[Mechanical change] -The Gospel

    "By works" is probably a phrase a lot of Christians are familiar with. It can be interpreted in two ways. First, the bad way. Meaning, works do get you to heaven, which they most certainly don't.  Second, faith and works go together. By having a healthy inner relationship with God, you'll have a very different outward appearance, and part of that will be what you do.
    Chapter two is all about how religion doesn't work. You have to be a gospel centered follower of Christ, NOT a religious person of works. When I first saw this chapter, I was like 'here we go again.' This concept is very familiar among all of us. Natuarally we all just pair God with works, it's just what we do. But becoming more firm in faith, means separating those two completely. Truly this is a hard task, and I hope we can all find it challenging. Let's not just slide by this one, because honestly, it's more in you than you know.
     "Religion pours it on. It gives you a lot of stuff "to do" : Bibles studies to go to; new habits to add to your life; things to say and not to say, etc. That's what some have have called "mechanical" change."
      I don't know if this one is an easy one for you or not. But I find myself, MOST of the time, finding things to add to my life to make me more acceptable to God. Kind of like serving Grandma, helping with the kids, praying everyday. These are all good things, but I am no more acceptable to God than I was yesterday.  We just look at it as a responsibility. Its just what I do, it's routine. We tend to think that mechanical changes can earn us favor, or make us 'better' people. But Mechanical changes just turn us into robots. Without the gospel, we are no better unrepentant sinners.
     This is what the author says to mechanical changes, "The problem with mechanical changes is that they quickly become wearisome to you. That's not to say you shouldn't ever do things when you don't want want to do, just that if the extent of your Christianity is achieving the right behavioral standard, you are setting yourslef up for diaster. You are laying religion onto a heart that loves other things. And, whether you ever articulate it or not, you will resent God for holding you captive to do stuff you wouldn't otherwise be doing if He weren't threatening damnation." I underline this, because if I was speaking, I'd probably read this over two or three times. REALLY this is such a powerful statement if should blow us all away. WE are naturally set to do what we're told. We read the bible like a list of chores and we think if we get them all done God will be happy and we will be happy. But it's so true that half of the things we do, are because we are threatened with damnation. You think about that. Would I really be doing what I was doing today if there was no such thing as hell? Hmm. The honest answer is no. We would all have different agendas, thats just how it goes. That's why we ARE sinners.  BUT we can change, with the sacrifice of Christ.  We CAN love God. That's the only way to escape mechanical change is to TRULY LOVE God to the BEST of your ability. When you do that, you will not even think of hell, but of the coming Jesus Christ.
     
     "In Christ, there is nothing I can do that would make You love me more, and nothing I have done that makes You love me less" -JD Greear.

    ~Hannah