yes, my life previously lacked purpose when I was in bondage to sin; but now as a son and heir, life has new meaning. This world is his to do with as he desires, and I am pretty sure that he wants to reach out and save all who find themselves lost and broken, which covers pretty much everyone.

God Bless