So I was listening to a crazy good sermon by Bill Johnson (get the podcast) and this little tangent he went on struck me as amazing…
So God’s been talking a lot to us all about being accountable to him for our stewardship of every aspect of our lives: our words, our destiny, our interactions, our obedience to the word. Cool.
Here’s the thought B.J. brought up: Wrapped up in grace is a higher requirement than was in the law.
Think about what Jesus said: “You have heard it said, ‘Thou shalt not murder,’ but I tell you anyone who hates his brother is guilty of murder.” The Law said “do not kill;” but under grace not only our actions but the thoughts of our hearts are under scrutiny.
Why is the requirement so much higher? It’s that the Law was impossible to man, but Grace is possible. Grace is what Jesus walked in on the earth. Grace is the Spirit of God inside man, with whom “all things are possible.” If all things are possible now to us because of God, how much more are we accountable to the requirement of grace than we were to the requirement of the law? Grace ups the ante!
So now, Grace was never meant to be the security blanket we have made it – that is an affront to the purchase of Christ that gives us access to “greater works than these.” Ever wonder why Jesus said, “I tell you truly, your righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees?” It’s because that is the requirement of God when you live under Grace. We are no longer to do “the best that is humanly possible.” The Pharisee’s did that. You and I have never even come close to that. Do you know what’s required of us now? It’s the best that is possible for God to do.
Lean into grace, Church! Not the security blanket -the partnership with God’s Spirit that enables us to live righteously from the inside, to heal the sick and raise the dead! The Spirit of God has been given as a gift to us, and to whom much is given, much will be required.
I think you just preached me happy as well. I’ve recently been reading this book called Let Go, which is a collection of letters written from the Archbishop of Cambrai, France in response to the parliament of the day (1500’s). So far, the underlying theme seems to be that focusing on one’s faults (trying to live up to the law on our own) is useless and deletirious to our spiritual health. Rather, he writes about completely surrendering your will to God and leaning on him and his Grace. We live in such a result-oriented society that we are programmed to think of only outward, tangible results.
The Lord has be speaking to me a lot about Grace and I think we all need to lean into Grace. YAY for Grace!
Good word man, also have a wonderful Thanksgiving, we can’t wait to see you guys (and girls, more like girls and guy) in a month.
Amen.
Forgive the long reply, Susan, but I love this topic. I remember hearing a sermon once by an L.A. pastor named Erwin McManus. They had a guy over to their home who was looking at partnering (joining) with their church. In the middle of all the gettin-to-know-you stuff, he asked, “Are you a GRACE church or a LAW church.” Erwin knew he was being trapped, and replied, “We’re a GRACE church.” Their visitor replied, “Oh good. I thought you were going to be one of those groups that told me I had to tithe.” Erwin told him, “Oh no. The LAW says not to murder, but GRACE says ‘You don’t need to have any anger in your heart’. The LAW says not to commit adultery, but GRACE says to stay clear from every thought of lust that you might have for another woman. The LAW says to tithe 10%. But GRACE lets you tithe 20%, 30%, 40%! We will never discourage you from giving!”
Woot.
Exactly. That type of explanation helps you to understand why Paul was so flabbergasted by the Corinthians, who had been deceived into believing that the OPPOSITE was true – that grace was a license to sin more.