Unconditional Grace

Grace

Grace

Grace

Why does the thought of it scare us?

why does the church feel as though we should keep it in check?

As if by us giving out too much grace to the people that God brings through our doors will promote more sinful actions. Grace will make them think they can live however they want, But when we truly understand the gift of grace it has the power to transform our hearts. That is God's job not ours.

Someone the other day said, "what goes around comes around" and that they even love that phrase.

"Karma", we love that one too don't we?

Our whole system is built around the principles that good things happen to good people, and therefore Bad things happen to bad people.

God came to save the lost AND the self-righteous.

As soon as I start to do good works and feel good about them it turns into self-glorification. There are no good works APART from Christ...and if we think there are we need to go to the word.

Romans 3:12

"All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

We want credit though, don't we? We need Christ, we are totally depraved without him. There are some people who look good, (i.e. Oprah, Gandhi), but if we really believe what the Bible tells us in Romans, and they aren't giving the glory to God for their good works then it is all self-glorification.

Ephesians 2:10 also tells us

 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

 Ephesians 4:22-24

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;to be made new in the attitude of your minds;and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Grace trumps all the ideas that our actions bring us good or that if we are bad we jeopardize being loved by God.

Grace says, "Good things happen to BAD people"

you okay with that? let me repeat it

GOOD things happen to BAD people

now obviously if you choose a life apart from Christ sadly bad things will happen to you (and eternity in hell).

Those who are in Christ were bad before/without Christ and therefore Christ blessings are in spite of our bad actions, not because of our good actions. He is the only good.

His Grace is so beautiful and unconditionally!

SO...

if we are to be Christ-like, we should be unconditional with grace too. We shouldn't put a limit on our grace card.

When we rejoice over bad things happening to bad people, we are forgetting that our hearts are wicked too and that we also were on a path to hell before Christ saved us.

If we want Karma to be the measuring stick for all of our actions, then we (Christ followers) wouldn't even have the promise of eternity with Him.

Grace is free because if it wasn't, none of us could afford it!

- Tullian Tchividjian 

I hope you all have a great day and remember to thank God for the good works he is allowing you to do and don't forget to give someone GRACE today!

Abbs*