Devastating me with backward truth:
"Death arrives with the tolling of the bell;
You have been truly wicked from your youth!
"You are a sinner, saved by grace, but so?
Your sin is far too great for grace to grieve;
You have no hope, although you say 'credo';
It's not enough just simply to believe.
"You fail as a believer, as a friend,
You break and stumble at the slightest cause.
And you think God can love you? Here's your end!
Live your life recounting all your flaws!"
Oh, God! I need your swift rescue from me;
Save me from my lies and change my mind!
Give me renewed faith, and help me see
Your grace is greater than the sin I've left behind.
May the continual reminder lead us to repentance drawing us nearer to our God through our Saviour!
ReplyDeleteHave you studied 17th century poetry? I don't actually *study* it, but I do enjoy reading it. ;)
ReplyDeleteThis poem reminds me of those readings. Lovely.
Hi Jacqueline,
ReplyDeleteThat's a tough question to answer! I never "officially" studied 17th century poetry, but I have read a lot of poetry, and a lot of books that talk about poetry, so I suppose they've influenced me in quite a few ways.
Thanks very much. :)
^ Linda is a renaissance woman.
ReplyDeleteOnto the content:
Person A: kicks their dog,smacks his wife around,psychologically torments people, cuts people off while driving...generally a bad hombre. This person through has heard the gospel and is a believer=goes to heaven.
Person B: Gives away extra food, helps old ladies cross the street,donates time to the homeless...generally a good all around person, but lives on an island and has never heard gospel=goes to hell.
Salvation doesn't make sense.
No person who behaves the way person A does belongs to the Lord. The only way this person would, is if He repented and stopped doing those things. The power of God is stronger than death. The true marks of a Christian is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans Ephesians etc....A true born again person exhibits the behaviour of person B. She would be the one truly going to Heaven, as long as her good works were not to earn her way there but rather serving her Master in Love.
DeleteBy the way, the Gospel is a Spiritual reviving, done by God Alone. No man saves another. God awakens many who have never even heard of Him.
This is the Gospel.
People can be a believer and still be fundamentally bad. A slave owner may be saved and heaven bound. Belief in God rarely changes a leopards spots.
DeletePerson B's actions would be dirty rags no matter how good she was :O. If a person had no idea that Jesus even existed then how could they be saved? They would have no understanding of his message nor his sacrifice.
"By the way, the Gospel is a Spiritual reviving, done by God Alone."
I thought it was the holy spirit :O
I was just pointing out that in regards to salvation a "good person" could go to hell and a bad one to heaven. Which makes salvation illogical.
"People can be a believer and still be fundamentally bad."
DeleteWhat do you mean by a believer? Someone with a platonic "belief" in the existence of God, or someone with a relationship with Jesus Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, adopted by the Father? Belief in God may not change a leopard's spots, but a relationship with God does. The reality of that comes not from our belief, but from the object of our belief - our faith doesn't save us. We have faith in the God who saves us. We have faith in response to the change He makes in us. So no, a believer cannot still be *fundamentally* bad - they are a new creation. Though believers may fall into sin and hurt others, or even be "worse people" than the average kind grandmother who gives to charity and bakes cookies for all the neighbour kids, they rely not on their own righteousness, but on Christ's. All the badness and all the self-reliant goodness that is within me has been nailed to the cross.
There are many stories to consider on this subject. One of the greatest is that of John Newton, who was not only a slave owner but a slave trader and murderer. His spots were most definitely changed. He wrote a song called "The Look" that shows our need and Christ's mercy fully displayed.
I saw one hanging on a tree
In agony and blood
Who fixed His loving eyes on me
As near His cross I stood
And never till my dying breath
Will I forget that look
It seemed to charge me with His death
Though not a word He spoke
My conscience felt and owned the guilt
And plunged me in despair
I saw my sins His blood had spilt
And helped to nail Him there
But with a second look He said
“I freely all forgive
This blood is for your ransom paid
I died that you might live”
Forever etched upon my mind
Is the look of Him who died
The Lamb I crucified
And now my life will sing the praise
Of pure atoning grace
That looked on me and gladly took my place
Thus while His death my sin displays
For all the world to view
Such is the mystery of grace
It seals my pardon too
With pleasing grief and mournful joy
My spirit now is filled
That I should such a life destroy
Yet live by Him I killed
Person B's actions do not merit salvation because they are not done in perfect holiness and righteousness. She relies on her good works, which do not save. She relies on her personal sacrifice, which does not save. You can be as good as good can be, but you have a fundamental brokenness and corruption. Go to Jesus. He alone can save, for He alone was neither broken nor corrupt - yet He allowed Himself to be broken on the cross for the sake of those who put their trust in Him. Why would you neglect this great salvation?
"I thought it was the holy spirit"
The Holy Spirit is a Person of the Godhead. Don't be so facetious. ;)
"I was just pointing out that in regards to salvation a "good person" could go to hell and a bad one to heaven. Which makes salvation illogical."
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)
:3
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