I have been thinking about something lately. I know that might come as a surprise to some…but, seriously, this idea has been on my mind. The idea is that without understanding the application of grace and forgiveness (I am focusing on the forgiveness we receive from the Lord) they can become a liability or a danger to us. Now, don’t delete or burn this Kernels just yet until you read the whole thing. Then, if you are still upset, feel free to use this (for those of you who get a hard copy of The Kernels of Truth) as lining for your bird’s cage.
In Romans chapter 5, Paul points out that “…by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” Of course, the disobedient “one man” is Adam and the obedient “one man” is Jesus our Lord. He then adds this line – “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” Meaning that no matter the degree or level of sin, grace was more than capable of moving us to a place of forgiveness and wholeness. And therefore, as he continues, “…grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Now, the Bible was not written in the chapter/verse format we enjoy today. Paul was just writing a letter to the church at Rome and when he wrote the above quote, he immediately wrote what would become verse 1 of chapter 6. By the way, chapters were added in the 13th century and then the verses were added in the 16th century. I point this out so we understand that when Paul wrote the last verse of chapter 5, he immediately continued by writing verse 1 of chapter 6. And that verse reads,
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?”
He anticipated this response from someone who is always looking for the least way out; what is the minimum I can do and still get by with it? Do you know anybody like that? If we are not careful, we will find them in the mirror. Paul gives us an immediate and emphatic answer to his own (anticipated) question.
“By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”
A cursory view of some other versions finds these responses. “Of course not!” “Absolutely not!” “May it never be!” Of course, the King James Version just says simply, “God forbid.” I think we get the idea the apostle wanted to communicate clearly that our justification and being reconciled to God was not and is not a license to openly and purposely commit sin. I have met people in my day that have adopted this lopsided approach to grace and forgiveness. The truth is when I meet someone who simply says because of the abundance of God’s grace, I can live any way I want and His grace will be sufficient, I really wonder if they have ever actually been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This is what the apostle is communicating when he points out that since we have died to sin in Christ, how and why would we attempt to still live in sin.
I would like to address a few reasons why this approach to grace and forgiveness is to be avoided by the Christ follower. Allow me to first point out that we are not talking about the errors of our ways that occur simply because we are human beings and therefore flawed. There are times in each of our lives when we do something, say something, or go somewhere that we know is less than God’s prescribed way of living. We are convicted and repent of our sin and “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” When we talk about a wrong approach to grace, we are not talking about that. But rather I am referencing those who are seemingly willing to abuse the forgiveness and grace of God to justify our living to satisfy ourselves.
First and foremost, this philosophy violates the directive from God, recorded in a number of places, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” God calls us to endeavor to live as holy a life as we possibly can and if we will engage in this manner, God’s Spirit will come alongside us to help us on our way. When we adopt this way of thinking, our focus is on God Himself and not the satisfaction of our own whims and pleasures. There are so many blessings attached to obedience to God’s commands. As a matter of fact, Jesus declared that a measuring stick of our love for Him. “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments.”
This brings us to another reason we want to avoid a willful and purposeful lifestyle of sin. Sin is poison to the soul of humanity. Immediately upon disobeying God and being beguiled by Satan, the whole demeanor and outlook of Adam and Eve changed. They were so completely void of self-awareness they didn’t even notice or care they had no clothes on…they were naked. But now when sin had entered, they were completely self-aware and were ashamed. Then God came calling asking “Where are you?” Of course, God knew full well where they were, but the question was intended to cause them to realize where they were…victims of the poison that comes from missing the mark set by their Maker. We can enjoy fellowship and communication similar to what they did in the Garden (obviously not the same), until that moment that we with intention disregard His words to us. From that moment in the Garden of Eden on, the human race was poisoned by sin and began to die. When we purposefully and willfully decide to disobey what God has specified, we die a little spiritually. No, I don’t mean we cancel out the atoning work of Christ in saving and redeeming us, but in our relationship with God, we die just a little bit, because it is from that fellowship with Him that we receive true life. Presuming upon God’s goodness, grace, and forgiveness will certainly put us in a place of disrupting our fellowship with God Almighty. Let’s endeavor to resist that sin that so easily entangles us and avoid the poison provided by sin in our lives.
