God is Scandalous

scandalous |ˈskandl-əs|adjectivecausing general public outrage by a perceived offense against morality or law

God seems to be pretty familiar with public outrage. Israel in the Old Testament always seemed to be discontent or upset about God's decisions; prophets and men of God would disobey Him to serve their own desires; Christ was driven out of synagogs and temples when He began preaching; Paul was beaten, tortured, arrested, and put on house arrest because He would not stop proclaiming Christ; "Merry Christmas" will send people today into a tizzy; there is a bad habit among some Christians to make the Gospel appear safe as to not offend anyone; "Religion" is a topic considered taboo at dinners. To us, God is scandalous, and I think that's the way He intended it to be.

The most scandalous part about Him, for me, is His grace. That is, His free and unmerited forgiveness towards me. For whatever reason, that just doesn't seem right. But it is right. At the end of the day, I think that it is fear that compels me to feel that way.

My roommate, Ashley, attended a Biblical Counselor's conference at her church. One of the speakers was Tullian Tchvidjian, Billy Graham's grandson. She came home super-excited about what he had spoken about - God's grace. There is a lot that I copied down, but, in the effort to keep things moving, I'm just going to share the parts that really struck me.

Tullian's main point was that churches do no preach grace as outlandish and radical as it is because we are afraid of it. The church has maintained this posture of, "Yes, grace, but..." and that posture has kept moralism and legalism alive and well. We have forgotten what Paul wrote in Ephesians:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

What is so interesting to me is even when we have been brought back into a relationship with God, where we can get to know Him, become more like Him, and walk with Him, we seek to repay Him. The law that we have been set free from, we turn back to as a means of paying off a debt that we think we owe. We chase freedom by either seeking to keep all of the rules or seeking to break all of the rules. At the end of the day, both of these reactions are legalism. We forget that God has done everything. When Christ said, "It is finished," (John 19:30), He didn't mean that there was still work for us to do. It. Is. Finished.

For me, this is the hardest thing to accept. I am afraid of His grace. It doesn't make sense, it doesn't fit what I know, and it certainly doesn't look like anything that I see practiced on earth. I tend to be drawn toward an imaginary check-list that I, for whatever reason, think God has for me. For the longest time, I thought that my justification (God looking at me and seeing the price that Christ paid, not the debt that I could not pay) hinged upon doing things. Praise God that He has completely changed my heart. Now, the things that I do and do not do are in response to what He has done and His unconditional love for me. The things that He has laid out for us, I want to do. As Tullian Tchvidjian said, "The impulsion to do good can only come from this undomesticated declaration that everything has already been done. Those who obey more are those who understand their standing with God is not based on their obedience, but Christ's obedience."

My prayer is that conversations happen in Belgium. Deep conversations, one where we can talk about God's character. Where we can talk about His grace. How Christ is the point of Christianity, not just His life, not just His death, not just what He taught. He is all of it. We will have lots of train rides, plane trips, track meets, and time in the hostel to make new friends. I pray that the Lord gives us hearts of compassion for those who don't know Christ. I pray that the Lord helps us listen first and then respond. I pray that we seek God when questions are asked and trust Him to give us the answers. We are merely His microphones that He will speak through. I also pray that we never forget that this is not just an international trip or a few extra meets to stay in shape. Those things are the tools by which God has blessed us to take His message to the nations.