OVERCOMING FEAR-BASED FAITH WITH GRACE
I had a weird childhood.
One of my earliest memories was sitting on the sidelines of an intense adult Sunday School debate about whether Judas Iscariot went to Heaven.
My little Jesus-loving heart couldn’t take the suspense. If someone who knew Jesus so well betrayed him, couldn’t I?
Where had Judas slipped up? I needed to know so I wouldn’t meet the same cliffhanger fate.
I spent decades “crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s” of God’s commandments out of sheer terror.
What if I cussed and didn’t repent before Jesus came back?
How many times could I say “I’m sorry” and still be forgiven?
Fear-based obedience set me up for a lifetime of performance anxiety, failure, and shame. I learned to keep my distance from God.
That’s the craziest part of growing up in church—we can “know” the Gospel in our heads, but not experience the Good News in our hearts.
Maybe it’s because the Gospel message is too familiar.
The dictionary definition of “familiar” uncovers the problem.
familiar (adj.): possibly known.
We don’t think it’s possible.
We don’t think it’s possible for Jesus to know our deepest, darkest secrets and still extend His grace.
We don’t think it’possible to know Jesus for this long and not be better than we are.
But everything is possible with God.
Jesus sent this scaredy-cat, self-righteous Sunday School girl to Bible study one day and changed her life with these Words:
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
Wait. What? Talk about a game-changer!
Sometimes we get so used to the Good News that we forget the bad news that came first:
We can’t save ourselves. It’s humanly impossible.
Once we face the bad news again, we’re ready to receive the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a brand-new way.
God made the impossible possible through the sacrifice of Jesus, His Only Begotten Son.
In love, Jesus laid down His life for you before you could love Him back.
The King of Glory left the riches of Heaven before you earned a single, shiny gold star.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Love like that draws you close; it doesn’t push you away.
God’s love inspired John Newton, former slave trader turned freedom fighter, to pen the song, “Amazing Grace”—a song I never fully understood until the day I realized how hopeless my own “righteousness” was.
“Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.”
Unlike Newton, Judas Iscariot didn’t turn to Jesus for forgiveness. He avoided God and tried to fix sin on his own, forfeiting the lavish grace of God.
But Jesus shed His blood so you can call on Him and experience this amazing grace deep in your bones.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13
“Everyone” means YOU, struggling Sunday School girl with a Jesus-loving heart.
“Everyone” means YOU, prodigal son trying to earn his way back home.
The Good News is that the grace that saved us is the grace that carries us back to Jesus again and again.
The righteous live by faith, not fear.
Let’s boldly approach the throne of grace.