William Wilberforce, a man who fought for the freedom of slaves, whom the some refused to acknowledge as “people”. He was a man of amazing faith and amazing courage, but what is so amazing about grace that he fought for the chained? Only to be rejected and scorned by others? Only to be called as the potential terminator of the established economic system? Calvin is not a great guy like Wilberforce or any of the other slave abolitionists, but he knows the same theme that unites him and the abolitionists – GRACE.
You may scorn at the slave traders and those who approved of them, you have the right to do so because you are a slave yourself. Slave to the education system that chains you to the doctrine that you must be up to certain level in a particular examination to prove you are clever. Slave to views that beauties must be slim. Slave to Christians who preaches “Love your enemies” but who hate you. Slave to people who wants to control your life, setting legalistic rules for everything you do. Slaves are we all, aren’t we?
We are nothing more than slaves and many wants FREEDOM. Just like there are slave abolitionists, there is GRACE. Grace is love unconditional, unconditional to all no matter who you are, what you have done. Grace has its scandal too, it is not fair, it makes you the first one to say sorry even you are right, even when you need not to say it. Forgiving and asking for forgiveness is the hardest, unnatural act that human has the ability to do. Your inner instinct says it has to be eye for eye, even it means that every one goes blind. It has to be fair. The majority of the speakers that day refused to say sorry and the slaves themselves have a hard time to reconcile to people who beat and torture them. The slaves themselves will have the thought why a White would care about them. There is the scandal of grace.
Grace does not come from humans who are born with that dog-eat-dog instinct and not dog-forgive-dog. When I say what unites Calvin and Wilberforce is grace, grace did not come from them, nor they are very grace-full.
Many “Christians” are not that grace-full, if not down right a disgrace to a whole lot of people. It was so called “Christians” who opposed Wilberforce. It was so called “Christians” who supported the Holocaust, the mass killing of Jews during the Nazis. It was so called “Christians” who waged war against the East during the Crusades. It was so called “Christians” who force the Gospel down people’s throat ignoring all the objections people have. It was so called “Christians” who thinks the world must revolve around them with the ethics on abortion, euthanasia and homosexuality. “Christians” are mostly a den of self righteous “Holier-Than-Thou”s who make those who already feel terrible become worst. Modern Pharisees.
And sometimes that includes Calvin.
However, many are those who dispense grace. Wilberforce was one of them. Those German Christians who ask for forgiveness from the Polish and Jews after the end of Nazism were one of them. Those Confederate States that fought in the American Civil War to free the slaves in the south are one of them. Christians who invite you to a Christmas dinner without you having to fork out money is one of them. Christian Fellowships in school which collects no fees for its activities and welcomes every one to join regardless of who you are. Those Christians who showed care for you without hoping anything in return is one of them.
God’s grace, God’s unconditional love to them is what sparks them to show grace.
I’m not going to choke the Gospel (or Jesus Freak stuff) down in your throat. I just want to tell you of a story so you know there is something called grace. God penned down the first love story in creation. And just a few days He got dumped. Dumped, not dump. His finest creation, namely human, tried to live on his own and find other lovers only to get dumped. The dump get dumped. Serves them right! Fair enough! Ask all the being dumped people and they will agree. Then, grace steps in. It’s the most unfair stuff and does not guarantee whether humans will come back. Like a lovesick parent, God says to humans, I still love you…
God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 5:20-21]
And the price of grace is not cheap, all the other lovers notably Sin wanted a pay back. Sin is “I don’t want God”. God was so merciful, willing and “cruel” sent His one and only Son to pay that price. By death.
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. [Ephesians 1:7]
God is rather stupid right for many of us, to save and love back those who dumped Him. But that is what God is. God is love. His love overwrites everything. His arms of love is open there right for us to return. He is willing to forgive but many are not willing to be forgiven. They work their way back with excuses and rituals so they can earn that forgiveness. After all nothing comes if there is no hard work. Just believe seems too good to be true and not fair and not deserving. To be fair and deserving, God have to send humans away from him, far far away… so these unloving humans will not make Him not love.
God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 5:20-21]
And the price of grace is not cheap, all the other lovers notably Sin wanted a pay back. Sin is “I don’t want God”. God was so merciful, willing and “cruel” sent His one and only Son to pay that price. By death.
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. [Ephesians 1:7]
God is rather stupid right for many of us, to save and love back those who dumped Him. But that is what God is. God is love. His love overwrites everything. His arms of love is open there right for us to return. He is willing to forgive but many are not willing to be forgiven. They work their way back with excuses and rituals so they can earn that forgiveness. After all nothing comes if there is no hard work. Just believe seems too good to be true and not fair and not deserving. To be fair and deserving, God have to send humans away from him, far far away… so these unloving humans will not make Him not love.
We all are fuckers, but God loves us all. Graceless comments will appear in my blog and hundreds of hate mails will fill my hotmail for that fully spelled, un-asterisk F word. But that word describes us all exactly. We are the ones who dumped him to become adulterers. We are the ones to be hated. We are the ones to be called stupid.
Well, if you find it hard to forgive me for my 'petty' mistakes in using my language about your misconducts and all, think about how difficult it should be for God to forgive you just like that, forgive all your sins, how much you have wronged him, and not only that, He made an incredible effort even to sent His own Son down to Earth to die for your misconducts towards Him!! ....But no, it's not difficult for Him at all to forgive you. He still has His arms of love opened up for you to come back to His side. He loves you still, after all this time you've forgotten Him every single day of your life.
Well, God is for those who think they are horrible, who think they are nothing, who think they need someone to depend on. Many don’t need God, but when you do need it, consider God’s grace…
Each time he [Christ] said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” [2 Corinthians 12:9]
Just one last song to share with you all… For Christians, it’s a time to reflect back what you have lost when you just babble those words of the song. For all, it’s a song to tell you that you have hope when you need one.
Amazing Grace
Performed by Chris Tomlin and Wilberforce University Choir
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace
The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures
[Chorus x2]
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine
Ending with the last verse in the Bible, Revelation 22:21:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
The Amen, the “I agree” is up to you add, for the original Greek Bible ends with all.
