The Complexity of Grace
Here's a horrible story for closet sadists to "humm" and "haaa" and
shake their heads to - and be happy about the "justice of God".
A lady grew up in a 'Christian' home. (I say this carefully because some 'Christian' homes are loveless abodes that destroy individuals and foster rebellion with their approach to "serving God") Well, at some point she rebelled and when that happens, the individual often tends to decide to break as many of the Ten Commandments as possible. Well, in this particular case, she decided she was going to lose her virginity. So she found the first guy who was willing to provide assistance and the deed was done. There was nothing romantic about it. Infact, the deed was done in the science lab of a university.
The result was that she got pregnant...
And she bore triplets.
Honestly, this isn't a made-up story.
Several things come to mind. It's easy at this point to talk about "the wages of sin" and "what a man sows he reaps" - but how many people have been blessed with triplets for every time they had sex outside marriage. (I have a friend who would correct me when I say "they had sex(outside marriage)". She would replied "They committed fornication (or adultery)" - because that's the reality". Now, for those who are thinking safe sex, from a Christian point of view, it becomes worse because to have a device for safe sex would appear to imply pre-meditation of sin
So, right now, many people have sinned sexually before they married, and for some, even after marriage. They don't have kids or an STD, but they have sinned sexually. I'm not going to argue about what constitutes "sex", but obviously, there are sexual acts apart from intercourse - and hence, virginity is not exactly synonymous with sexual purity.
What's my point?
I'd like to answer with a question. Why do some people suffer immediately for sins while others do not suffer?
Fact: At some point everyone who's reading this has sinned, possibly sexually, or in other ways.
As I currently understand, there are four answers - and they tend to overlap and determine "outcome".
1. Individuality
2. Grace
3. Divine Principles
4. The Divine Plan
What I've found on my journey is that as I understand these more, it becomes harder and harder to judge individuals, their actions or slap on an answer to the difficult "Why's" that surround life - and again, that reinforces the KEY to life: Seek, Find and Live in real relationship and tandem with God. It is only then that one can "know no man after the flesh" and become truly spiritual (in tune with God) for only "he that is spiritual judges and is judged of no man" - and extremely few qualify.
Back to the story: All three babies died.
Was there no "grace" to prevent this sad scenario from occurring?
Let's back up a bit. It's hard to tell if she could have made AND followed through with a better choice. For the very fact that we do not know all the variables that shaped her from the womb (where individual traits are formed) to childhood and to her teenage years where she got pregnant, it becomes hard to know what her mental range of choices were. How do I mean?
"Free will" is really not free but the ability to make choices from a narrowed pool of variables. You are only as free as your options and are chained within the boundaries of your mental conditioning and societal views. If I ask an African to choose a meal, by virtue of his environment, his choices are limited to meals in Africa. If you ask a child in a war-torn country to "choose" what he wants to be, his choice will be from a narrow pool of options he has seen presented over and over again. Some ladies grow up with promiscuity as a norm - and repetition is what reinforces human learning. Ever wondered why people from broken homes sometimes tend towards relationships that cannot be sustained? Basically, human "expression" is actually "re-expression" because we take in information from around us and regurgitate these as our "choice" which have little original elements of ourselves.
Past the factors that shape the individual, Grace steps in. Now, Grace is a Lover and Teacher - but Grace is also a Judge that will condemn many.
Please, don't run away yet.
Society and the environment shape the individual, but within ALL man is the breath of God. The spirit within still cuts through all conditioning and we call it the conscience. It tells right and wrong. However, that doesn't mean individuals always have the WILL and STRENGTH to do right. If you've ever been addicted or ever procrastinated, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
That's where Grace steps in when one decides to believe in Jesus as Saviour and accept his sacrifice as the only foundation for being good before God. For reasons I cannot fully understand or explain, scripture makes it clear that those who do not accept Jesus' sacrifice will lose their souls. In the same way, I don't understand Gravity or Aerodynamics fully as well, but these constants were in place before I was born.
