Everyone fails, but God’s grace invites us to run toward Him
Everyone fails. No one is perfect except Jesus. Even when you are walking with God and doing all you know to do to please Him, there will still be times when you give in to temptation and you fall into sin. What do you do then? That is when you run toward God’s grace.
How Adam’s sin and Jesus’ obedience reveal the depth of God’s grace
The Apostle Paul was explaining God’s grace to the church in Rome. In Romans 5, he contrasts Adam’s sin that brought sin into the world with Jesus’ death that brought forgiveness and grace to us.
“Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Romans 5.18-21 NLT).
God’s grace reaches farther than our sin ever could
Paul was making the case that even though sin is now part of the world and separates us from God, His grace reaches the distances and can bring us back into fellowship with Him. God’s grace is able to cover our sin and restore us. No matter how deep the sin, God’s grace is deeper still! There is nothing you can do that is outside the reach of God’s grace and forgiveness.
Jesus showed grace to those who seemed farthest from God
Jesus demonstrated God’s grace throughout His ministry. He spent His time reaching out to the outcast and the marginalized. One day a group of religious leaders was criticizing Him for this and Jesus responded, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners,” (Mark 2.17 NIV). Jesus knew that every person mattered to the Father, and no one was out of reach of His grace.
Confession is how we respond when we fall short
How should we respond when we fail and find ourselves in need of God’s grace? (1 John 1.9 NIV) says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God expects us to turn to Him when we sin and confess it quickly. Confess means to agree with God that what we did was wrong and sinful before Him. You should never minimize your sin, excuse it or shift the blame to others. Instead, you should readily confess it to God. (Proverbs 28.13 NLT) says, “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.” When you turn to God and confess your sin to Him, He will forgive you, clean you and restore your fellowship with Him, (Hebrews 10.17; Psalm 103.10-12 ESV).
Grace is not permission to keep sinning
Now some have thought, “Well, if God’s grace is greater than my sin, then the more I sin, the more grace I get!” This thinking has led some people to dive headlong into sinful living. But this isn’t at all what God wants for you. Keep reading.
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 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,” (Romans 6.1-4 NLT).
Grace empowers us to live a new and different life
Paul is saying that we should never take for granted God’s grace by willfully sinning. Instead, because of God’s grace and the change He has made in our lives, we should avoid sin altogether. How can we keep doing what we used to do before we came to Christ? If our old life is dead in Christ, how can we act like we are still the same old person we used to be?
God’s grace leads to obedience and lasting transformation
No, grace doesn’t lead you to sin. In fact, grace teaches you to say no to sin and to live like Jesus. (Titus 2.11-14 NIV) says, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
God’s grace reminds us and motivates us to live differently than the world, because we are looking forward to Jesus’ return. He has redeemed you – literally bought you back with His own blood on the cross, from your old way of life, and now is making you His very own – forgiven, clean and eager to do what pleases Him. It is God’s grace that empowers obedience, and obedience is what produces holy living.
This blog features an excerpt from one of our books, Walk With God.
