For the longest time many of us have used the terms "grace" and "mercy" without much thought for what they mean. Most of us think to ourselves "We're saved, right? Problem solved." So we lead ourselves to believe that these words have done their job and thus mean very little to us because we no longer choose to consider them. Or do we not consider them because we genuinely don't understand what they mean?
As sinners we find ourselves in obvious need of both mercy and grace (Ephesians 2:8, 9) because of the condition in which we exist - dead in our sins (Romans 3:23). Without these things, we would be without hope. Mercy is extended to us to save us from the immediate punishment for sin, which is death by the way (Romans 6:23), and grace exteneds to us the gift of salvation that we may choose to accept or deny (John 1:12; 3:16; 6:35). These are concepts which any sinner, once aware of their situation and subsequent choice to choose hope and follow Christ, readily appreciates. It's this choice that I challenge you to accept today if you have not already.
Perhaps you've already accepted this challenge and made the choice to follow Christ. What about afterwards? Once you've been given this mercy and grace, is it over? Most Christians act as though it is. We use grace like a "get out of jail free" card (that's a Monopoly reference for those of you lucky enough to have played the game), most often dismissing grace entirely until we need it. This is not a recent problem. Paul had to address this among the early church (Romans 6). The same problem exists today in the form of denying the power of God (2 Timothy 3:1-4). It's amazing how many Christians blindly forfeit the power and merit that can be given them due to their own ignorance and nearsightedness. As a generation of little faith, we say we accept what Christ has to offer but reject the message Christ brought to us. One has to ask if this is possible.
In addressing unbelief, please understand that God's will is sovereign (Daniel 4:25; 5:35, I Timothy 6:15, Revelation 4:11). He does not need you. He, in His sovereignty, seeks to involve you by establishing a relationship with you. Ultimately, His will is done. We see throughout the old testament how God uses those with evil minds and intentions, most infamously the Babylonians, to accomplish His will. Because of God's all-powerful nature, we are meaningless without His favor (remember that word, favor. It will be important later). Our worth comes in His decision to sustain us and seek to reconcile us to Him, thus allowing us a relationship with Him. Apart from God we are nothing and we have no hope. Consider what evolution would teach - that we are pure chance and that morality is a condition instead of the providential will of a divine Creator. This is just one example of many. But this is the hope and the grace that God offers you - if you surrender your life to Him and believe in His Son, Jesus, He will save you (Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9). To deny this would mean you are not serving your purpose. You are missing out on a life full of eternal meaning and purpose.
In addressing fellow Christians, if you are not considering all the things that grace affords you, you are acting foolishly. Once coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, it is not over. God is certainly not finished with you, and what He blesses you with He does so in grace. So many of us, particularly in our youth, are astonishingly nearsighted. We don't have much care for tomorrow, much less next week. It has been said that "youth is wasted on the young" (George Bernard Shaw). Only in maturity of mind that we can look back and genuinely witness the irrational nature of our youth. And whether this is result of our society or the consequence of our own depravity (or such things stemming from this), it is nonetheless one of the poisonous things that corrupts the way we think. Solomon warns of a day that will come in which the pleasures of life are gone and bids us to follow God from our youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1). You are missing out on the great things of faith.
But this is where it really gets interesting. We tend to think of mercy, grace, and forgiveness as interchangeable or combined in some fashion. That is neither correct nor adequate when sharing our faith with others. What if you were asked what those words mean? Can you define them? Do you know what they are and what they do? Are they not important enough to learn?
Here's some other self-searching questions that I hope blow your mind like they did mine:
If these concepts are basic and fundamental to my faith and the process of salvation and I lack the capacity to define them, how effective of a witness am I? Furthermore, how do I know that I'm saved if I have no idea what salvation looks like? Because I prayed a prayer at some point? Because I go to church? How do I share it with others? There is security in understanding your faith and salvation, for both you and the ones you impact.
