I literally believe the Gospel for myself daily! What, you don't? I need the Grace of God more today than ever before in my journey. Why? Because I am learning through the process of years of trials, temptations, pain, failures, temporary setbacks and plain old hardheadedness to trust moment by moment in the Gospel of Grace. Every time that I rely instead on the strength of my own 'religious' flesh, intellect, moral muscle or self-righteousness I am a nano second from Papa's 'woodshed' listed above.
"4. So, my friends, this is something like what has taken place with you. When Christ died he took that entire rule-dominated way of life down with him and left it in the tomb, leaving you free to "marry" a resurrection life and bear "offspring" of faith for God. 5 For as long as we lived that old way of life, doing whatever we felt we could get away with, sin was calling most of the shots as the old law code hemmed us in. And this made us all the more rebellious. In the end, all we had to show for it was miscarriages and stillbirths.
6 But now that we're no longer shackled to that domineering mate of sin, and out from under all those oppressive regulations and fine print, we're free to live a new life in the freedom of God."(Romans 7:4-6, Msg)
Question. Do you feel 'free' in the core of your being? Has your thirst for self-effort and controlling your own destiny been quenched? Are you through heaping shame and condemnation, as some sort of 'sick' religious penance upon yourself and others? Do you still compare yourself to other's journey, thinking them to be better or more dedicated than you? Is your standard of 'righteousness' higher than those 'poor' sinners around you? If you/I answered any of these questions with the faintest 'yes' then we are not 'free in Christ'.
And we may also be unsure of our Salvation. "Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you?" (Galatians 3:5, Msg)
Maybe Paul's experience mirrors yours?"The very command that was supposed to guide me into life was cleverly used to trip me up, throwing me headlong. 11 So sin was plenty alive, and I was stone dead. 12 But the law code itself is God's good and common sense, each command sane and holy counsel." (Romans 7: 10-12, Msg) "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience?" Yes. I'm full of myself - after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. 15 What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise".(Romans 7:14-15,Msg)
Are you done with lesser things? The Ten Commandments were only and always given to Moses to convince us that we need that something more that Jesus alone provides. The Law, as wonderful as it is, doesn't even hold a spiritual candle to the new and living way: which is the good news (New Covenant) of Grace. You can't warrant Grace and you certainly can't make a "decision" to try Grace instead of the Law.
"I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. 20 My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. 21 It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. 22 I truly delight in God's commands, 23 but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. 24 I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question? 25 The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different." (Romans 7: 19-25, Msg)

"Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the Cross was certainly set before you clearly enough." (Galatians 3:1, Msg)
"When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. 5 Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. 6 For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love." (Galatians 5:4-6, Msg)
"It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. 14 For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom." (Galatians 5:13-14, Msg)
"What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. 20 Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily." (Galatians 2:19-21, Msg)
As we believe the Gospel of Grace daily for ourselves we can, with great joy, drink deeply from the well of Salvation. Would you rather dig your own well to drink from? God forbid! There is only one well; Jesus.


Ron Ross