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Principal's Message - Week 7, Term 4
If you share the faith that we have here at school, you may have had an experience where someone you know seems to be an incredibly Godly person. They may be constantly reading their Bible, or a faithful prayer warrior, perhaps they carry themselves with integrity and graciousness that is rarely encountered. It may be the Pastors at your church, perhaps a loved grandparent or work colleague. Many of us may be able to articulate how such a person inspires us to be further down the road of sanctification (becoming more like Jesus) ourselves.
As impressive as these people may well be, the Bible reminds us that all of us do not measure up to God’s standards. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:10-12, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
For me, I think one of the largest areas of growth in my Christian walk over the past 30 years is truly understanding how sinful I am and how much I am in need of forgiveness and a saviour. I sometimes wonder whether in our society there is a temptation to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. I haven’t killed anyone, I generally try and be nice to people, I don’t steal things, I pay my taxes, yep, all in all, I reckon I’m doing okay.
Interestingly a little later in the book of Romans in Chapter 12 Paul writes, “Because of the grace that God gave me, I can say to each one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” Paul references the grace God has shown us. Grace is the concept that sets Christianity apart from every other religion. We don’t have to earn our way to heaven, God freely chooses to offer it to us. What an unbelievable blessing. At the same time, Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes the very helpful observation that, ‘Grace is free but it is never cheap.’
As I reflect on my sinfulness and the grace shown to me by our loving God, it gives me reason to pause and consider what it would be like if Jesus had not entered our world. We would be compelled to live like the Israelites of the Old Testament, constantly offering sacrifices and endeavouring to make ourselves clean and acceptable to God.
As we draw near to Christmas and get swamped with Santa Clause and tinsel, may I encourage you to join me in reflecting on how incredibly blessed we are to be loved, to be forgiven, to be given the offer of eternal salvation, all because of Jesus whose arrival on Earth we celebrate in a month’s time.
God bless,
