The seeming unshakeable drift

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:19-25 ESV)

 An understanding of the cross of Jesus, of the gospel, did something very peculiar in the days of the first Christians. When you read the book of Acts or Paul's epistles, can't you just feel this certain earnestness and honesty? An earnestness for people to know the all-surpassing joy of knowing Christ and a freedom to not hide. It's just an interesting thing ... That somehow that fear of being found out as the leper amongst the clean ... the fear of not being up to par with your peers goes into the ground and all the sudden is a freedom you've almost believed was too good to ever be true. The gospel of Jesus Christ ... knowing it, cherishing it, treasuring Jesus does something very peculiar with our relationships with all people. At least we know it ought to. When we read the scriptures and we see Paul systematically lay out the wickedness of man as well as a personal transcript of how his past should condemn him, we know that this power to be come out of hiding ought to be a mark of the Christian, but after that oh so sweet quiet time, we wonder what happened. But perhaps the fact that we still operate in our speech and action no differently than those who the scriptures would say are not alive but are dead in their trespasses and sins, is because we have trouble believing the essential message of Christianity. Maybe the fact that we know we are but cower back into fear is because we don't trust Jesus.

The "good news that brings joy" about being a Christian is that though it does not magically take away the fact that you're just as fragile and vulnerable as the next guy, understanding the cross of Jesus does free you up to unashamedly admit your inadequacy, your incompetency, your brokenness, the fact that you're unclean and that you can't fix you. Why? because the whole point of Christianity is that Jesus did what you and I could not. Because Jesus fulfilled the law with his life, died our death for sin and rose in triumph over its power to detain and claim us, the curse has been lifted, our sin done away with and atoned for. Jesus is our rest and our freedom. He is our great boast and hope. His blood is our voucher. He has fixed what we broke. He has restored what fractured. He has reconciled what our religious efforts could not. He brought us to God.

Oh that we might fight and claw to realize what God has made already made new (you and me), that we might live as those alive and not dead, that we might not cower back into fear in our weakness and fragile moments but draw near in faith.

God help us from the seeming unshakeable drift to the building a pretense of fortitude and prideful independence. Help our hearts believe the sufficiency of Christ's blood. Grant faith for our unbelief.

Don't be afraid oh my soul, draw near. He is for you. No charge can be brought. You're His. You hear that!? You're His!