Grace… The “Easy Way”?

THURS., JULY 19, 2001, 9:08 AM
5TH FLOOR, MORRIS LIB’Y

It is good when you have some variety in your receiving of this Teaching… in place, in pen (and ink), in time. Yet I still want you to value the ritual aspect of Our relationship and not stray too far into variety. (Get this “pen thing” worked out in a more “organized way.”)

Your morning Bible Study, focusing now on Paul’s Letter to the Church in Rome, was at almost “full strength” today, but it did take awhile (too long) to move the discussion to the actual Lesson. A few minutes of chit-chat on current happenings is all right, but I’ll expect you to suggest getting to the Scripture, if no one else “beats you to it.”

I have Paul make a strong (yes, almost excessive) case for the inability of humans to avoid sinning, and, therefore, the need for grace. Grace is freely given, but each of you have to accept it… and that’s hard for those of you who have developed independence and have benefitted from it.

From fairly early in your childhood you showed a streak of independence, and you felt good about the results therefrom. You did well academically, without being “pressured” by your parents (as you had to do with several of your sons). You had an enjoyable athletic career (good for one of your size and ability) and an “above average” social life. You had the rather strong sense that you had to “earn your way,” you tried hard, and you had some successes… which you attributed to your efforts.

But as you were “born again,” in a Bible Study group, similar to this one, years ago in Menlo Park, you gave Paul’s Letters (especially this one to the folks in Rome) credit for “much of” this conversion. You didn’t feel like an abject sinner, but you still accepted Paul’s answer – you don’t have to “do it” yourself… you can’t “do it” yourself… you don’t have to “do it” yourself… I, as Jesus, the Christ did it for you!

Now that’s tough for an “independent minded” young American to accept. Oh, you knew that some of your “successes” were at least partly “given to you,” but then you had to work to achieve success. Not often were you one to just accept that you “deserved” success. Rather, you were given opportunities… or your recognized and even helped create such… and then you worked to achieve as much success as you could.

Yet now, with your hand in Mine, you are much less willing to avow that you “did it” all yourself. Where was I? How much “help” did I give? Was I more responsible than you were for successes and accomplishments?

A major reason for your Aloha for Paul is that he freely affirms that he was chosen, to turn away from persecuting Christians and to become the major Epistle writer for the New Testament. He realized, in his own life, that his sins, which were many, in relation to Me, were wiped away by his honest affirmation that “I did it!”, because he couldn’t.

This does seem like “the easy way.” Let Someone else do it for you. But you realize that this does conflict with the values of an independent American human. (You can’t know, truly, how this would be if you had grown-up in some other culture, or even another “part” of this one.)

You accepted, earlier in your life, that I had chosen you, and at least you began to feel that while I gave you opportunities you had to do something to fulfill these, in appreciation for “being choosed.” You had about as much success as “was right” or you. You did your part, but My Grace was also an important factor.