Grace

While driving to the church today, I was listening to the local contemporary Christian Radio Station.  I know kinda expected for someone who is a minister.  But I will admit that there are times I rather listen to sports radio to hear the news on the Steelers or Pro Football moves.  So, this was a rare moment.  But enough of the tangent.  The thought they were passing on was about judgement.  

The announcer was talking about how a group of students were asked to think about the people they would never forgive.  As they made their list of people, potatoes were brought in to the room.  The students were to take and write the name of each person on the potato they were unwilling to forgive.  Then, they had to carry all the potatoes with names with them every where.  The students need to be careful where they left them (don't want anyone to find out who is not forgivable).  They also had to carry them every where.  That could get heavy.  Last, but not least, was the smell.  After a number of days the potatoes started to rot and smell bad.  

All of this was to point that it was "easier" to forgive than carry the weight of not.  But I was caused to think deeper.  We Christians tend to look at life in the perspective of self.  A great focus is place on Paul's teaching in the letters about grace alone being the source of salvation, not any work or action outside of faith.  Paul writes to the people of Ephesus:

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Now, I am a great believer and supporter in grace and not by works for salvation.  I whole hardheartedly proclaim with out doubt that there is nothing we can do for God to receive salvation and or forgiveness.  For my theological readers, I not not care which view of the atonement you want to take.  I am not proclaiming any specific view in this moment.   But, is there something more we as followers of Christ need to think about in the potato story.  It is a great illustration to impart how much easier forgiveness is than unforgiving someone.  But there is some grand spiritual implications in carrying that bag of potatoes.  Jesus was much harder on our position to forgive others.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

I hope we will grow into the faith that can do the Gospel message and be formed in fellow worker of the Kingdom demonstrating grace as we have received grace.  Maybe one day Christians will lose the stereotype of being judgmental.  The last one may take a while.