I have honestly struggled with this question, as I think anyone who believes what I believe should. This is a short exposition on what I
have seen in my walk, regarding the relationship between grace and sin, and why I believe
a real understanding of it's radicality can set us free in a whole new way.
First, it seems
clear, from a variety of scriptures such as:
Phillippians 1:6 – “being confident of this, that he who
began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ
Jesus.”
…or this
Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be
afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he
will never leave you nor forsake you."
…or
John 10:28 – “I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
...that we serve a God who hangs on to what is His. We are safe.
This also means that we are FREE!
(see John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”)
If we have truly come to Him and
accepted the free gift of Jesus sacrifice for our sins, whether it was in a foxhole,
a car, a movie theatre, in between sins, or at the bottom of the deepest
darkest hole you’ve ever dug yourself into – if you are His then you are HIS
and nothing in Heaven or on Earth can change that – including you. The Bible
makes it clear that once you are in Christ you are as secure in your place in
Heaven as if you were already there. That is very hard for us to believe, as even
the most “righteous” of us know we are not now, nor will be ever be like Jesus
this side of Heaven - but we still want to earn it - at least a little. Depending
upon your mindset that could make you very excited or get you a little
irritated with me. If you are saying, “wait, Ron – are you saying all I’ve done
for Jesus doesn’t matter?” then you might be kind of like the big brother in
the prodigal son story.
What I am
saying is that our works may make God smile or frown but He smiles or frowns because
He hates to see us go the wrong way - but we must always remember that those
works, good or bad, do not change the way God feels about us one iota. To those of you who
are parents – think about it like this - Think of our own children and how we
are pleased when they do right and how it makes us sad or angry when they do
wrong but it never changes the love we have for them. God is much the same with
us – only better because He does not take His anger out on us – because He
already took it all out on Jesus for us. He sees all our sin, knows and
forgives each one - every time – then, if we will listen, He will patiently lead
us in the best way to avoid falling into the same trap again – but still give
us the liberty that even if we fall the same way again and again (70 x 7) He
will pick us up, dust us off and encourage us to live for Him because He loves
us and knows a life lived for Him is the most meaningful life a person can live
on planet Earth.
The way grace
can overpower sin - and a lifestyle of sin management, for that matter - looks
something like this: When we start to see and understand the incredible
holiness of God and the incredible sinfulness of every human who ever lived
when compared to the perfect standard that God set in Jesus - something happens
in us. 'Getting' the radical nature of God’s grace can allow us, just by living
our lives, to wind up in a place where we simply desire to please this God who
loves us so, and our desire to sin is less just because we don’t want to –
Grace literally changes the desire of our heart.
The key to growing in
grace is in a continual, daily reminding ourselves of our desperation and the hopelessness
of our situation, apart from Jesus. This will also free us to feel Gods grace
and love in our lives when we need it most - when we’ve blown it. His goodness keeps
us grounded so our witness is about Him and His mercy and love for the lost –
not how “good” God has made us. Bragging on Jesus for a miraculous healing in
your life is awesome and powerful but living as though you are somehow paying
him back for that favor is nothing but arrogance, pride - and spiritual immaturity.
So I guess the
short answer is no – His grace doesn’t mean
you can act any way you want but yes – act any way you want anyway, because if
you really start to get just how good He is, you may find that your love for Jesus
will change how you want to act altogether. Doesn’t that sound like an easier yoke and a lighter
burden than many of us are used to? Hallelujah!
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