Coming to Grips with Grace

Dear Christian, have you ever felt worthless and unlovable before the Lord? Have you burdened yourself with the weight of your spiritual discipline, or shamed yourself with the guilt of your spiritual or practical shortcomings? I know I have. My prayer for you today is that you would be ushered by our Father into the warmth of His lavish love, which abounds in grace towards you and has never left your side.

I believe that there is a great need for professing Christians today to come to a daily understanding of the grace of the gospel. I do not quite know what it is that burdens men’s hearts with lingering feelings of shame, regret, and unworthiness. I don’t think these things are inherently wrong because to a degree they are a natural part of life as we know it, under a holy and majestic God. It is perfectly natural for a puppy to come before its master with tail between the legs and eyes to the ground after it has rolled around in the dirt- certain things are just shameful. Therefore I do not protest the conviction of the Holy Spirit that teaches me what the will and character of God is by making the things that are not of Him so starkly and unavoidably undesirable.

But I do know that Christians, myself included, can place themselves under unnecessary stress and depression when they live as though they are under the law, and not as though they are under grace. By this, I mean that it is altogether too easy for me to cease to believe in the reality of God’s abounding grace and love for me. When this happens, I cease to live in God’s will, I dilute the power of my witness with my own doubt, and I cut off my ability to share the love of God with others because I cannot accept it for myself. As I examine my own heart in overcoming this cycle, join me in giving a brief glance to the epistle of Romans.

First of all, what exactly is the law? It’s not like we’re living under the strict rules of New Testament Jewish custom anymore. From the outset of Romans, the law is presented as that intrinsic, integral part of the universe that is the reaction to the sheer existence of God. Here’s a shameless plug for Theology- God and His character unavoidably define reality. In describing God’s wrath against unrighteousness, Paul states that “His divine attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.” (Romans 1:20) The fact that God is such as He is leaves an irremovable mark on the created order that reflects moral truth. There is ‘right’ in this world simply because God exists and He is holy; also there is ‘wrong’ in this world simply because God exists and He has allowed men to choose to be other than like He is. This law is written in creation and also in human hearts, as Paul gives reference to in Romans 2:15. Hence, why shame over things that are shameful is natural.

But a large portion of Romans consists of Paul explaining between the law and grace. He states outright that the law is good! It is the testament of the character and holiness of God in our world. However, the law also brings death, because the simple fact is humans cannot become like God without God. Queue stage entrance for the gospel. “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.” Romans 3:21-25a

Natural shame at our shortcomings exists, but if we who are Christians continue to shackle ourselves subconsciously with shame under the law, we will never be free to breathe in the fresh air of God’s grace or to convey His gracious love to other people like the Lord wants us too.

I just want to point out a couple of things. In order for Christians today to truly come to grips with grace, they must

1) Recognize their sinfulness. (Rom 3:23) It’s true, you are a faulty person. You are covered in sin from head to toe, and there is absolutely no way for you to become ‘good’ like God on your own. You cannot move on until this fact is recognized- so recognize it, and then move on.

2) Embrace mercy. (Rom 3:24) There is no room in expressing the gospel for your work or action. You are justified by grace as a gift, through the redemption of Jesus Christ! He loves you so very dearly and He extends to you His mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. It is up to you, however, to decide whether or not you will accept it.

3) Believe. (Rom 5:25) Salvation must not only be accepted as a gift, it must be accepted on a basis of faith. Faith is the basis and birth of your imputed righteousness, but it is also the means of your spiritual life- the air that you will breathe every day for the rest of your life in order to continue walking in righteousness. You cannot accept God’s grace unless you choose to believe in it.

4) Live without fear. (Rom 8:1) This is where it gets good. “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

There will be times in your Christian life when it is hard to continue believing in the abounding wonder of God’s grace. Take Paul for an example. Even though he recognized and preached the grace of God on the basis of faith and not on the basis of the law, there were still times when life sucked for Paul, and God’s grace had to prove sufficient in light of his weaknesses. (2 Cor 12:9) The law of God that is written in our hearts is good, but through sin the devil still has the capability of wreaking havoc. The truth is that we will be embroiled in spiritual warfare until the day that we are completely saved from the marring stains of sin that remain in our mortal flesh. Paul knew this well when he said, “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? But Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 7:22-25a

Living without fear means frolicking in the grace of God. It entails faith to know that in every moment of your life the Lord has nothing but love and longing for you in His heart. There is no condemnation against you. There is only grace. So, daily, throw off the shackles of shame in your life that keep your from living in the joy of the Lord and in the power of His resurrection!

I’ll close with 3 verses and the chorus of “The Power of the Cross” by Keith and Kristyn Getty. There will still be days when I and my fellow believers are confronted by the overwhelming weight of our sinfulness. But throw your shame to the Lord, and frolic in His grace!

“Oh, to see the pain

Written on Your face,

Bearing the awesome weight of sin.

Every bitter thought,

Every evil deed

Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;

Now the ground beneath

Quakes as its Maker bows His head.

Curtain torn in two,

Dead are raised to life;

"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name

Written in the wounds,

For through Your suffering I am free.

