Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Andy Gill

Home
Progressive Christian
An Irreprehensible Kind of Grace…

An Irreprehensible Kind of Grace…

Last updated on: December 6, 2018 at 4:42 pm by Andy Gill

An Irreprehensible Kind of Grace… 2018-12-06T16:42:13-05:00 Andy Gill

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

An Irreprehensible Kind of Grace…

Something that might disturb ss “law-abiding-conservative-Chik-Fil-A-eating-evangelical-folk”…

I never fully understood grace.

I grew up in a conservative evangelical church, and have worked in only conservative evangelical churches, where the gospel was assumed and not necessarily displayed or talked about at large…

For Example:

If you went to a rated “R” movie
If you said a “That’s what she said” joke
If you dated instead of courted
If you even kissed a girl rather then kissed dating goodbye

…then you might be going to hell, not definitively, just possibly.

So needless to say, its taken me a while to understand grace.

But I think I’m at the beginning of getting it.

Since I stopped working at a church I feel like I’ve gotten closer to hearing God’s voice, saying:

I love you.

Thats it.

Thats all.

I love you.

Growing up it was hard for me to really believe in the concept of a God who will love me no matter what.

It was always, “Yes, God loves you unconditionally, BUT…”
“Yes, you can enter into a relationship as you are, IF…”
“It’s grace, AND…”

It’s taken a while but I’m coming to realize the gospel does not include any “IF’s, AND’s, or BUT’s”…

It’s not about the do’s and the don’ts, the rules, and the laws.

That’s what I love about Jesus. He was a rebel. He broke the rules. He stood up to the Pharisees. He HATED religion.

He made the statement, “I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it…” Meaning, we don’t need to abide to, and live by the law in order to earn, or gain His love and attention.

We already have it. Not just the pastors, not just the clean-cut, white collared, wealthy, or least sinful… We see this through whom Jesus hung around:

The drunkards, the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the people who were utterly despised at that time. The outcast, the destitute, the marginalized… Those who didn’t belong, and He offered them love, and attention, and a place in which they could belong.

Over the past few months, I’ve realized something. When I look at the state of the church today, even the ones I really like and the ones I have volunteered in… I don’t feel like I belong. Most of my friend’s feel as if they don’t belong either. You see… I drink, I curse, I will occasionally smoke a cigarette, and the craziest part of all of this is, I think Jesus is fine with that. In fact, something that might disturb us “law-abiding-conservative-Chik-Fil-A-eating-evangelical-folk” is that I think know Jesus goes so far as to loving me REGARDLESS of those things.

So hear this:

Jesus loves you if drink so much you pass out.

Jesus loves you if you take His name in vain.

Jesus loves you if you’re gay.

Jesus loves you if you’re eating at Chik-fil-a.

Jesus loves you regardless of where you are Sunday morning.

Jesus loves you!

I’ve always been that guy who speaks of God’s love, has preached about God’s love, but never fully grasped, understood, or experienced His love…

…until now.

I’m coming to realize “His love is an incomprehensibly vast, bottomless, shoreless sea” and that nothing can separate us from this love, leaving me with no choice but to, as A.W. Tozer says so poetically, “kneel in joyful silence and from which the loftiest eloquence retreats confused and abashed…”

If you let me see the real you, the dark and the light, your wretchedness and glory, your depravity and holiness, the ugly and beauty, I would find you to be wonderful

… And that is grace.

That is the Gospel.

You can follow Andy Gill on Facebook:

An Irreprehensible Kind of Grace...

Grace

Irreprehensible Grace

Previous Post

December 3, 2018

Is Salvation Dependent Upon Belief?

Next Post

December 15, 2018 Has the Christian God Become Indistinguishable from Santa Claus?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Books Buzzfeed Christian Church Church Culture Dating Dechurched eXvangelical Guest Post Humor Inspirational Justice LGBTQ Life Marriage Media Millennials Mini Post Monday Money Podcast Politics Race Reason Relationships Science Sex Socioeconomic Theology Theology Uncategorized Video Wednesday Youth Ministry

Select a Month June 2020 March 2020 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 January 2013 December 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What empire destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Assyrian Roman Greek Babylonian

Support this
Column