GRACE - IT'S NOT THAT DIFFICULT

Grace. It's a concept that seems to be easily (sometimes deliberately?) misunderstood. It gave rise to some seriously false teaching in the early church, and 2000 years later it still presents some challenges.

The Jews in the early years of the church were used to a system of rigid laws and ceremonies. For many centuries they had learned the importance of following the rules. The Pharisees were so dedicated to rules that they even made up extra ones on their own. Given that culture it's not surprising that the idea of being accepted by God through grace, instead of by strictly adhering to the law, was hard for some people to accept. 

The problem is very evident in the discussions among early church leaders as to whether Gentile believers should be required to be circumcised. Some couldn't quite get their heads around the idea that God's grace could extend to people who hadn't followed this essential rule. It's quite understandable really. People who had been indoctrinated with the law throughout their lives were challenged by the idea of grace.

There was also the opposite problem. Some people welcomed the teaching of grace as if it were a day pass to Disney. For them grace was the golden ticket that gave them permission to do whatever they wanted. Anything goes, because God's grace will take care of it. 

We find Paul and other early church leaders repeatedly working to bring a balanced and correct understanding to the concept of grace. We come into relationship with God and receive His forgiveness through His gift of mercy, not by working really hard to be good enough, but as recipients of God's grace our overwhelming desire ought to be to please Him.

Grace is a free gift that costs us everything.

In my teaching and writing over the past year or so I have found myself emphasizing over and over again the amazing love of God. The more I understand scripture the more I am impressed with how much God loves us. I am astounded by the lengths He was willing to go because of that love. But there is another side of the story. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart and soul and strength.

The debates of the early church are alive and well today. While the Jews of the early church were struggling with what to do about the rules, in our culture we are struggling with the fact that there are none. The common question among Christians is what rules do I have to follow? What can I get away with and still be a Christian? 

Jesus avoided the arguments about rules and regulations. He talked about the heart, and when asked about rules said the most important thing is to love God with our whole heart. Clearly He was suggesting that if we love God wholeheartedly, all these other questions will take care of themselves. The question shifts from "what do I have to do" to "how can I please God even more"?

It's not really a hard concept to understand. It's not deep theology. When you love someone you want to please them. You don't want to do anything that will hurt them or make them sad.The greater the love the greater the desire to make sure you never disappoint that person.

Grace and love. If we really got it we would save ourselves a lot of grief arguing and fretting over what we can do or what we can't. The "legalists" wouldn't have to be bound up in onerous rules. The "grace means anything goes" people wouldn't be doing mental gymnastics to justify the things they're determined to hold on to. Instead we would be caught up in a desire to please the one we love, and the Holy Spirit would guide us into a life and lifestyle that would make that a reality more and more every day.

It's really simple. God loves us so much He gave His best. What He wants is for us to love Him back that much, so we will give our best. No wonder Jesus talked about the heart so much. That's where it all comes from. 

If you have found yourself recently arguing with God or with yourself or with someone else over whether it's okay for you to do something or hang on to something, you might want to check your heart. If you love Him with all your heart, the Holy Spirit will guide you and your desire to please Him will overwhelm all other motives. Colossians 3:15 says "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts". If you love God with all your heart, and the desire of your heart is to please Him, when you are doing that you will be at peace. When you are not, when you are displeasing the one you love, you will be robbed of peace. 

Jesus lived in a culture preoccupied with rules, but when asked about the greatest commandment, He didn't get drawn into a discussion about rules. He said to love God with your whole heart. Our culture is preoccupied with eliminating all the rules, and Jesus still gives the same answer.

Love God with all your heart, and the rest will follow.