Now, Grace isn't just about wrong actions being overlooked when a person prays and asks for forgiveness. It's not just what saves you when Jesus is accepted... That is just the beginning. It goes on to become the very thing that will be used to Judge every action in every area of your life. How does this work?
First, Grace saves you, then TEACHES you how to Live. (Titus 2: 11-12) However, when you are taught, you are going to be examined - but at your own pace.
Each person has a measure or amount of grace. Let's call them "grace points". You have grace point based on your background (which needs to be unlearned to some degree as you walk with God) and capacity you need to get through life. The "amount" of grace point you have is different from another person for EVERY area of life.
Let's use an example of individuals A, B and C. Now imagine each of them have only 3 areas of their lives: Emotions, Physical Stamina and Learning abilities.
For these parts, the amounts of grace
A has is 5: 1: 2
B has is 8: 0: 3
C has is 1: 1: 12
So a sexual temptation(Emotions) comes to them that requires 1 measure of grace, like an colleague who's not very good-looking asking to sleep them them. They all can overcome because they ALL have what it takes though C might have a tougher time than the others, and yet will have little difficulty if it is a test involving Learning.
Now, if C decides (choice) not to employ the grace available, sin comes in and activates a DIVINE PRINCIPLE: The wages of sin is death; whoso breaketh a hedge the serpent will bite...
It was at this point two members of the New Testament church crossed over to the great beyond: Ananias and Sapphira, his wife. They had ample grace not to do what they did, and their action was NOT overlooked. They died.
BUT
The DIVINE PLAN, known by God alone can sometimes change what would be the final outcome for reasons only He knows.
Let's take David and Saul. I hear people say David sinned more and God didn't like Saul from the beginning, so God tripped him for a fall.
Actually, both of them sinned as KINGS.
Saul prophesied and then became a leader anointed by God. He had capacity to LEAD. Now, leadership means that sometimes you make tough calls. Saul had the capacity to order his army to wait for Samuel and not spit on the Law. He didn't use his "grace points" - and then, after he was rebuked, he didn't ask for forgiveness from God. It's a BIT easy to talk about because it's a story that we know from beginning to the "end". Saul died and his sons died as well...
Now, David sinned and repented. Like Saul, however, he had CAPACITY to lead and not to do what he did with Uriah's wife. (Note he did not suffer when he ate shew bread which was meant for only priest - spitting on the Law as well!) Now, God judged him for his immorality and wicked act, and said "the sword will not depart from your house". The curse hid a blessing because there was bloodshed in David's lineage till Jesus came along and got killed as well - and overturned everything by ushering in the New Covenant and Testament after he DIED.
Now, back to the story of the lady. How does the story end?
I don't know. I don't know where she is, why she went through what she went through, why her babies died or if it was all meant to happen. I don't know if they died so she could have a "second chance" or if she would be bitter and taint them, and they would grow up to taint and destroy others and mess up some "patterns" in the divine tapestry. I don't know if she has learnt from the experience and if she is helping many along, or if she is a die-hard zealot or cult leader. Only one person knows all about her from when she was a zygote - God!
What's my point?
Judge softly, knowing that your judgment, to a large extent, will be in ignorance of all the variables that determine why scenarios and people are the way they are, that what you see is one moment in time and you do not know how things will turn out, especially in the end.
We are hardly ever privy to people's backgrounds, or their measures of grace in an area of life - and ALL of us have areas where we are weak and vulnerable. Don't get me wrong. Sin is sin. However, pointing out a spot and its dangers is very different from condemning the man who has spots - especially since you have your own spots as well. As scripture says "correct in the spirit of meekness". Don't deceive yourself or think for one second that you are perfect...in the flesh!
On the other hand, if someone clearly advocates sin, especially under the guise of godliness, "cry aloud, spare not" - and yet be aware that the blackest goat can one day shine as the most radiant sheep.
