GRACE TO GRACE - A song from Hillsong

If love endured that ancient cross
How precious is my Saviour’s blood
The beauty of heaven wrapped in my shame
The image of love upon death’s frame

If having my heart was worth the pain
What joy could You see beyond the grave
If love found my soul worth dying for

How wonderful
How glorious
My Saviour’s scars
Victorious
My chains are gone
My debt is paid
From death to life
And grace to grace

If heaven now owns that vacant tomb
How great is the hope that lives in You
The passion that tore through hell like a rose
The promise that rolled back death and its stone

If freedom is worth the life You raised
Where is my sin, where is my shame
If love paid it all to have my heart

How wonderful
How glorious
My Saviour’s scars
Victorious
My chains are gone
My debt is paid
From death to life
And grace to grace

When I see that cross I see freedom
When I see that grave I’ll see Jesus
And from death to life I will sing Your praise
In the wonder of Your grace

I’m sharing this song from Hillsong with you because it speaks volumes about what life is truly all about and it puts us in a place of accountability. What do I mean with that? It puts us in a place of looking at something that has been done for us, in our favor, completely underserved, whether we know it or not, that has liberated us, freed us, pardoned us, forgiven us and changed our status in the justice system. But let me make this clear. I am not talking about this world’s justice system. No, not even close. Our system is so flawed, untrustworthy, corrupted, bias, etc. No, not this system at all. What I am talking about is the cosmic, heavenly, divine, Holy, perfect and unfallible justice system of our Creator, our God, the King, the Ruler, the absolute authority in the universe, beyond time restriction and limitations, the Righteous Judge!!!

In His system, we are doomed, broken, lost, hopeless, guilty, condemned and sentenced to death. Absolutely no good deed, no good work, no good thing that we could come up with would ever be good enough, could ever satisfy the punishment, the verdict, the sentence that our disobedience, sin and rebellion have earned. The wages of sin, any sin, all sin, is DEATH! That is how the system works. Yours and mine works of “good behavior, going to church, doing the right things, not drinking, swearing, gossiping, generosity by giving, being a good person, working hard, etc” will never be enough.

God’s system doesn’t work that way. And thank Him for that!!! In an of ourselves we cannot fix what our disobedience has brought on us. We cannot earn anything. Freedom, salvation, being absolved. No, nope, no way!

His word says that our good deeds are like “filthy rags”. The word used here for filthy rags is not a pretty picture. The word filthy is a translation of the Hebrew word iddah, which literally means “the bodily fluids from a woman’s menstrual cycle.” The word rags is a translation of begged, meaning “a rag or garment.” Therefore, these “righteous acts” are considered by God as repugnant as a soiled feminine hygiene product.

So, what hope do we have? Why do I say that thank God that in His system these works, deeds, won’t work?

Because that allows for the awesome display of His true nature, His true character and His identity!!!

He is unfailing love. Unconditional love. Underserved grace. Underserved forgiveness. And He offers all of these things to us. Freely. Because of His love.

The only problem is that most of us have not known this, believed this, embraced this and own this. We live our lives unaware that everything that needed to be done to get us back into relationship with God, which is the ultimate purpose of our very own existence, has been done. That we cannot save ourselves. That we have been granted and given the salvation, the pardon, the forgiveness and the freedom from the curse, the condemnation, the verdict, the sentence and the punishment.

What we don’t understand is that this gift, even though is free, needs to be embraced, accepted, welcomed, wanted and lived out, used!

His love is available to us today. His freedom. His life!!! But we need to reach out and grab it, make it ours, believe it, and live it out. And that means letting go of the one old, broken, sinful, filthy, hopeless, lost and dead life we live now. I’d say it is a great exchange, don’t you think?

What about our lives right now, without experiencing life and life to the fullest, is worth hanging onto?

Let’s respond to this amazing pursuit and let His life blossom in ours!!!