I am down to only two chapters before I end my journey with The Ragamuffin Gospel.  It is one that I have really enjoyed despite it causing me to take long looks at my own preconceptions and beliefs. 

As I said last time, the basis of the Ragamuffin gospel is that none of us can do anything to justify the enormous gift of love God offers through redemption.  All we can do is accept it as it is despite ourselves.  I think to realize this is to realize a very important thing that Christ did.  We cannot bargain with God by our actions for this gift because nothing we can do will ever equal it.

My christian education is filled with the rules and regulations that was passed on to me by others.  I found in my past that I spent more time trying to make it look like I followed those rules.  Time that could of been spent more productively had I felt free to be honest before man and God.  I find that I agree with the author when he claims I followed the rules out of fear of punishment instead of as a love filled response to what my God did for me.

I also cannot help but find myself bothered by how many other people I help put under the same burden.  The Gospel is supposed to be message of freedom not bondage.  The church should be preaching and showing the love of Christ and freedom that truth can bring you.  A sinner shouldn't be afraid to tell his fellow believers of his failures, yet how many of us hide our sins from others out of fear of persecution?  Don't we all realize that we are all fallen? 

Instead of judgement shouldn't we be wrapping them in loving arms and reminding them that we too have been there and that God still loves both them and us?