I never thought I would be so sick of hearing the word "change", but I am. I am sick of slogans proclaiming change, politicians promising change and in a way I am weary of the changes taking place in everyday life. There are always changes and many are unavoidable but I typically don't do well with change. I like the familiar and comfortable. I like things to run smooth and even rather predictable.
However, one of the most important places I have experienced change is in my faith. It began years ago when we began attending a "grace based" church and it has taken me on a wonderful journey of growth and change.
I began my faith journey in a legalistic-leaning-toward-fundamentalist church. We were taught and I believed that I had to do all these things to gain God's favor and then to keep Gods favor. I believed that I had to keep my sin accounts short and confess every sin, lest I die with some unconfessed and spoil my rewards in heaven. I also believed that I would be judged someday by God; that my life would be played out on a big screen for all the world to see what a horrible sinner I am, casting shame and that I would somehow fall short of the best spot in heaven. I was a performance oriented Christian.
By Gods grace I found truth. I learned the truth about what it means to be in Christ, redeemed, justified and sanctified. I am no longer laboring under the weight of "doing" as a Christian, I am "being" a Christian and enjoying the life I have in Christ.
The entire focus of all this is Christ. I know that might sound nutty, like "duh" but there is much about the church that is not focused on Christ these days.
Those religions that tell unsuspecting people that they must do something to be accepted by God (and then it is only a possibility according to their doctrine). So my skepticism on the current state of the "church" is warranted I think.
So when I find truth out there, that preaches Christ and He is central in their gospel, and HE is enough I am thrilled!
With all the changes in my life, it is such a comfort to know that God never changes. In spite of man's attempts to alter His Truth, the Word of God - unperverted- goes forth.
It is not true that all truth is God's truth. Not everything proclaiming to be "of God" is of God. Over and over we find heresy mixed in with the true gospel. Paul had that trouble way back when he wrote Galatians.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Galatians 1:6-9
It seems we have many gospels in our age. I am thankful I have and believe the only true gospel.