When Being Good Isn't Good Enough: 21 Days of GraceSample

The Radical Nature of Freedom

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. . . . Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.’” (John 8:31-32, 36)

The Christian faith is radical. In fact, if what you call “Christian” is not radical, then it is probably not Christian.

Those of us who have been around Christianity a long time have forgotten how radical our faith really is. In fact, that we believe it at all is a very cogent argument for its truth. Nobody in their right mind would make it up. Think about it.

The very fact that we do believe it suggests that either we are crazy or it is true. That is not to suggest that the Christian faith is irrational. The facts upon which our faith is built are so big and so unexpected that nobody would ever dream them up, and no one in his or her right mind would try to build a philosophy on something that unbelievable.

You see, the Christian faith is radical. If it were our idea, nobody would have believed it. But it isn’t our idea. It’s God’s idea. Why? Because God is radical. It should be no surprise, then, that what is clearly taught in Scripture is radical. 

As we look at grace, you may be shocked, and after that, you may become angry. But then I want you to be thoughtful. I hope you will say, “Wait just a minute. Maybe the Bible does say all that; maybe we are that free; maybe I have been bound all these years.”

Finally, I pray that your laughter will join with mine—that you will find yourself excited and thankful for the freedom Christ has given you. I pray that you will say with the freed slave, “I’m free! I’m free! Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last!”