Ignited by the Infinite

While I do plan to use this blog to share stories and experiences of my time in Zambia, I must confess that I have an ulterior motive in my writing here. I plan to (shamelessly) use this blog to share with its readers that which I have come to know as truth- the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And so you should be forewarned that amidst the pictures of the most adorable kids you have ever seen and in between the updates of daily life here in Zambia, you can be sure to find theological ramblings of all sorts. The only way I can legitimize the keeping of this blog (and especially the time spent on its upkeep) is if it points to the truth of God found in Scripture, and so I pray this particular post, and others like it, be useful to that end.

I wrote earlier this week out of a frustration with my own limits. You see, although I really wish I could be, I will never be enough to meet the needs of the people around me. Their need is just too great, and I am simply not great at all. I am just a girl, and from the Zambian perspective, just a silly white girl at that.

The good news is that I am actually not the point- never have been, never am, and never will be. In His grace and mercy, God chose to reveal to me through His word my own insignificance and ineptitude long ago; long before I ever came to Africa. My coming here was not based on all the things I could do, nor all the talents I could use, nor all wisdom I had to offer. My coming here was solely based on the revelation of the infinitely holy God.

Though I have gotten to talk with many of you about your own faith and spirituality, I don't know the opinions most of you hold on who God is or what He is like. And though I would love to hear what you think, the reality of the matter is that only God, Himself gets to say who He is. His is the only opinion that actually matters. And all throughout His word, He is named by Himself and His people with a simply profound word- holy. A specifically powerful instance-

"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!"
Revelation 4:8

The Word says that right now, there are angels and creatures sitting around the throne of God (wherever that may be) singing this phrase over and over and over again. They don't get tired of it. They don't wish they were doing something else. They are not bored with their jobs. They stand before the Lord and call Him holy because there is nothing else for them to do in His presence. When faced with the eternal and infinite God, these are the only words they can muster up- He is that holy.

Can you imagine if you actually stood amongst those angels and creatures before the throne? What would it feel like? What would you say? What will you do when you actually stand before the eternal, infinite, holy God?

Even trickier question- what will He say to you? What will He say about the life you lived on earth? Will He be pleased? Or will He be dis-pleased?

Here's the thing- it's not actually a hypothetical situation. Each of us will actually have to stand before this Holy God one day-

" And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."
Revelation 20:12-13

Here's another thing- this passage says that we will be judged according to our works. I know that contemporary Protestant theology would explain this passage in a lot of different ways- but what if we just took that passage to mean exactly what it says? What if, when we stand before God on that final day, we actually are judged according to our works?

I italicize the word because it seems to have become quite taboo in our contemporary Christian culture. Maybe it's because we like "grace" so much- it seems we like the idea of being saved and upheld by "grace" alone- it means we don't have to change very much about our sinful habits. We seem to have these it-doesn't-matter-what-I-do-because-I-have-"grace"-to-clean-up-after-me attitudes, assuming that "grace" is some sort of magic eraser of our numerous flaws.

There is a problem with this kind of "grace," however- it's based on a definition of grace that I cannot seem to find in Scripture. Grace, when I have come across it in the Bible, certainly does forgive us our sin when we by no means deserve it. It's more than that, though- it not only allows for forgiveness, but it empowers us to act faithfully and obey God's commands in the future. It is the very thing that enables our faith and works of obedience. And so, while we are certainly saved by grace alone and therefore do not merit it, our single response to that saving grace must have two aspects- faith and works. Or as James would say-

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
...faith apart from works is dead."
James 2:14, 26

(I'll stop for now, because let's be honest, I'm tired of writing, and I know you are tired of reading. Expect a Part Two finale soon...)