Grace: An Irreligious Revolution

Описание: Grace is God's end-run around religion to reach us directly with his unconditional love. Grace means God wants to give us as a gift everything religion is trying but failing to do. Grace puts religion out of a job.

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Grace means “gift”.

Instead of the reward/punishment, caret/stick approach to behaviour modification, God banks on this idea – that if we realize just how much God loves us, that realization will change our hearts and make us want to live good lives.

Grace is a holy hand grenade that Jesus lobs into the machinery of religion.

Religious systems — ancient and modern — tend to do a few predictable things.
They create insiders and outsiders.
They reward conformity.
They protect the reputation of the institution.
They translate spirituality into measurable behaviors and rituals.

That’s why religious leaders consistently felt threatened by Jesus, but “sinners” felt safe around him. People crushed by the system feel oxygen return to their lungs.

EXPLAIN the concept
INVESTIGATE the Scriptures
APPLY to our lives

From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
~ The apostle John (John 1:16-17)

The leaders of the early Jesus movement called the gospel “the good news of God’s grace” and “the word of his grace” (Acts 20:24, 32).

“The good news of God’s grace” / “The word of his grace” (Acts 20:24, 32)

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
~ JESUS (Matthew 5:3)

• The opening of the Sermon on the Mount
• The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard / Gracious Landowner (Matthew 20)
• The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15)
• The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13)
• Miracles as tastes of grace.

Water to Wine VS Water to Blood.

Grace is given through the crucifixion of Christ.

The last sacrifice. The End of Religion.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
~ The apostle Paul (Romans 3:23-24)

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
~ The apostle Paul (Romans 5:8)

This challenges all transactional religion. If I’m good, God moves closer. If I fail, God withdraws. NO!

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ The apostle Paul (Romans 6:23)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
~ The apostle Paul (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Grace is the great leveler. The adulterer, thief, and murderer are saved by the same grace as Mother Theresa.

If grace puts religion out of a job, then Christians get to be those people do spiritual things for celebration rather than salvation.

Faith = trusting its true

Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.
~ Mark Twain

Faith looks at the evidence and comes to the conclusion that love is the highest ideal, personhood is greater than non-personhood, and therefore, behind this universe is personhood.

Faith looks at the life and teachings of Jesus and reasonably concludes that he is getting his best material from some supernatural source.

Next steps…
1. PRAY – God if you’re out there, I want to know you.
2. LEARN – Investing time in someone is an act of faith.
3. GATHER – Talk with others on this journey.
4. BEWARE – Graceless Christianity ain’t the faith Jesus started.

Catholicism can drift toward sacramental gatekeeping.
Evangelicalism can turn grace into a doctrinal badge instead of a lived reality.
Progressive Christianity can turn justice language into a new purity culture.

Grace challenges all of it. Grace refuses to let identity be earned.

Grace also creates dangerous communities. You can’t easily control people who aren’t driven by fear or status. You can’t manipulate people who know they’re already loved.

So grace is not just a doctrine. It’s a revolution against every system that tries to barter for God’s blessing.

It dismantles moral ladder-climbing, identity by achievement, and control by fear.

Grace is freedom.