Strength and Honour
A lady grew up in a 'Christian' home. (I say this carefully because some 'Christian' homes are loveless abodes that destroy individuals and foster rebellion with their approach to "serving God") Well, at some point she rebelled and when that happens, the individual often tends to decide to break as many of the Ten Commandments as possible. Well, in this particular case, she decided she was going to lose her virginity. So she found the first guy who was willing to provide assistance and the deed was done. There was nothing romantic about it. Infact, the deed was done in the science lab of a university.
The result was that she got pregnant...
And she bore triplets.
Honestly, this isn't a made-up story.
Several things come to mind. It's easy at this point to talk about "the wages of sin" and "what a man sows he reaps" - but how many people have been blessed with triplets for every time they had sex outside marriage. (I have a friend who would correct me when I say "they had sex(outside marriage)". She would replied "They committed fornication (or adultery)" - because that's the reality". Now, for those who are thinking safe sex, from a Christian point of view, it becomes worse because to have a device for safe sex would appear to imply pre-meditation of sin
So, right now, many people have sinned sexually before they married, and for some, even after marriage. They don't have kids or an STD, but they have sinned sexually. I'm not going to argue about what constitutes "sex", but obviously, there are sexual acts apart from intercourse - and hence, virginity is not exactly synonymous with sexual purity.
What's my point?
I'd like to answer with a question. Why do some people suffer immediately for sins while others do not suffer?
Fact: At some point everyone who's reading this has sinned, possibly sexually, or in other ways.
As I currently understand, there are four answers - and they tend to overlap and determine "outcome".
1. Individuality
2. Grace
3. Divine Principles
4. The Divine Plan
What I've found on my journey is that as I understand these more, it becomes harder and harder to judge individuals, their actions or slap on an answer to the difficult "Why's" that surround life - and again, that reinforces the KEY to life: Seek, Find and Live in real relationship and tandem with God. It is only then that one can "know no man after the flesh" and become truly spiritual (in tune with God) for only "he that is spiritual judges and is judged of no man" - and extremely few qualify.
Back to the story: All three babies died.
Was there no "grace" to prevent this sad scenario from occurring?
Let's back up a bit. It's hard to tell if she could have made AND followed through with a better choice. For the very fact that we do not know all the variables that shaped her from the womb (where individual traits are formed) to childhood and to her teenage years where she got pregnant, it becomes hard to know what her mental range of choices were. How do I mean?
"Free will" is really not free but the ability to make choices from a narrowed pool of variables. You are only as free as your options and are chained within the boundaries of your mental conditioning and societal views. If I ask an African to choose a meal, by virtue of his environment, his choices are limited to meals in Africa. If you ask a child in a war-torn country to "choose" what he wants to be, his choice will be from a narrow pool of options he has seen presented over and over again. Some ladies grow up with promiscuity as a norm - and repetition is what reinforces human learning. Ever wondered why people from broken homes sometimes tend towards relationships that cannot be sustained? Basically, human "expression" is actually "re-expression" because we take in information from around us and regurgitate these as our "choice" which have little original elements of ourselves.
Past the factors that shape the individual, Grace steps in. Now, Grace is a Lover and Teacher - but Grace is also a Judge that will condemn many.
Please, don't run away yet.
Society and the environment shape the individual, but within ALL man is the breath of God. The spirit within still cuts through all conditioning and we call it the conscience. It tells right and wrong. However, that doesn't mean individuals always have the WILL and STRENGTH to do right. If you've ever been addicted or ever procrastinated, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
That's where Grace steps in when one decides to believe in Jesus as Saviour and accept his sacrifice as the only foundation for being good before God. For reasons I cannot fully understand or explain, scripture makes it clear that those who do not accept Jesus' sacrifice will lose their souls. In the same way, I don't understand Gravity or Aerodynamics fully as well, but these constants were in place before I was born.
