Success in our life of faith / faithfulness does not depend on how much we know about God or how good our theology is but rather on where our focus / affection is: is our hope, affection, and focus on the Person of Jesus or on a position?
If our hope is in a Person, even if we stumble a hundred times, we cannot fail, because he is the light of the world, our reason for being alive, our life and hope. Pursuing HIM will always lead to freedom.
If our trust is in a position we will find ourselves unstable, constantly trying to find theological statements of faith or doctrines that will make us feel better about who we are or about the idols we feel we cannot lay aside. Our peace and hope must not rest in a promised position but in a Person who is himself our promise.
Jesus accepts as we are, loves us fully as we are . . . but that doesn’t mean he wants us to remain as we are. It’s possible to walk in the understanding of our great need and his great power, to feel completely secure in both, and still lean in for more. There’s a difference between self-loathing, feeble attempts at religious piety, trying to follow rules and dogmas that give us a false sense of security—and intentionally choosing (by Grace!) to pursue a Person who promises newness of life (Ro 6).
“Christ Jesus came to save sinners,” not just from punishment but from sin itself. He rescues us from darkness and enables us to walk in light. This is gospel. This is your security. He can when you can’t. He forgives, he empowers. Don’t let any dogma convince you to settle for less than what Christ accomplished for you.
