Tuesday, November 18, 2014

God's grace can forgive our mistakes

Roy Harper: "Don't Abandon me." Oliver Queen: "Never."
If you are watching the tv series Arrow, this line is from season 3 episode 6, Guilty. Or if you haven't watched this episode yet, spoiler alert... kidding, there are no spoilers in this post :)



If you haven't noticed yet, I am a fan of Arrow. And honestly, I actually used this scenario as an illustration. Well, the series as a whole can't really be used as "moral illustrations" or "good things to follow", but these lines, or words actually mean more than just lines. So, yeah I used it as an illustration to show God's grace, forgiveness, love and mercy.

(I just want to write my thoughts, share what I'm thinking so please don't take this post [too] seriously and say mixing up secular and Christianity is wrong, or putting heavy theology on this post for relating it to a tv series. I just want to share some [life] lessons I learned and thought about. ) 



Sometimes in life, we will make mistakes. We will do wrong, and we will sin against God. The beauty of God's love and grace is that he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. He will not abandon us just because of one mistake. Roy Harper was in question of doing a mistake, the murder of their close friend in fact, but at the end of the episode, he wasn't kicked out of Team Arrow. Oliver did not quit on roy.

What I want to say is that, the same way, God does not quit on us. If we make a mistake in our job, tendency is we will be fired. When we make a mistake in our life, God is there to lift us up. We see the story of Abraham where he made a mistake by telling the kings of the land they went to that Sarah was his sister for him to be safe.. TWICE! And you know what, Isaac did the same with his wife rebecca. Like father, like son. But we see that God still fulfilled his promise to them, He did not say, "Welp, Abraham and Isaac made a mistake, better replace them with a better family tree." 
[Reading the Bible with Grace]

Now, if God is faithful and just to forgive us, love us despite of our shortcomings and mistakes and seemingly bad record, I hope that we as Christians could do the same with others. What would you do if one day your respected Pastor will suddenly confess and say "Church, I must admit that I was once a murderer. I served my time in jail, asked God for forgiveness and asked God 'Use me in the ministry'"
Would you leave the church? Would you see your Pastor less now that you know about his bad record? Or will you shout "Praise God! For his Amazing Grace!"

I want to say that we should also share grace to others. Yes it would be hard. A sacrifice in fact, and it would probably take patience and long-suffering and effort... great effort to lead a person to grow as a Christian. To lead that person to see God's goodness, love and grace. A good leader, will not abandon his team, replace when useless but will guide and show that he is a person in the team, not an object to be used. As fellow Christians in a church, we should encourage one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. [Read more about encouraging one another: Encourage one another

There are churches and Christians now that shuns or excommunicates people when they make a mistake. Instead of showing God's love and grace to them to somehow let them find God themselves, they push them away, hate and be angry at them and etc. Now what will happen? Of course the more that they will fall away from God. "So this is what a Christian is like... better get away from them crazy people as quickly as possible!"

I have seen Christians who grew up in the church fall away and don't attend church anymore. Of course various factors affect the situation, I can't say for sure about all their situations, and all that, but for some that I know, it would be like this. Because of the mistake and sin they did, the view of them changed and little effort was there to lift them up. They felt ashamed of their sin, and the church itself (some members) were of no help at all because judgy eyes were upon them. They grew up in the church and people talk, "What, so he grew up in the church.. how could he have done this!?" 

With this kind of mindset, it now becomes about being good people, and when you sin don't show your face ever again. Why can't we forgive and show love, grace and mercy the same way God did for us? Especially if the person is repentant and sorrowful because of what he has done. If God can forgive, why can't we? As a church, we help each other and build each other up, not destroy each other.

Disclaimer: With me talking about God's grace and love, I want to say that I am not advocating a life of sin because of God's grace. What I want to say is that our sin is gone, the chains binding us to do sin is gone, therefore... therefore, nothing is hindering us to do good, to be close to God, and nothing is stopping us to see God's goodness for us. We will make mistakes, but we also need to realize and repent for our sins. And don't go and say "Then I'll just go on with my sinful life.. don't worry I'll ask God for forgiveness, that's how He works anyway." No, No, No, No, No!
Consciously doing sin cannot be called a "mistake." So, don't go and twist God's grace and justify sin.

Because of the salvation we receive, we are free and our lives has a purpose. We can find meaning to life because of God. In season 2 episode 14, Tremors, this line was also mentioned.
Roy Harper: "Last year, you saved my life. And I don't mean from the guy who kidnapped me. I mean, you... You saved my life. You gave me purpose. "Oliver Queen: "We're just getting started." 

Now that we are saved, now what? Can I be useful to God? Will I serve God? Will I just attend a church? Can God even use me in the ministry? I have a bad record y'know..

Moses was a murderer, a stutter and for many times told God that he was unable to lead the hebrew people because he is not a leader, he can't talk and other reasons. Because of God's grace, we can be used by God in the ministry.

All in all, God's grace can forgive our sins and mistakes, and not only that, we can also be used in the ministry and in anything we do for God's glory.



If you want to read more about what you can do for God, read this blog post by another bloggerTo Do: Little or Much

2 comments:

  1. Good word! The Bible is full of stories of mended men, the men who wouldn't be mended, and the Mender of men. David was an adulterer and a murderer, Solomon was led astray by the gods of his many wives, Jacob was a liar, Lot offered his daughters to a crowd of men, Paul of Tarsus was a Pharisee and a murderer, Peter showed cowardice, the disciples were scattered at capture of Jesus. Yet, how much grace does God show? Of David, He says of him, here is a man whose heart is after mine. Of Solomon, a worthy prayer afforded him wisdom and wealth like no other king the world had known before him. Jacob, finally admitting his name and his sin, was renamed Israel through which the covenant of Abraham continues. Of Paul, a large contributor to the New Testament and an apostle to the gentiles. Peter, upon whom Christ built His church, after the resurrection declaring openly the Gospel among the men whom he initially feared. Each disciple went to the farthest places on earth to preach the Gospel and met their horrific ends so valiantly. As Paul says, "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God - be honor and glory foever and ever. Amen" (1 Timothy 1:17).

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  2. This is why studying God's Grace is so awesome! Instead of striving to be perfect, but being perfected through Christ Jesus

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