Convictions of Grace

Last week we looked at Paul's understanding of God's love and his complete conviction that nothing could separate him from that love. Today we will look at grace. The writers of the New Testament were convinced of the grace of God that flowed towards us, because of his great love.

The palmist understood that Good extends have towards us.

Psalm 84:10-12 NLT
A single day in your courts   
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God     
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.     
  He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing     
from those who do what is right.
12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,     
what joy for those who trust in you.

The Hebrew for Grace is 'chen' and means grace, favour and acceptance.

Paul writes to us in Ephesians in what for many is a very familiar passage. We are saved by God's grace alone and not by what we do.

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

In the Greek, the word is charis and means
- grace, favour, good will.
- A grace that keeps, strengthens and increases faith that leads to an increase of the exercise of Christian virues
- A spiritual condition – one governed by divine grace.
Grace.

It is said that we live in the dispensation of Grace. We are filled by Grace, not by law. Jesus has ushered in a new way. We are no longer under law, but under grace.

Romans 11:5-6 NLT
5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel[c] have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. 6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

Paul says in Ephesians that it is by grace that we are saved. It is by grace that we are saved; it is by Grace that we live and it is by Grace that we have being have being. There is nothing we can do to earn grace because it is a gift bestowed on us by God.

In a world where striving to become better seems to be the norm, it can be difficult for us to grasp hold of the truth that we don’t need to strive to be right with God. We are right with God because he has made us right with him. It is through faith that we take hold of this truth.
John 1 tells us that the law was given through Moses but that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:16-17 NLT
16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.[f] 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.

Gracious blessing is written in the original text as grace, for grace; that is that there is more and more grace. God’s unfailing love and faithfulness in the above passage is better translated as grace and truth. The law pointed to the grace that was to come, but we live under the grace that has already come.

Paul wrote to the Galatians because he was concerned that they had fallen into the trap of legalistic behaviour and were trying to gain salvation through the law. This is something for us to be aware of too. Legalism and law are not helpful in drawing others to the grace of God or for us to live by grace either.

If others are truly to know God’s grace we need to extend it to them by living in a way that shows love and grace. We struggle to live according to God’s standards; we cannot expect others without God to do so.

Galatians 2:21 NLT
21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Galatians 5:1-6 NLT
Freedom in Christ
1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.

5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. 6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.

Note how grace, mercy and love are all connected. Paul says that if we are trying to obey the law and make ourselves right with God by the law, we are not living in grace and have fallen from grace. I’m not suggesting that people who are legalistic have lost salvation, but we need to be aware that living by what we do and trying to be right by what we do is of no benefit.

It is who we are because of what God has done through Christ that is important. When we live in grace, we allow the Holy Spirit to flow in us and he will guide and direct us into all truth;  he will help us to live according to God’s ways because that is the fruit of living in freedom and living in the Spirit. This allows grace to rule in our lives.

1. God’s free gift means we are made right with God

Romans 5:15-17 NLT
15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

This is a great section of Scripture where Paul clearly lays out the grace that is brought to us through Christ and it means that we are made right with God in Christ. No striving, no living a certain way, but just coming to Jesus.

The old Hymn – Just as I am without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me…. This writer of this hymn, written over 100 years ago, had a heap of grace and the need to come just as we are. There is nothing we can do or offer that earns grace. We come as we are and receive grace as God's wonderful and free gift to us.

Just as I Am, Without One Plea
The United Methodist Hymnal Number 357 Text: Charlotte Elliott, 1789-1871  Music: William B. Bradbury, 1816-1868  Tune: WOODWORTH, Meter: LM

1. Just as I am, without one plea, 
but that thy blood was shed for me, 
and that thou bidst me come to thee, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.  

2. Just as I am, and waiting not 
to rid my soul of one dark blot, 
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.  

3. Just as I am, though tossed about 
with many a conflict, many a doubt, 
fightings and fears within, without, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.  

4. Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; 
sight, riches, healing of the mind, 
yea, all I need in thee to find, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.  

5. Just as I am, thou wilt receive, 
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; 
because thy promise I believe, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.  

6. Just as I am, thy love unknown 
hath broken every barrier down; 
now, to be thine, yea thine alone, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

We have relationship with God, through Christ and can call God Father, because we have been given right standing with God. Just as we are!!

What ways do we strive to be accepted by God?

Let God's grace at you free.

2. God’s grace brings freedom
Forgiven and free, Paul encourages us in Galatians to use our freedom to live God’s way, but he also tells us that it is God’s grace that enables us to do so, through his spirit. We have freedom to live according to the power of the spirit. Sin has no hold on us when God's Spirit dwells in us.

Romans 6:1-4 NLT
Sin’s Power Is Broken
6 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

We are set free from the law of sin through Christ. Therefore we are to use our freedom, given by God's grace, poured out in abundance, to live for Jesus.

How are you using your freedom?

The difficult thing here is to live in grace and freedom without becoming stuck in a striving that we have already mentioned. Let God’s Spirit speak to you about what you need to do differently and ask him to help you make the changes. The Spirit is given as our guide, our counsellor and our friend to help us, to remind us of the word and to enable us to build good fruit in our lives.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

It’s the fruit of the spirit that comes through grace, not the fruit of striving. Let God's Spirit grow good fruit in your life.

3. God’s grace brings forgiveness
Grace brings forgiveness for our sin and as we extend grace, forgiveness for others.

As far as the east is from the west, so are our sins forgiven. Ps 103:12

Jesus said, judge not, lest you be judged. When we extend judgement we will be judged. When we extend grace, because of what God has done for us, then God will be glorified. When we allow grace to produce a generous forgiving heart, we will live in true freedom.

As we become more aware of the work of grace we will be less likely to criticise or judge others. God's Grace brings forgiveness of sin and Jesus says we are to forgive in the same way we have been forgiven.

In what ways do we tend towards judgement instead of grace?

If we have a tendency towards judgement, we can ask God to give us a revelation of his grace and love extended toward us. Then we will be able to extend grace and forgiveness to others.