08/01/2022
We are under grace, and this opens to us an unmerited access to life everlasting through Jesus Christ. Jesus allows for the forgiveness of sin in us, not because we warrant it, but because of God’s mercy, and amazing grace. The more we have sinned, the greater God’s grace grows, so that through it we are forgiven. But, we are a people who are inclined to take advantage of any opportunity to advance ourselves, even when that opportunity presents itself in greed and selfishness. In this way, if we are not careful, we will look at God’s gift of grace as an opportunity to sin without lasting consequence. Paul warns us against this in his letter to the Romans, but do we pay attention to his warning in our lives today?
“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”
Romans 6:15 ESV
A society without any consequence for lawlessness, sin, or immorality, will eventually become chaotic, and will collapse in upon itself. In this void left by a lack of enforcement of law or morality, those who live in this way will attempt to establish their own set of governing rules such as the survival of the strongest, a rule by the more cunning, or perhaps dominance by the most evil, and vicious. This is what occurs when there is an absence of God, and without the consequence for sin that God ultimately brings to bear. The rule of men, no matter how noble it appears at its inception, is flawed in that man is a fallen creature. So how does grace, which leads to the forgiveness of every sin, satisfy the requirement for consequence? It does so because it is founded in faith, and our belief in Jesus Christ, and is policed by our conscience, love of God, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit regarding our 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. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:1-4 ESV
Grace is not the same as the absence of consequence, no, it is the loving presence of God, and Jesus Christ, that leads us to an overwhelming desire to obey them, to be where they are, and as they are… righteous, and holy. Grace is the warm glow of lamplight that we see reflected on a fresh snow outside a woodcutter’s window, and the welcoming smoke of a warm fire inside that rises up from the chimney of his inviting cottage. It is the relief, and hope that we feel as we approach from the darkness; having been lost, and fearing death from the cold on a winter’s night.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV
Do we see grace as an invitation to keep returning to a life of sin, with an expectation that there will be no consequence for our actions, or do we see God’s grace as our much needed rescue from the cold dark night that we have found ourselves in once again?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Son Jesus Christ and for your grace that flows to us through Him. Help us to love and obey you enough Lord, that we won’t take you for granted, and find ourselves returning to our sinful ways, believing that your grace will be applied time and time again to our same self-inflicted wounds. Help us Father, through the conviction, and power of your Holy Spirit to remember the words of Jesus as He tells us to “Go and sin no more.” Give us the strength of faith, and an ever present desire to obey, so that your grace will not become our constant crutch, but only an occasional rescue from our weaknesses. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God whose grace is sufficient for us, and whose mercy applies it to our wounds. Praised be your name for covering our sins with the blood of Jesus, and for the grace which flows like living water through Him. Forgive us our sins Father, and remove all temptation to return to them from us. Transform us Lord, by your grace and truth, into righteous sons and daughters, and seat us at your table, worthy, and to remain forevermore. Let your grace have healed our every wound, and the blood of Christ washed us clean of sin from head to toe.
“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
John 1:16-17 ESV
Rich Forbes