Now That I See

Last Wednesday I listened to the hymn Amazing Grace three times in my car during my morning drive to school. Sometimes it is necessary for me to be reminded of how great a distance grace has bridged in my life. It is evident to me that the concept of grace has become unescapable this week. When I listened to this familliar hymn it suddenly become unfamilliar, as if some parts I was hearing for the first time. I believe this is possible and that we can be awakened to new ideas every day, as long as we are willing. There is a verse in the middle of the song that is as follows:
"'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace, my fears relieved."
This statement reveals that grace functions in two parts. This is profound. First, grace teaches us to be humble-hearted and act in obediance to our Creator. It teaches us to fear the Lord. Second, the grace that God has given us casts out human fear. It drives away our fear of death and the fear that we have in living.
I drove past a church sign later in the week that caught my attention. It displayed the statement, "A clear conscience is a comfortable pillow." I think this message misses the point of Christianity entirely. It saddened me. All of our hope for righteousness is in God's grace that was made evident on the Cross. It was never about doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. As Christians, it would make more sense for our consciences to be more clouded in the wake of acknowledging that we are accountable to someone else for the actions we perform on Earth. We do not sleep well at night because of the good that we manage to do in a day. We should rest in His grace everyday and every night. Christ did not die to make us feel better about ourselves. He did not die so that we can be reconciled or excused from our sinfulness. He died because He loved us. How well we love others is the point.