Grace
Ephesians
2:8-9
God's grace is incredible. In every epistle God's grace is mentioned and offered to everyone. He showed this on the cross of Calvary as He forgave the thief (Luke 23:39-43). He showed it to the woman caught in adultery (John 8). He showed it to the Apostle Paul (Acts 9) who had as his life calling to kill Christians. And he has shown it to you and me! Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve, whereas mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. I am so impressed with the love and leniency of our Savior.
I am concerned about something that I see among many "Christians" today. Those who have grown up in the walls of the church, or have been involved there for years have forgotten what it was like to be set free from sin. They have an attitude that smells like stagnant water and turns off people who are struggling in sin. There is not a message of hope and grace coming from the church. I truly believe that most Christians either do not understand grace or they have never experienced it. There are two extremes to this whole issue; one being that you can do anything you choose to do once you are saved and the other is a right standing with God based on a list of do's and don'ts. Either is a distorted interpretation of the Biblical view of God's grace. Someone once said that the church is the only army that shoots their wounded and I truly see that in many "Christians" today. Once a person falls or crosses a line set by someone else then they are crossed off and ignored. Is there a sin that crosses us off from the Lord? What can be done that will result in loosing the favor of the Father? I hasten to answer, NOTHING!
I came to know Jesus from a very sorted past, of which I will not go into at this point. An old college friend who died last year, jumped up and down on this grace soapbox to the point that I was totally turned off and ignored this crucial issue for years. Now I have been a Christian for 30 years and see it clearer that ever. The grace of God is one of the most important if not the most important doctrines in the entire Bible. There is no one righteous, no not one. All have sinned. All sin nailed Jesus to the cross. Not just the big sins like murder, adultery but little acceptable ones like gossip, slander, judging, and yes, even gluttony. There are consequences for sin, but Christians are to be examples of the wonderful Lord who has poured out His life for us all. The truth is that God forgave me of all my sin and gave me a right standing with Himself, not based on anything that I did or ceased to do, but solely based on His grace. There is nothing that I can do or cease to do that will cause the Lord to love me any more or any less. He simply loves you and me. He has instructed us to show that same love to others, regardless of their condition in life. Freely give as you have freely received.
As a child we are put on this paradigm that if we eat our vegetables then we can have dessert. The grace of God delivers us from the pressure to perform. The old statement that, "God helps those who help themselves" is not in the Bible. As a mater of fact, the Bible message is that God helps those who cannot help themselves. I am so grateful that Jesus came for sinners or there would have never been any hope for me.
We are acting like the elder brother in the prodigal son story. We want forgiveness ourselves but fail to show the grace that was poured out on us at Calvary. This is not advanced Christianity, or upper level seminary teaching. It is basic and entry level to all that it means to be a Christian. When a brother fails, it is our responsibility to show Him the love and forgiveness that we have experienced not kick him out of the fellowship. I am so glad that Jesus is my Lord and not the church, aren't you? When will we learn?
Other verses to consider concerning Grace are:
Romans 3:24,5:17, 5:20, 6:14, 11:6
2 Corinthians 6:1, 9:8, 12:9
Hebrews 4:16