Death is crushed to death;

Life is mine to live,

Won through Your selfless love.

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Son of God-slain for us.

What a love! What a cost!

We stand forgiven at the cross.”

A Story of Trust

It has been two and a half years since I have last had the heart to write. I don’t know about ya’ll, but sometimes life sucks. I look back on these last years and see growth and joy, but I can’t deny that I still feel the engraved etchings of pain, hurt, and confusion that the past has left on my soul. I can't deny the confusion I sometimes still feel at the Lord's working, but I doubt I am alone. I fear that despair and depression have not been unfamiliar flavors for a lot of my fellow teenagers and twenty-somethings. 

          

I hope that I may share with you a story of trust, a foothold to place your hope in. If you would, gird up your loins and pick up your faith again from the ashes with me.

Once there lived a man, born into a world of confusion and brokenness. I’m sure he heard stories from people- Abram was only a few generations away from the unified world order and stability that Babel represented. Yet he had his family were wanderers who had at one time purposed to make it to the land of Canaan but were beleaguered in Haran. It was at this time that the Lord- the Creator, the God of Noah- seemingly shows up. His promise to Abram was profound:

“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:1-2

There is no distinct reason for the Lord’s action, besides divine election. God simply chose Abram, while he was a wanderer and little of note, and promised to make of him a nation, a people, a home- complete with all the benefits thereof: stability, peace, blessing, and hope. What’s more important is the response of trust. Abram trusted God enough to take Him up on the offer of a crazy adventure, and as a result the world has received the greatest boon it has ever known. But being himself a man the same as us, Abram never saw the whole picture! Abram’s life on earth was filled with times of doubt, disbelief, rejection of the promise, confusion, hurt, and suffering. It had ups and downs, blessings and hang-ups. Abram became Abraham, his family and possessions grew large. But even after Sarah died, Abram took another wife and had a ton of children, which doesn’t seem like a ton of faith in God’s specified promise. God promised through the unbelievable- through Issac, the natural offspring of one who had once been the tragedy of Sarai, barren among women. Issac was the means of God’s promise, and he was a miracle just tangible enough for a man to place all his hope in.

What a horror, then, to be torn between faith and hope. Certainly true faith in the Lord always entails the most joyful of hopes. But this hope was the tangible desire, the longing, and the love of a father for his son. Abraham had believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that God’s promise was going to take place by means of Issac, but then he was forced to cope with the idea of life with God’s promise without the tangible direction he desired it to take. Do you see what I’m getting at? I am certain that Abraham’s story is not altogether far off from the stories we lead today. We often lift our fists against heaven simply because our hopes do not fall in line with the faith God wants us to have.
            

In our lives today, “God’s will” is fairly open. His promise is sure and it can be trusted. In the meantime, we are busy about our adventuresome lives- enjoying them, and seeking the Lord’s will in them: conforming to His image and making disciples. But oh, to be able to see with God’s eyes, and to see our promise fulfilled! Would that Abraham could have seen the promise as even we can today. But these dreams miss the point of faith. I can’t tell you why God desires to work by the means of faith and intangible promise. I can't fully explain why there is so much suffering in the world. But we live by faith and not by sight- and without faith, there is not much of a story.

“But the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be the heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith… That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring- not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’- in the presence of God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations… That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness.’ But the words ‘it was counted to him’ were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in Him who rasied from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”             Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22-25

Dear Christian, God has chosen you. It wasn't for any particular reason- in your sinfulness you're not very attractive- but it was because He loves you tremendously. It’s not always about how your story is going to go, or how it is going to end. It’s not about which path to take, and wishing back that you had taken a different path from the one you did. It is all about having the faith to put you’re hope in God, even when trials come… or when the tangible option that was your hope suddenly vanishes into the mystery of God’s sovereign will. These trials will surely come, it’s totally how God works! It’s up to you to decide whether or not to take up your faith, to put your hope in God, and to praise God even in their midst of difficult trust.

Try this one on for size: the Lord gave Abram a part of the picture before He died.
            

“Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgement on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out will great possessions.”         Genesis 15:13-14

Why did they have to go through that? I cannot fully say. But I believe in God's bigger picture. King David continually praised the Lord and demonstrated faith despite his life that was full of confusion and anguish:  

“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as King forever.” Psalm 29:10
“For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble, He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock.” Psalm 27:5

“The Lord is the strength of His people; He is the saving refuge of His anointed.” Psalm 28:8

Our God of mercy has given us the treasure of hope within the frailty of our lives. But a curious part of His nature is that He likes to make your frailty known to you and others for the sake of emphasizing the treasure that you carry.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”                     2 Corinthians 4:7-11

I know from experience that despair, depression, and heartache is real. But can you believe with me that it only lasts for a night? That joy comes in the morning? The Lord will swiftly fly to your comfort, and He works through pain for your good.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.…He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again.”                2 Corinthians 1:3-6, 10

The Lord loves you, reader, so very dearly. It won’t always be easy, but I encourage you to trust in Him with faith, hope, and joy. He is so worth it.