Belief is both an anchor and a sale.

It roots us, and it carries us forward.

Every person of faith, preacher, skeptic, scholar, seeker, walks inside the same mystery, that our words about God will always be smaller than God.

And yet, silence is not an option. At some point, each of us must open our mouth. Bear our heart and say, here is where I place my trust. Not with arrogance, not with finality, but with the humility of someone offering a human profession.

Today, I speak not from above, not apart, but as one among many, a fellow traveler sharing the claim that guides me now.

May our journey together illuminate, not the answers that we hold, but the grace that meets us along the path.

I'm your host, Jeremy Johnson, and you're listening to Slutty Grace.

Within the 1st few episodes of this podcast. I wanted to make a proclamation of where I stand. So this is what that is.

Here I stand: On God's grace and love for all.

Now we all make choices. We all make interpretations. We are all led individually by the Holy Spirit. We all do the best that we can with our 3lb brains and our God given limitations.

And so each of us must take a claim on our current understanding of God's truth as revealed through scripture, through creation, and ultimately through his son Jesus.

So today, I do the same.

This is my claim.

Now, please realize that this is simply my human profession by making it, I'm not judging or condemning others who believe differently.

We all see dimly. We all see in part, this statement is not comprehensive, not without tension or loose ends. I mean, whose theology ever is? I believe mystery is essential because without it, God would cease to be God and I would cease to be human.

So my belief is shaped by both faith and humility. It will continue to be shaped throughout my life. And currently, this is what I believe.

If you don't agree, cool. That's not my expectation.

One day we will all stand before God holding our 3lb brains and realize we all fell short.

We all erred.

We all misinterpreted.

And even then, Grace will meet us there.

But here simply is where I stand.

I believe and stand on the mountain of God's abundant grace and love for all of humanity, that through the blood and sacrifice of Jesus, God's justice was satisfied, the punishment for all sin was paid, it was canceled.

That God's forgiveness of us is not dependent on our belief. It was God's decision alone.

Our belief does not trigger God's forgiveness. It simply awakens us to it. It lets us experience the love and freedom that has always been ours.

I also believe that God is able to extend this love and grace even after death. That death lost its victory in its sting. If death could limit God's mercy, then death would be greater than God, but it isn't.

One day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And on that day, God will not say, "Sorry, too late, my hands are tied."

No, God's mercy will not be bound by time.

Can humanity still reject him?

I believe yes, but standing before pure love, pure grace and beauty, reality itself, I find that hard to imagine.

And even then, I believe that God will honor their decision. What happens beyond that? I'll leave that in God's hands.

But this I do not believe: I do not believe that God will ban his children to endless torment, eternal torture in hell.

Instead, I believe God is wild enough, loving enough, relentless enough to redeem, reconcile, and restore all things, that mercy will triumph over judgment, that in the end, love will win.

And on this earth, our sin still carries deadly destructive consequences. 

It does for ourselves. It does for people around us, it does for the world, but even God's discipline is for love, for restoration, those who believe in God's grace and forgiveness today on this earth, get to taste God's kingdom life already, to walk as vessels of grace, bringing heaven to earth.

The good news isn't, "You can be forgiven, if you believe." I believe the good news is, "You are already forgiven. Do you believe?"

There's a huge difference between those 2 statements.

The good news isn't, you can be forgiven if you believe. 

I believe the good news is you are already forgiven. Do you believe?

And so do we carry the burden of humanity's souls? I believe that rests on God.

Our calling is the declaration to love God who 1st loves us, to love ourselves because he loves us, and to love one another, because every person is made by the same creator and loved by the same Father.

That is our joy. That is our privilege, to spread the incredible news, that man is forgiven and loved by a God who is love. And when love takes root, everything changes, how we see God, how we see ourselves, how we see each other.

We join arms.

We follow the example of Jesus.

We bring God's kingdom to earth as it is in heaven.

So this is where I plant my flag on the mountain of God's incomprehensible love, and the all-encompassing blood of Jesus, come what may.

I echo John Bunyan, who said, "I will stay in jail till the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience."

And Martin Luther, who said, "Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me."

And if I err, I will err on the side of grace. On a side of love for all.

Colossians 1:19-22 says, "For God was pleased to have all of his fullness dwell in him, through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you wholly in his sight, without blemish, and free from accusation."

Romans 5:9-10 says "Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice. There is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God, by the sacrificial death of a son, now that we are at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of this resurrection life."

Would you catch that?

We're no longer at odds with God in any way is what I believe. And when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God through Jesus. And because of that, our lives can expand.

So this is where I stand. On God's love and grace for all.

Now, the road of faith winds through mystery, through wonder, and sometimes through pain, even in the shadows, we are not alone.

Wherever you are on your path, wherever your questions lead, may you feel the embrace of grace waiting.

May love meet you in the corners you least expect.

Let it guide how you see God, yourself, and others.

When you stand again, may you stand on grace, on hope, on the enduring promise that love always wins.

So thanks for listening. 

Until next time, live in grace. And if you can, share that grace.