Now, Grace isn't just about wrong actions being overlooked when a person prays and asks for forgiveness. It's not just what saves you when Jesus is accepted... That is just the beginning. It goes on to become the very thing that will be used to Judge every action in every area of your life. How does this work?
First, Grace saves you, then TEACHES you how to Live. (Titus 2: 11-12) However, when you are taught, you are going to be examined - but at your own pace.
Each person has a measure or amount of grace. Let's call them "grace points". You have grace point based on your background (which needs to be unlearned to some degree as you walk with God) and capacity you need to get through life. The "amount" of grace point you have is different from another person for EVERY area of life.
Let's use an example of individuals A, B and C. Now imagine each of them have only 3 areas of their lives: Emotions, Physical Stamina and Learning abilities.
For these parts, the amounts of grace
A has is 5: 1: 2
B has is 8: 0: 3
C has is 1: 1: 12
So a sexual temptation(Emotions) comes to them that requires 1 measure of grace, like an colleague who's not very good-looking asking to sleep them them. They all can overcome because they ALL have what it takes though C might have a tougher time than the others, and yet will have little difficulty if it is a test involving Learning.
Now, if C decides (choice) not to employ the grace available, sin comes in and activates a DIVINE PRINCIPLE: The wages of sin is death; whoso breaketh a hedge the serpent will bite...
It was at this point two members of the New Testament church crossed over to the great beyond: Ananias and Sapphira, his wife. They had ample grace not to do what they did, and their action was NOT overlooked. They died.
BUT
The DIVINE PLAN, known by God alone can sometimes change what would be the final outcome for reasons only He knows.
Let's take David and Saul. I hear people say David sinned more and God didn't like Saul from the beginning, so God tripped him for a fall.
Actually, both of them sinned as KINGS.
Saul prophesied and then became a leader anointed by God. He had capacity to LEAD. Now, leadership means that sometimes you make tough calls. Saul had the capacity to order his army to wait for Samuel and not spit on the Law. He didn't use his "grace points" - and then, after he was rebuked, he didn't ask for forgiveness from God. It's a BIT easy to talk about because it's a story that we know from beginning to the "end". Saul died and his sons died as well...
Now, David sinned and repented. Like Saul, however, he had CAPACITY to lead and not to do what he did with Uriah's wife. (Note he did not suffer when he ate shew bread which was meant for only priest - spitting on the Law as well!) Now, God judged him for his immorality and wicked act, and said "the sword will not depart from your house". The curse hid a blessing because there was bloodshed in David's lineage till Jesus came along and got killed as well - and overturned everything by ushering in the New Covenant and Testament after he DIED.
Now, back to the story of the lady. How does the story end?
I don't know. I don't know where she is, why she went through what she went through, why her babies died or if it was all meant to happen. I don't know if they died so she could have a "second chance" or if she would be bitter and taint them, and they would grow up to taint and destroy others and mess up some "patterns" in the divine tapestry. I don't know if she has learnt from the experience and if she is helping many along, or if she is a die-hard zealot or cult leader. Only one person knows all about her from when she was a zygote - God!
What's my point?
Judge softly, knowing that your judgment, to a large extent, will be in ignorance of all the variables that determine why scenarios and people are the way they are, that what you see is one moment in time and you do not know how things will turn out, especially in the end.
We are hardly ever privy to people's backgrounds, or their measures of grace in an area of life - and ALL of us have areas where we are weak and vulnerable. Don't get me wrong. Sin is sin. However, pointing out a spot and its dangers is very different from condemning the man who has spots - especially since you have your own spots as well. As scripture says "correct in the spirit of meekness". Don't deceive yourself or think for one second that you are perfect...in the flesh!
On the other hand, if someone clearly advocates sin, especially under the guise of godliness, "cry aloud, spare not" - and yet be aware that the blackest goat can one day shine as the most radiant sheep.
Strength and Honour
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