Yesterday afforded me the opportunity to dialogue with three men whom I’ve come to love and respect. Speaking primarily on Kingdom matters coupled with deep issues of the human heart, I came to find myself hungering for God’s instruction through these men. I was gold digging and bordering on profiteering from my time with them as I opened my ears, craving their input. We all attend Meadow and though there were three separate meetings it became clear that we each have a deep concern for the good work God has entrusted to our church in the last fifty years. There was also a fair amount of transparent confession of present spiritual personal struggles along with sharing our individual hopes for the future. I ended the work day fairly refreshed from my time with them and substantially strengthened by the dialoging with my brothers. As the third and final meeting wound up in mid afternoon the conversation turned to the topic of grace and guilt, sin and forgiveness, repentance and redemption. When asked my opinion of how to incorporate my thoughts of God’s grace into my imperfect life which is far from sinless, I heard myself answer, “I need to be suspicious of any view of grace which makes it easier for me to move toward my next sin.”
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2 {ESV}
It is the most glorious news to hear that you have been fully pardoned and eternally set free from your guilt through faith in Christ. I discovered that truth in August of 1994 and have not gotten past it yet. Uncomfortable as some are with the extremity of grace we can reach no other biblical conclusion than to believe that those who have faith in Jesus Christ are made as acceptable to God the Father as His only begotten Son is. Nothing we do facilitates this perfect standing with God and nothing we do can undermine nor overthrow it. Simply put, you are made right with God for eternity via the satisfying work that Jesus accomplished while He was on earth. This is grace indeed and the Bible repeatedly stresses the totality of our justification. In holding confidence in this biblical bedrock there is also an opportunity for our not-yet-glorified hearts to work some incredibly presumptuous evil. What do you mean, Jeff? We possess still within us a propensity for deception and sometimes we are our own victims. Sin presents itself on an occasion and we are spiritually alerted by God to flee the moment of temptation. God’s Spirit brings truth to our quickened minds and we clearly comprehend what is the right thing to do in the conflict. Then, from some unseen, lurking position a thought arises which asks, “But isn’t it all paid for? Isn’t the full spectrum of your sin against God already compensated for? You are un-condemnable, aren’t you?” Now the previous call to flee is interrupted with the call to think deeply on the issue, secure it tightly in your theological vault, import a myriad of other Scriptures which magnify the fullness of grace and the comprehensive coverage you have been granted. Don’t flee…ponder. Our depravity shows itself to be not yet fully slain and, in a moment of spiritual paradox, we utilize the very grace of God as a platform to commit sin. Let’s not pretend this has never happened to us. We may have never been courageous enough to analyze the process but we have all presumed upon the grace of God. We’ve all pre-relieved ourselves with God’s grace and then engaged in premeditated rebellion.
Grace is given us to relieve us when we sin but not to ease us into it. I am alarmed today at what I occasionally hear from Christians regarding this view of grace. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard one of us plainly encourage indulgence in sin via grace but I do think that the echo of many people’s thoughtless words on this issue leaves the listener room to consider it. May God have us slow down and ponder today if we have left a treasured vice in our heart and proclaimed it as grace. Perhaps a fractured relationship, a cherished passion or a longstanding apathy has been granted its undeserved place in our hearts – hearts which are titled in the name of Jesus Christ at a priceless cost to Him. Does your understanding of God’s grace make it easier for you to step towards that next sin? Does your understanding of God’s grace accommodate you in unbelief and disobedience? Are any of us guilty today of using God’s grace? My friends, God never puts grace in your hands to utilize for your own purposes. He deposits it in your heart for His own purposes. He allows you to posses it so that you may dispense it to others but grace is not yours to handle. It is yours only to cherish and find rest in. Rest that occurs after we transgress, not as we plan to do so. May God grant us the wisdom to discern the dangers of reckless grace in an age where much around us whispers that we must take advantage of what we can when we can. Grace is unspeakably good but never given to empower us to forget the One who gives it.
I have been blessed!! Thank you, King Jesus, for your love, mercy grace and remembering that we are just pots of clay. We can just pour out what You pour in.
I definitely believe we all have played with or taken for granted our eternal salvation as a gift from God; that gift is what we call GRACE. Grace, indeed, is not a license to sin but the sole reason we should not want to. Today, I am going to risk reposting this blog on my Facebook page, not because I have any one friend in mind and not because I am pointing fingers other than the three that point back at me, but I feel ALL need this reminder, and I am praying for those who may be offended because they assume I am addressing them that they will realize it is the Holy Spirit exposing unconfessed sin and thus convicting them.