Like it or not, people are watching you and often look to you for answers. We are called by Christ to share the gospel with everyone (Matthew 28:16-20), but it's nearly impossible to share this with a lost world when you don't understand it.
I don't believe that the majority of Christians do this knowingly or willingly. The scary part is that we are all but completely unaware of what is happening. This is a side effect of a genuine lack of understanding when it comes to God's Word, which leads to a poor relationship with Him. The beginning of correction in this area would be to consult God's Word often, allowing Him to reshape your mind. A mentor of mine, and the man that really sparked my attention to this topic, defined grace very well in a message he sent out a few months ago:
"Simply stated, grace is God's unmerited favor. It is God giving us something we don't deserve. It is different than mercy. Mercy is not receiving the punishment we deserve. Mercy removes the negative results. Forgiveness is more related to mercy than it is grace. To forgive means to 'let something go'. God through His mercy let's us go from the punishment due to us as a result of sin.
Grace is more positive than that. Grace is something we receive. God's grace makes us more than a conqueror over the things of this world. It transforms us to be more like Jesus Christ. It enables us to overcome our sin. It gives life to the dead soul, quickens our spirit, sanctifies us, beautifies us, strengthens us, enlightens us, equips us, it spurs us on toward holy living. It teaches us to say "NO" to ungodly desires and "YES" to the Lord. It takes sinful creatures and turns them into glorified saints! That's what makes grace so amazing"
Steve Willis, Pastor, First Baptist Church Kenova
(Romans 8:37, Romans 3:24, Titus 3:7, 2 Corinthians 12:9)
As we grow in Christ, our need for this grace doesn't decrease. Quite the contrary, it increases. As we rely on God we depend more and more on His provision for our lives - His grace. Something every Christian will have to deal with is the realization of their own depravity and what that means in their struggle to be like Christ - to be image bearers of God. You cannot overcome it alone. It is not good enough to simply rely on yourself and your own strength. Whereas that may seem to sustain you for a while, it will only last a short time.
Part of understand faith and grace is the insistence on relying on a greater power than yourself, God's power. As has been the way of man, we seek to separate ourselves from God further and further in a vain attempt to have our way and do what we want. Left to our own devices, we run away from God, not to Him. He must call us to Him. The unfortunate part are the dire consequences brought about by such actions. It doesn't happen all at once. It happens through a series of unfortunate events that generate consequences that lead to worse situations. Just like the things of God will prosper us as we remain in His will, remaining in opposition to God will have the opposite effect. We gradually decline to a place of chaos.
Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not looking to chastise you. I leave that for God, for He chastens those whom He loves (Hebrews 12:6, Romans 3:19). I simply see the growing need for a generation that is dedicated to seeking God and ridding their minds of the plague that ensnares it. In addition to the enabling power of faith, I simply want to save you the trouble of being "course corrected". For those of you that follow Christ, He will direct your paths. If you have truly given Him your life then you belong to Him and He dwells in you. Do not expect Him to sit back and continually grant you mercy while you sin against Him. We know from the old testament that God is patient and slow to anger. We see this shown perfectly in how He deals with His chosen nation, Israel. The moment of chastening is coming for you if you are not being the image bearers of God you were called to be, just as it did for the Israelites.
There is good news. God has a plan for every single one of you, plans with your best interest in mind (Jeremiah 29:11). I cannot relate to you in adequate terms everything this means. No precise plan can account for the individual relationship you all can have with God. It is His plan for you; not for anyone else and certainly not for me. For those of you who have not taken this step to follow God, I urge you to do so. To the ones that I call brothers and sisters in Christ, our adventure is far from over. It's time to take hold of your faith - to begin to saturate your mind with God's word and let him sanctify you. It is only through relinquishing control to Him that you can ever truly experience everything God has in store for you. It's time that you began doing the things that draw you closer to Him.
Recommended Reading:
Proverbs 16
Titus 3
James 3
2 Timothy 3
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