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Author: james bruce mcnaughton
I became Seriously Mentally Ill at age 18, ten years later I got and took the right meds, I accepted Jesus, and my recovery began.
Grace is not a free pass to sin, you will regret your sin
Hebrews 10:26-27 (NASB95)
26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.
Hebrews 10:28–29a (NIV)
28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot . . . ?
Hebrews 10:30–31 (ESV)
30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
My experience with “presuming upon God’s grace” was horrific. I not only later received the “natural consequences” of my actions (which were negative enough), I experienced the immediate “terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”
Though the horror of the “expectation” was real I did not experience the judgement I “expected.” At that moment of sin I expected to be rejected by God and go to hell. And He gave me no indication at that moment that that would not happen. I experienced the expectation of the fury of the flames of hell.
It was a “fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
I begged God to forgive me and not send me to hell. At that moment I realized I was not going to hell. I was trembling. My assumption that I could “sin without consequence” was replaced by reverent fear of God the Holy One and fear of sinning against Him.
Though I “deserved” to be punished “much more severely” God’s mercy saved me from my sin, His unlimited mercy triumphed over judgement of me.
Rather than being cast into hell I was taught a lesson and saved. You are welcome to judge my experience any way you like but I now fear “presuming upon God’s grace,” I have not “presumed” again, and I will meet you in heaven.
Disallowing Disagreement
(In the following quote Ravi Zacharias is addressing, in my understanding, “Political Correctness” on university campuses and our increasing tendency to disallow disagreement. – Jim McNaughton)
“More sadly, this secular approach to truth has even seeped into the Church. We fear doubt because doubt means that disagreement is near, and disagreement is dangerous and therefore must be suppressed before it can do any damage. Hence, at the first sign of doubt, we fight or we flee. Instead of being “merciful to those who doubt” (Jude 22), we have labeled them as dangerous and have either dismissed them by not creating a space for them to ask their questions or demonized them by treating doubt as a moral failure.
To this I would add only that it is not by mere questioning that we arrive at the truth, but rather by questioning that is taken seriously in the context of community and responded to with gentleness and respect.”
Zacharias, Ravi. Jesus Among Secular Gods (pp. 215-216). FaithWords. Kindle Edition.
I disagree with the Wesleyan Church.
I presented my disagreement to a leader and that I was going to share what I believed with others. I was told to remain silent or not to stay joined to the church. (I had been a member for over 30 years). The reason? A leader’s fear of me and my disagreement endangering what he said was the “love and unity of the church.”
Love and unity are not found in conformity.
Love and unity are found in mutual: seeking wisdom from Jesus in prayer, respectful listening, discussion, learning from each other, and collaborative problem-solving, under-girded by a commitment to a common Lord.
Not in suppression of disagreement.
I AM for You! 