True Grace In Motion
And He said to me,
"My grace is sufficient for you,
for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:9
Grace is more than
the unmerited favor of God. It is also the strengthening and
sanctifying power of God at work - turning unrighteous sinners into
righteous saints.
True grace in motion involves:
Saving >> Strengthening >> Sanctifying
When we sin, God had sent His
Son to die for our sins and gives us abundant life. That's saving
grace. The Law of God demands a death penalty for our sins. But the
saving grace of God grants us the forgiveness by paying the death
sentence in full on our behalf. Fulfilling all the requirements of
the Law, it goes further to strengthen us with the power of His Holy
Spirit to live the victorious and sanctified Christian life. That's
the strengthening and sanctifying grace of God.
Grace does not come to destroy
the laws of God but to fulfill them. Whatever the Law requires,
grace fulfills them by satisfying every one of its requirements:
"Do not
think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the
smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any
means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
Matthew 5:17-18
When a woman was caught in
adultery in John 8:3-11, Jesus asked the scribes and the Pharisees
to cast their stones at her but upon the one condition that they
were without sin. Being convicted by their own conscience, they went
off one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last. No man
was left to condemn the adulteress. And Jesus said unto her,
"Neither do I condemn you: go and sin no more." The law of God
required her to be stoned to death, but the grace of God not only
granted her favor in the sight of God but also empowered her to
start life anew - not to sin again. The law was fulfilled by the
grace of God applied.
Why is Jesus
able to do this? Simply because He is the very essence and
embodiment of grace and truth. And of His fullness we have all
received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through
Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John
1:14-17). We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of
the Father. By His death and resurrection, Jesus restored the broken
fellowship between God and man. The only way of salvation for
everyone is "through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts
15:11).
The relationship between God and
man is graced by mutually reciprocal rights and obligations between
both parties. Grace is not only a matter of obligation, but also of
generosity. It is not only a matter of loyalty, but also of mercy.
The weaker party seeks the protection and blessing of the stronger
Party, but he cannot impose or lay absolute claim to it. The
stronger Party remains committed to His promise, but retains His
freedom to exercise the option, especially with regards to the
manner and timing in which He will implement those promises. Grace
requires personal involvement and commitment in this relationship
between God and man. God came personally and paid the penalty for
man’s sins. And He has also committed Himself to build and present
His Church without any spot or blemish!
Grace is God's
strengthening power at work in our lives to do His will by
fulfilling His laws. The prophet Isaiah said that God gave power to
the weak, and to those who had no might He increased strength
(Isaiah 40:29). The grace of God first grants us the favor of God,
and then gives us the power of God to obey His commandments. That's
why His grace is sufficient for us, and His power is made perfect in
weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). The power of God works best in our
weaknesses. This double anointing and blessing of God’s grace brings
us to repentance from sinner to saint, and to restoration from
slavery to sonship.
Zacchaeus was a chief tax
collector in Jericho. He had grown rich by overtaxing the people for
the Roman government (Luke 19:3-10). When Jesus visited his home,
His grace overflowed and touched this rich yet poor man. Forgiveness
was received and accompanied by true repentance and restoration.
Zacchaeus repented of his sins, and made restitution for all his
wrongdoings. He gave half of his goods to the poor, and restored
fourfold to those whom he had cheated through over-taxation. He
became a follower of Christ. The grace of God fulfilled the laws of
God with this man stood forgiven and his sins paid in full.
The Holy Spirit is also called
the Spirit of grace (Hebrews. 10:29). He is the One Who draws man to
God so that they could receive forgiveness, adoption to sonship and
newness of life. He is also the One Who gives man spiritual gift or
grace:
But
to each one of us grace was given according to the
measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: "When He
ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to
men." Ephesians 4:7-8
This gracious working and
anointing of the Spirit is not simply for the purpose of bringing us
to the Crucified Christ. The Spirit is forever ministering the grace
of Christ into our lives. As we receive grace, we are able to
minister His grace to others. Grace is actually God’s agape love in
motion, and agape love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).
Grace is not simply
divine favor with us always at the receiving end. When we receive
grace from God, we need to give grace to others. Grace is God's
strengthening power at work in our lives to do His will by
fulfilling His laws in our own lives so that we can minister grace
and help others to do the same. Through this anointing of the Holy
Spirit, we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us
(Philippians 4:13).
And above
all things have fervent love for one another, for "love
will cover a multitude of sins." Be hospitable to one
another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift,
minister it to one another, as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God. 1 Pet 4:8-10
As good
stewards of the manifold grace of God, we need to minister to one
another according to the gift we have received from God. We do not
impose the laws of God on others, we minister the grace of God to
them so that they will have the strength to fulfill the laws of God.
The Law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul (Psalm 19:7).
There is
therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and
death. Romans 8:1-2
The law of sin and death is like the law of
gravity. But when we get into an airplane, we move into a higher law
even though the same law of gravity is still at work. The
acceleration of the airplane exceeds that of gravity, and thus the
plane is able to take off. When we
minister the grace of God, we are entering into the law of the
Spirit of life. We not only fulfill the law and overcome sin and
death, we will be able to soar with wings like eagles, taking others
on flight with us.
As we
are strengthened and sanctified by His grace, we will be holy as He is holy. We will
then be able to shine His light before others. They will see our
good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father in heaven.
When they are not
worshippers of God, we will show them the Way. We become godly
examples for them to follow. We do not condemn them but cover them
in our prayers.
When they worship idols,
we will tell them the Truth and show them what it means to worship
God in spirit and in truth. We grant them grace as God have granted
us. Maybe through our patience and love, we may lead some to Christ.
When they take the name of the
Lord in vain, we will lift His name on high. As His name is lifted
high, He will draw all men to Himself!
When they do not keep the
Sabbath holy, we will enter into His rest. By our joyful and
cheerful countenance, they will be attracted and follow suit.
When they do not honour their
parents, we will honour ours. This will be appealing to them as love abounds
in our family. Their eyes will be opened, and their hearts will be
changed.
When they commit murder, we will
still choose to forgive. The sin of murder can be forgiven (Matthew
12:31; Mark 3:28). In the first murder, God forgave Cain and said to
him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him
sevenfold." And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him
should kill him (Genesis 4:15). Saul of Tarsus, before his
conversion, launched threats and murder (Acts 9:1) against the
church. But by the grace of God, he was converted and became Paul
the apostle.
When they commit adultery, we
dare not cast any stone. Following the example of Jesus in John
8:3-9, we do not condemn but we cover their sins with the love of
God. We then can be in a position of grace and authority from above
and say, "Go and sin no more."
When they steal, we will
help them restore the loot to the victims even from our own pockets.
The love of God in and through us will compel them to steal no more.
When they lie against others, we
will be gracious and teach them how to praise the Lord, worshipping
God in spirit and in truth. And the truth of God will set them free.
When they are covetous, we will
show them our spirit of giving unto the Lord. By encountering evil
with good, we may win some.
When we do so, we are fulfilling
the laws of God. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in
this: "You shall love your neighbor as
yourself." (Galatians 5:14)
When we love our neighbours, we
will minister to them the grace of God in every circumstance. The
love of God will flow and cover a multitude of sins. The law is
being fulfilled as true grace abounds to us and through us to
others.
God demonstrates His own love
toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us
(Romans 5:8). He expects us to do the same. Loving sinners by
demonstrating His love - in life examples and if really necessary,
use words.
When we are gracious to others,
God will be gracious to us. And grace will beget grace. One day, the
Bride of Christ will be ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
She will be like her Bridegroom, full of the grace and glory of God.
The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
2 Cor 13:14
Please also read Grace, Grace.