Rarely Radical..

I am rarely radical when it comes to political beliefs in the Christian world, I believe Christianity was intended to be relational, not political and should be caught and embraced rather than taught and trained. However, every so often I see or read something that lights a spark inside of me and I just might express my perspective! This happens to be one of those times…

I don’t believe in nitpicking with other believers regarding topics of preference simply because it doesn’t matter but, sometimes we all need to be redirected to a point of truth and not personal preference. (Yes, I call it personal preference because in all actuality, most often our “standards of Christianity” hold no biblical bearing on salvation; therefore they are a matter of preference, not truth.)

There is one truth, and that is the Word of God, everything outside of that can be opinion or preference, but not truth. To make myself completely clear, I do not disregard Pastors, preachers or teachers who find revelation in the scripture. That is not my intention. God will speak to people and through people, however, it will always align itself with His word and when it doesn’t, that is a preference from man and not a revelation from God.

My issue is when preference outranks truth and then both believers and non- believers are mislead into a false idea of salvation and Christianity.

If abstaining from jeans, makeup, earrings & jewelry had any bearing on your salvation, then the crucifixion of Jesus Christ would have been done in vain and irrelevant to believers today.

There is nothing you can do (or not do for that matter) that will bring you closer to or further from Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You are saved by grace, not good works, public appearance or tiring rules, rituals or religious practices. A desperate attempt to create a reachable standard minimizes the greatness of God and His perfect plan of redemption for all mankind. To call the clothes someone wears to church unholy, the color nail polish they choose demonic or the jewelry they wear provocative without ever evaluating your own heart and intentions regarding these judgments is foolishness. I am certain that Jesus is much more concerned with the condition of our hearts, rather than the clothes on our backs.

It honestly saddens me when I hear of these sorts of beliefs systems. Systems so self- centered that they mock the very sacrifice that was made at the cross by thinking there is ANYTHING that can be done in order to be saved. I believe that it is our deepest desire to be “safe” and KNOW we are in right standing that leads us to create our own guidelines for Salvation and in turn steering others into a false idea of faith, not with the intention to be deceitful, rather a product of personal desperation.

I wonder what it would look like if the church would stop its tireless attempts to deflect the bad and began a diligent pursuit of good… I wonder if in that pursuit of righteousness and justice believers would find true peace in the presence of God and no longer attempt to create a salvation of their own.

My heart is heavy for this situation, and I would say to both the believer and non- believer alike, YOU ARE ENOUGH. Jesus died for YOU, your sins, your short comings and every mistake you would ever make. This is not a license to do wrong, but a release to live free. There is nothing you can do to separate yourself from God, there is nothing you can do to earn (or keep) your salvation other than simply BELIEVING. Release yourself from the yoke of slavery, once and for all. You are free. Free to live in Jesus Christ. You are no longer bound by sin. YOU ARE FREE, for who the SON (not rules or rituals) sets FREE, IS FREE INDEED.