Redeemed Wretch

Are you chasing spiritual goosebumps?

A strong faith often times looks like clinging to Christ through our darkest moments.

“Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”

Don’t Wait: The Importance of Forgiveness and Reconciliation

I’m still pretty new in this journey toward Lutheran theology, and one of the things that’s really hit me is how it handles mystery.

For years, I felt pressure to have an answer for everything in the Bible. Every tension needed to be explained, every paradox had to fit neatly into a system. And honestly… I liked that. It felt safe. But over time, I started to feel like I was trying to shrink God down to something I could fully understand.

Then I read “The secret things belong to the Lord, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deut. 29:29). That verse stopped me. Maybe my job isn’t to figure God out, but to trust what He’s revealed.

Lutheran theology has given me permission to let God be God — to let the text stand, even when it leaves me with mystery. And strangely enough, that’s been freeing.

I don’t have it all figured out. I’m just learning to rest in the God who does.

👉 This is part of a series I’m doing on why I’m slowly becoming Lutheran.

Most people think “abiding in Christ” means holding on tighter, obeying harder, or proving themselves. But that flips the gospel upside down.

Abiding isn’t about your grip on Christ. It’s about His grip on you. In Baptism you were united to His death and resurrection (Romans 6). That union is the foundation.

Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” The branch doesn’t keep itself alive, the vine does. Christ abides in you through His Word and His Supper (John 15:7, John 6:56). That’s where His life flows into you.

Your obedience matters, but it’s not what connects you. Good works are the fruit, not the root. Faith receives, love flows.

Abiding in Christ isn’t about striving harder. It’s about resting in the union He has already given you.

Stop trusting in your works, your obedience, your feelings. Rest in the finished work of Christ.