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Why big conflict big competition between Religious Christianity and Grace

May 10, 2023 • Nancy Teague • Episode 66

0:00 | 7:21

E66 Have you ever noticed the conflict and competition between religious Christianity’s gospel message and the message of the Gospel of pure Grace? What a contrast! Is Christianity the best of all religions in the world? No wait, Jesus actually nullified all religions! So why are there over 40,000 Christian denominations?! What does grace proclaim that religious Christianity can’t even understand? Hmm, why can’t it?

66E TRANSCRIPT Why big conflict big competition between Religious Christianity and Grace

www.crazygoodgod.org

Nancy Teague

nancy@crazygoodgod.org

May 9, 2023

Hi! Welcome to Crazy Good God podcast. I’m Nancy Teague and thanks for listening.

00:16 Have you ever considered the conflict and competition between religious Christianity and Grace? Of course, Grace is not in competition with anyone or anything, but it sure looks like it because there are over 40,000 different denominations each having their corner on who God is and how to relate to Him. Joseph Campbell, describes them this way, “There is no God but mine.”

This reminds me of Jesus’ offensive word to the Pharisees, “No one knows the Father but the Son.” Right then and there Jesus annihilated their religion, their sacrifices, their rituals, their works. Is Jesus still saying that today to “There is no God but mine.”?

01:07 Jesus did not come to start a religion Jesus came to reveal the Father, the intimate relationship of the Godhead, and Father Son Holy Spirit’s intimate relationship with us. Sadly, this is where the conflict begins because religious Christianity preaches a distant God and you have to do something to get in relationship with God.

Robert Farrar Capon (Episcopalian priest) explains the conflict -

“Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is the proclamation of the end of religion, not of a new religion, or even of the best of all religions. …If the cross is the sign of anything, it’s the sign that God has gone out of the religion business and solved all of the world’s problems without requiring a single human being to do a single religious thing. What the cross is actually a sign of is the fact that religion can’t do a thing about the world’s problems – that it never did work and it never will…”

02:21 The cross is the most profound declaration of GRACE. It is the fulfillment of Zechariah’s – ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit…who are you O great mountain...you shall become a plain…and the capstone brought forth with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” What does grace mean? HEB – favor, elegance. GR – kindness, disposed to, leaning towards for benefit, good-will. How powerful and effective is grace? Well, we just heard ‘Grace leveled a mountain and made it a plain’ – meaning Jesus’ finished work removed all humanity’s pride, self-effort, confusion, ignorance, falsehoods and made one new man! A plain – hmm, no favorites in God’s Kingdom.

03:14 The Word also says (and please look at the Scriptures in the Transcript) -

· God’s grace is sufficient in our weakness because our weakness and shortcomings totally release His power of unconditional love for humanity.

· Because ALL SINNED God JUSTIFIED ALL freely by HIS GRACE.

· Sin abounded, but grace abounded all the more! Sin can never outdo grace!

· Because God lavished upon us the riches of His grace there is forgiveness of all sin for all mankind.

· Everyone has received His fullness of grace upon grace and no one knew it!

· BEFORE TIME BEGAN all are saved and called with a holy calling by His purpose and GRACE. Yikes, GRACE WAS in effect BEFORE ANYONE SHOWED UP ON EARTH!

· The GRACE OF GOD that brings salvation APPEARED TO ALL men’ appeared Greek – to shine upon, literally visible, figuratively known, to give light - TO ALL!

· Grace – kindness – good-will was on the cross as God in Christ RECONCILED THE WHOLE WORLD not counting their trespasses against them. Look at that, sin abounded and grace abounded all the more!

04:41 Big contrast and conflict here - GRACE has NO qualifiers and totally inclusive vs Religion's grace has qualifiers and exclusive. How’s that? Well, Religion says ‘you are out until and this is how you make God happy’. Jesus says you’ve always been in, always loved, and Father Son Holy Spirit will never leave you nor forsake you. GRACE ABOUNDS!

05:10 Robert Farrar Capon puts grace in simple thoughts. Oh and by the way, when I first started learning about the fullness of grace I was like ‘well that can’t be’, ‘well that’s not fair’. Obviously, religion had done a number on me.

Capon says, “True grace is unlosable. Grace makes itself abound. There is no need and no way of making grace abound. The pure Gospel proclaims we are safe. The Gospel of grace is NOT you are safe provided…, or you are safe as long as…. True grace needs no additives. True grace must be drunk straight. Grace says you are home free before you even started.”

06:01 One more point – on competition between sin and grace. Religious Christianity’s gospel focuses on sin and guilt of course abounds which seems like sin is winning. Remember grace abounds more than sin. GRACE, GRACE IS SHOUTED TO THE MOUNTAIN and made a plain. In our seeable realm sure sin abounds, but in the foolishness of God’s wisdom lavish grace was given to all before time began. Jesus, Him crucified and resurrected, shows this to be true!

What about those who resist, deny, despise God? Well, His grace abounds to them and God can never forsake or leave even one made in His image. Capon said grace is absurd and offensive. Indeed. But, when you truly see grace you are speechless, humbled, overwhelmed at the kindness and goodness of God.

Until next Wednesday, Bliss to you and never forget God is absolutely crazy about you!

References: Richard Farrar Capon “The Mystery of Christ and Why We Don’t Get It”

Zech 4:6,7 2Cor 12:9 Rom 3:23,24 Rom 5:20 Eph 1:7,8 Jn 1:16 2Tim 1:9 Titus 2:11 2Coe 5:14,16,19 Rom 6:4 Heb 13:5 Jn 14:20 Jn 17:21-23 1Cor 1:20 2:7,8