“There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” –Philippians 1: 2
I love writing about this stuff, so I’m gonna write it slowly:
No condemnation, performance (or lack thereof) notwithstanding.
God’s grace – His unmerited favor – will endure because It Is Finished didn’t mean It’s A Good Start But Add To It. Sin has not been excused, of course. It’s been punished but, thank God, someone else took the fall, so God never compromised His justice in the interest of showing His mercy, so grace will rightfully and plentifully endure.
The question becomes, will my awareness of it also endure? Availability isn’t the issue, since it’s accessible, free and unending. I’ll decide whether or not to realize this, and thereby I’ll either enhance my peace of mind or rob myself of it. It’s
my call.
I spend a lot of time exhorting because the men I work with ask for it (sort of.). They want to grow, repent, renounce and walk in freedom, saying ‘no’ once and for all to porn or other forms of sexual sin. So the predictable shoulds and shouldn’ts come up, along with encouragement to take responsibility, mortify the flesh, and move on. This is right, and our required yielding in the sanctification process is nothing to sneer at.
Still, if all of our zeal and effort isn’t undergirded by strong foundations in grace, we’re doomed. Doomed to depression, discouragement, despair, three Big D’s I fear even more than a deliberate transgression.
Because transgression can be repented of, while depression, discouragement, and despair are broad chasms one easily drowns in. So while I still say we could all do with a bit more of the old “Buck Up” mentality, I know there’s a larger need to remember, regularly and carefully, that we strive for holiness not for the sake of avoiding hell, or earning God’s love, or appeasing a tyrannical taskmaster. We strive not to be forgiven, but because we are forgiven. And in response to that amazing grace, as Jesus said, we who’ve been forgiven much, love much.
I know there are some real perversions of the doctrine of grace going on these days. I know some folks think grace is permission to sin, or a negation of personal responsibility, or a guarantee that whatever you do, God doesn’t mind, and all because of grace. People can and will dig their own graves with nonsense like that.
But I also know that the most ardent passion for purity cannot survive unless it’s imbued with a deep, concrete grace grounding, one that comforts and compels us at the same time. Since I fall short daily, I’m so comforted when I recall His grace. But that comfort evolves pretty quickly into zeal, a zeal that compels me to keep running the race, pumped by His “neither do I condemn thee” and, because of His “go and sin no more”, intolerant of vices at the same time.
Because when I really think through this whole concept of grace, I can love this incredible Lord, and how could I not then show my love through simple and uncompromised obedience?
So grace to all of us this weekend. And peace, of course, which logically follows, as Paul so often wrote. Thanks for being here.
Love,
Joe
