desperately wicked // unbelievably loved : life under grace (6)

This is part 6 of my grace blog series.
Check out part 1 here: desperately wicked // unbelievably loved
Check out part 2 here: desperately wicked // unbelievably loved : condemnation (2)
Check out part 3 here: desperately wicked // unbelievably loved : self-righteousness (3)
Check out part 4 here: desperately wicked // unbelievably loved : shift (4)
Check out part 5 here: desperately wicked // unbelievably loved : grace abounds (5)

So here's a quick recap. We talked about three lifestyles we can fall into when we don't truly know God's grace:
-Condemnation: We focus on our deeds and are aware that we often fail, but we try to "fix" ourselves rather than allow God to work in us.
-Self-righteousness: We focus on our own deeds and think that we are doing well, that we by ourselves can be right before God.
-Licentiousness: We do whatever we want (including sin) because grace abounds.
These lifestyles all come down to an improper focus on the law and a lack of understanding concerning the grace we've received. Either we are focused on keeping the law for our salvation or breaking the law because of our salvation.

In one of my previous posts, I talked about "the shift," how, in order for us to live under God's grace, we need to shift our gaze from ourselves to him. When we are focused on ourselves, whether on our faults or our perceived righteousness, we are missing the point. You see, when we see God for who he is, we understand our utter brokenness and need for him, but we also understand his sufficiency for us and his kindness toward us. The law shows us our need for God, but God's grace transforms our lives. His kindness brings us to repentance.

Let's walk through Galatians 3:

"You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham 'believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'”

Paul writes to the Galatians because they started out with the understanding that it was their belief that saved them, but then they started acting like they had to do certain things and act certain ways according to the law (and in addition to the law) in order to be saved. I think that sometimes this happens to those of us who slip into living in condemnation or self-righteousness. We know that we are saved, but we listen to the lies that tell us we have to do certain things to earn our salvation.

Let's continue with Galatians 3:

"Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.' So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.' Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because 'the righteous will live by faith.' The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, 'The person who does these things will live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.^' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

We could never fulfill the law. In fact, when we rely on our works to save us, we are under a curse. But thanks be to God, he sent his own Son to redeem us (to buy us back) from the curse of the law that we lived under. In fact, he was cursed to remove our curse. We didn't deserve it. We never deserve it. This is extravagant grace. A gift completely undeserved, completely illogical. Even more, he gave us his Spirit, Jesus living in us.

If we don't live under the law, then why do we even have it? Where is its place? Paul explains this in Galatians 3:

"Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe."

 Wow. God always intended for salvation to be by grace through faith, never through our own perfect obedience to the law (Jesus did that).

Paul continues:

"Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."

 We are no longer slaves to the law. We are children of God. So we don't live as slaves of the law, but as beloved children of God. Does this mean we disregard the law? Of course not. We've discussed that before. However, this does mean that we have a Savior who showed us sinless life and sacrificial love, and when we are saved by grace through faith, his Spirit lives in us. Jesus said that love is the fulfillment of the law.

So what does it mean to live under grace? We who live under grace know the depth our sinfulness, but we also know the sufficiency of his forgiveness. We want to honor him because we love him, not merely for fear of displeasing him and going to hell. We don't give up when we mess up. We look up. We are broken by our sin because it grieves our Lord, but we know that our sin does not disqualify us from being his when we are covered by the blood of Jesus. We look to him because his grace is greater than our sin. His grace inspires us to love him, and the evidence of our love is our obedience. The grace we've received from him flows out of us and into the lives of others.


“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
-Galatians 2:19-21 

desperately wicked // unbelievably loved : grace abounds (5)

This is part 5 of my grace blog series.
Check out part 1 here: desperately wicked // unbelievably loved
Check out part 2 here: desperately wicked // unbelievably loved : condemnation (2)
Check out part 3 here: desperately wicked // unbelievably loved : self-righteousness (3)
Check out part 4 here: desperately wicked // unbelievably loved : shift (4)

Before we get to what a proper understanding of life under grace looks like, let's talk about one more lifestyle that comes from an improper understanding of the relationship between grace and the law. The last two lifestyles we talked about came out of a focus on personal action rather than on God's action in us. We can get so obsessed with fixing ourselves or become so blind to our own sin and satisfied with our own merits that we lose sight of our desperate need for Jesus to be our righteousness.

This next lifestyle happens when we become so comfortable in the freedom God's grace gives us that we chase freedom rather than the God who freed us. Maybe that sounds a little cryptic. Plainly, as Paul states it, we sin so that grace abounds all the more. We push the boundaries so far that eventually our boundaries are so blurred we don't even know where they are. We take part in that gossip or make that bad decision or go to that place we know we shouldn't go, thinking, "God will forgive me. I won't do it again (yeah, right). Just this once." We knowingly sin because we know that our sins are forgiven.

Just as trying to earn our salvation by keeping the law (impossible!) shows disregard for Jesus's death and resurrection, sinning intentionally with the mindset that we are already forgiven shows that God's grace has not transformed us. Tullian Tchividjian writes, "Grace inspires what the law demands." God's grace is completely free. We don't do anything to earn it. However, once we truly receive his gift of salvation by grace through faith, our lives can't look like they did before. Get this, God's grace doesn't have stipulations. It is truly one way love. It is truly free. It is always undeserved. It's not, "Promise me you'll change your life, and I'll save you." It is, "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Our salvation is secure when we call on his name. However, doesn't this free gift stir something up in you? Like, if somebody gave me a billion dollars today for no reason and with no stipulations, I probably wouldn't go spend it all in one place. Out of respect and gratefulness, I would do something good with that money. Even more, the holy God sacrifices his only Son, saving his enemies (us!--Romans 5:10) from hell, and gives us eternal life. Out of gratefulness and a desire to know him more, I live according to his Word.    

In One Way Love, Tullian Tchividjian makes a good point. People often define two types of ways to misunderstand grace--legalism and licentiousness. One puts too little emphasis on grace, and the other puts too much emphasis on grace. We either try to gain salvation through the law, or we break the law because we already have salvation. However, Tullian writes that actually both of these are legalism. In one case, we make rules for salvation; in the other, we break rules for salvation. Both misconceptions come from relying on rules (rather making or breaking them) for salvation. There's no such thing as "too much grace." There's no "proper balance" of grace and law. Salvation is all grace. However, our lives are a reflection of how well we understand the grace we've received. Living a lifestyle of legalism or licentiousness after receiving grace is evidence of a disconnect between what we think we know in our heads and what we believe in our hearts.

A speaker at a conference I attended once used a fantastic analogy. Encountering God is like getting slammed by an eighteen-wheeler. You don't go away from that unchanged. In fact, your life is most likely forever changed. In the same way, encountering the free grace of God leaves us no choice but to live differently. Grace inspires what the law demands. Let's live out of inspiration, not out of obligation.    

I pray that God's unbelievable grace captivates your attention, transforms your thinking, and changes your life from the inside out. We'll talk about what that looks like next time. Blessings to you!