Spring elates me. This morning as I drove down the Taconic and observed the blooming flowers and budding trees, I reflected on what a privilege it is to be alive and to be able to appreciate the wonders of spring, of existence. This is an amazing gift for which we owe God unlimited gratitude.
But we are often ungrateful and ask whether this is all there is! If this is all there is, it is quite a lot. We certainly deserve no more. This is what makes the grace of God so wondrous. He loves us and grants, without regard to what we might “deserve”, salvation.
How can humans even imagine talking about “deserving” anything from God? Nobody is entitled to anything from God. You don’t even deserve to exist or to know that you exist, and that you do is an amazing gift even without more.
It is especially troublesome when humans reckon that they have earned through their own efforts some particular boon from God. I have known folks who claim that the recitation of a formulaic prayer gets them a ticket to eternal life in heaven. Others claim that their “clean” living earns them a seat at the celestial table. Others claim that their choice of religious expression does the trick. Nothing a human can do makes him any more deserving of anything from God. God gives freely out of grace, not out of any obligation imposed on Him by ritual magic.
What is the sin that condemns us in the absence of redeeming grace? It is the sin of being human. It is not that we are especially undeserving; it’s that deserving has nothing to do with anything. We don’t deserve spring, but here it is in all its glory. Let us rejoice in it and be glad.
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1 comment:
It's so refreshing to run across across a blog written by someone who has retained their mental acuity. I enjoyed reading your post, thank you!
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