“And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace” (Rom. 11:6).
The older I get, the more I realize the importance of possessing security when it comes to our relationship with God. Our status as God’s children does not come from how good we are or ever can be. Christ’s finished work on the cross is both a demonstration of his love for us and a reminder of the fact that he has done everything that was necessary for our salvation. In fact, when we received Jesus as Savior and Lord, we may or may not remember that he is the one who made the first move. He prompted us to respond to him by knocking on the door of our hearts. He said, “I love you,” to us first.
Such security flies in the face of much of what I hear in pulpits today. Moralism is preached passionately from preachers of various theological persuasions, usually without intention. It’s just that grace is never mentioned in the context of their plea to be more committed followers of Jesus. Do better when it comes to your attempts to be moral. Do better when it comes to your attempts to love your neighbor. Do better when it comes to your church attendance. The emphasis on right living is well and good, for faith naturally affects action by design. However, we must always remember that it is only by grace that we have been saved. In other words, good works that are not produced as a result of grace are really attempts to please God through what we do, to earn our righteousness and ultimately our security with him through the way we live.
We must never assume that people know better as ministers of the gospel. That’s why as a preacher, I was taught to allow the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of his grace, to walk through every sermon that I preached in some way, shape, or form. Every sermon. It is imperative that people know that God loves them and that he has done everything necessary for them to trust him in faith and receive the relationship he freely offers. When they grasp this foundational truth, they are more likely to connect the dots, to understand that it is the Holy Spirit living within us who produces the kind of fruit God desires, fruit which is holy, moral, and socially aware. They will better comprehend that these fruits come as a result of grace, that they are the natural result when we “abide” in Christ, when we relate with him.
Attempts to be moral, righteous, or to love our neighbor on our own, by ourselves, without the help of God, without a proper understanding of his grace will lead only to frustration on our part. The reason is because we do not possess the strength nor the power to live in this way. Jesus clearly tells us that apart from him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). And he is right. It’s best to allow it to come naturally. Every day, as those who belong to Christ, we respond to his love by loving him in return. We choose to renew our minds. We seek him first. We allow him to remind us that in addition to being loved, we have been forgiven and set free from our sins. We surrender to his presence by asking the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of Christ, to lead and control us. That’s when we discover that we’re more like Jesus in the way that we live because it is Jesus who is living through us. That’s when we begin operating in the Spirit, when we experience the power of God in our lives, power that comes, without surprise, as a result of grace.
The line in John Newton’s famous hymn likely says it best: “Through many dangers, toils, and snares. I have already come. Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” Are you allowing God’s amazing grace to lead you closer to Christ this week?