Another thing about disregarding God’s prescribed way of living is that it will knock us off the mission for which we have been created and assigned. Jesus said to His disciples that it was doing His Father’s will that was the sustenance that kept Him going. It was pleasing His Father that motivated Jesus during His time on earth. He tells us this numerous times. We think if we can just “have a little fun” while disregarding God’s formula of holiness, we will be okay because God’s grace and mercy will abound. It is true they will abound, but one thing we must remember is that whenever we do that thing (or not do that thing) that is contrary to God’s heart and intention, we can only repair that place of fellowship with Him by first confessing our sins. Do you remember that verse in 1st John?
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
That giant word “if.” God stands ready at all times to forgive us our sins and draw us close to Him in fellowship and communication. But we must first get past that “if.” If we confess our sins…this means we have acknowledged our error and desire to draw on that grace and mercy God speaks of and provides. If we are adopting a lifestyle of presumption, depending on a loving God to supply the grace and forgiveness necessary to reign us in, we may be surprised how that doesn’t happen without repentance, confession, and a desire to not return to that folly again.
It is only when endeavoring to live a life of obedience that we can fully realize our mission and find the ability to walk it out in everyday life. Whatever plow handle God has put your hands on will become tainted and compromised when you with wanton disregard allow yourself to become careless about the holiness of your life. I read everyday of ministers, pastors, schoolteachers, etc. that have compromised themselves through some act that not only violates God’s law, but in many cases, violates the law of the land. I must hasten to add that there is forgiveness and restoration available to anyone who strays off the strait and narrow path, but it will certainly cost in the realm of consequences. I’m sure King David knew he was acting contrary to God’s holy ways when he succumbed to his carnal desires and brought Bathsheba to his house. David certainly repented of his sin when confronted by one of the bravest men in the Bible, Nathan the prophet and a close associate of David. God forgave his sin, but declared there would be consequences due to his disobedience…in this case the baby that was a product of his affair with Bathsheba would surely die…and it did. It is interesting to note that all this took place, the Bible tells us, “when kings normally go out to war.” He was a king, but he chose to stay back and send his army ahead to war. I’ll let you surmise why he did that. But it was David’s repentance and forgiveness received from God that put him back in the proverbial saddle of his mission. And of course, in spite of this blatant sin (and others), God still described him as a man after God’s own heart.
Finally, and this is similar to the reason just prior, when we have an attitude of satisfying our selfish desires and relying on God’s grace and forgiveness to bail us out, we are not useful to the Master. In the apostle Paul’s second letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, he makes this statement.
“Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
He continues by stating,
“if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”
If we want to maintain our usefulness to the Master and be ready for every good work, we must abide by His standard of living. And this is because, He made us and therefore, He knows how we best function. When God says don’t be drunk with wine, it is not because He is an old man who doesn’t want anyone to have any fun. No, it is because as the builder of the human being, He knows that to be controlled by something or someone outside ourselves and God, is ultimately detrimental to every facet of our lives. When He says to have no other God before Him, it is not because He is on an ego trip and has a need for us to adore Him. No, rather it is because He knows how we are made and understands we will function at our optimum level when we move past ourselves and offer praise and worship to Him, the Almighty God who made heaven and earth.
I will conclude this issue of The Kernels of Truth by reiterating this point. I am not addressing the sins we commit most every day due to hastiness, dropping our guard, or being backed into a corner until our flesh rises up. Those are all important matters that need to be dealt with. No, what I am addressing here is the cavalier attitude of some that say righteousness and holiness are overrated and God is going to forgive me anyway, so I might as well do what suits me. I believe I have stated several reasons why that mode of thinking will bring us nothing but misery and problems.
We certainly can rest in the fact that when we do err and find ourselves outside God’s place of holiness, there is forgiveness and grace available to us to right our path and place us back on a firm foundation. As a matter of fact, again in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he writes this:
“God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His…’”
Let us reach as high as we can to attain to God’s supreme level of life. Then we will certainly be useful to the Master and we will avoid the danger of grace and forgiveness.
Now go out there and
Act Like Somebody!