The Unifying Power of Grace

Good Morning,

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom. 5:6-8

The verses above are some of the most counterintuitive in all the bible. They run contrary to almost every aspect of life in terms of the system of rewards so prevalent. Work hard and get a raise. Clean your room and get your allowance. Do well on a test and get a high grade. Obey the traffic laws and don’t get arrested. Power and influence in politics frequently going to those with means or the right connections.

What we see modeled by the life and teachings of Jesus is something completely different, however. Blessed are those who are weak, poor, and powerless. Look out for those who have no advocate or voice. Help those who are facing dilemmas they can’t overcome. And abundant grace to all. 

Who are the powerless, sinful, and ungodly? Us! We are those people! People who without the astounding grace of God are helpless and lost. Jesus went so far as to sacrifice His life even though we were completely undeserving. And God keeps showing us His unmerited favor.  Ps. 103:10 says, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve”.

Jesus continually extended grace. He made conscious choices not to cling to His rights and privileges for the sake of others. Time and again He kept the bigger picture of redemption in mind. What if we did the same thing in our relationships? Think how offering grace could promote unity.

This means we will be challenged to give grace when we would rather give retribution. It will mean overlooking a flaw in light of our own flaws. It will mean holding our tongue when we want to respond harshly, giving second chances, not passing on gossip, responding out of love not legalism, and the list goes on. Yet in light of the grace we ourselves have been shown, is this really too much to ask? The following statement I read can help us keep this in mind.

We are saved by grace, go to heaven by grace and live every moment in between by the grace of God.

Question to Ponder this Week:

1.    In what relationships is more grace from you needed?

2.    What would keep you from extending it?

Live on purpose, Ron Klopfenstein, CPLC