“6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.” (Luke 6:6-11 ESV)

Religion is a sharp two-edged sword, because it tempts beyond measure to come-down-from-heaven notions of simple adequacy. We have bouts of pleading, “See my submission! See my good works! Hear me do the godly thing and act Pleasant!” As if pleasantries were going to save us on that Day, when like He did Job, God mocks us and Reminds us: if you are saved at all, it is not for your pleasantries!

So we take a dastardly route called pugnacious, fighting spirit, determined devil-may-care Attitudinal Outward Demeanor. We cease simply to Worry about salvation: if it comes our way, it will not be because we’ve shaped up and self-reckoned ourselves Saved! It will be God rewarding something about ourselves we long since ceased to understand or appreciate. It will because God now counting our trespasses against ourselves. It will be despite our occasional or frequent attempts to Present Ourselves Worthy.

And the passing day dreams and night terrors: we will Do the Deed unapologetic for our angsty dependence on the creature comforts or worry zones. That Deed being one of Acceptance and End to all efforts ultimately to show ourselves worthy and submitted. God can aver, head off, cease from mocking us! We will assert like Christ did, our own Salvation on terms of this: that if nothing else, we assert already Saved. Long before the fasts and years of Good Deeds. All that, it only humbles us and humiliates us. It cannot Save. It classifies us as second-rate, the loser in the marriage, the faulty Family Line.

So to our mechanisms and to the trenches! We will Serve and that right Speedily. We will stop embracing the Concern and Efforts to Please. We will say “balderdash!” to the temptation to feel accused, the temptation to feel like kissing up, the temptation to want to be Pleasant and ultimately Submitted, Endeared Upon, Deserving.