Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Grace To You, and Peace
Johnny sits at the kitchen table, staring despondently at the heap of peas that remain untouched on his dinner plate. His mother is chiding, “If you don’t eat your vegetables God is going to be mad at you.” In the church across town Julie listens attentively to her Bible teacher as she is warned, “If you steal God will send you to Hell.” Just a few street away Aaron’s mom is doing her best to get him to go to church with her as she declares, “If you don’t go to church you’ll be in trouble with God.” Sound familiar? Have you ever heard someone threaten God’s wrath in the name of discipline?
Grant it, it is good to eat vegetables, it is wrong to steal and it is important to worship God. Unfortunately, however, due to encounters like those just mentioned, many well-meaning people have inadvertently turned the primary message of the Bible on its head. God’s Word to mankind is one of hope, not one of condemnation. Even Jesus proclaimed, “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12:47)
If you grew up being threatened by the wrath of God, it might be pleasantly surprising to discover that the Bible is a book that is full of grace. In fact, a very common phrase in Scripture is: “grace to you.” That phrase, or one very similar, is found in 63 verses of the Bible. Those verses are spread throughout 19 different books of the Bible. Many other Bible concepts underscore the Good News that God has extended His grace to all mankind. He came to restore us unto Himself! (Colossians 1:20) He is trying to fix it so that everyone can have a great relationship with Him.
In other words, God is not looking for us to be good for His sake; He is looking for an opportunity to love us and empower us to do good for our sakes. God is not asking people for confessions or repentance, rather He is offering them forgiveness via repentance. (1 John 1:9) God does not demand baptism, instead, He offers to wash away sin when people obey Him and are baptized. (Acts 22:16) God does not demand that people be filled with His Spirit, but He does offer to give power to those who want to live a Spirit-led life. (Acts 2:38) God does the giving and believers to the receiving and implementing. It’s a great deal for us! God is on our side!
This concept is made clear in the scriptures that explain, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins… We love him, because he first loved us.” (I John 4:10,19) God first extends His love and grace. Then, once mankind is able to accept that grace, they can respond by developing a loving, obedient relationship with their Savior. He loves – we respond.
God offers grace - which can be defined as “unmerited favor.” The result of Him loving us and us loving Him back is peace; a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). We can have peace because He loves us unconditionally. We can have peace when we respond to Him by loving Him back. We can enjoy peace because the lifestyle he inspires is honorable and abundant. Peace will be the product of the many experiences a true believer will have with God as they pray, worship and apply His principles to their life.
God is not looking for a reason to judge, He is looking for people who will cooperate with His “saving plan.” He gracefully throws out a life saving message and patiently waits for people to reach out and accept grace on His terms. Grace to you, and peace….
Grant it, it is good to eat vegetables, it is wrong to steal and it is important to worship God. Unfortunately, however, due to encounters like those just mentioned, many well-meaning people have inadvertently turned the primary message of the Bible on its head. God’s Word to mankind is one of hope, not one of condemnation. Even Jesus proclaimed, “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12:47)
If you grew up being threatened by the wrath of God, it might be pleasantly surprising to discover that the Bible is a book that is full of grace. In fact, a very common phrase in Scripture is: “grace to you.” That phrase, or one very similar, is found in 63 verses of the Bible. Those verses are spread throughout 19 different books of the Bible. Many other Bible concepts underscore the Good News that God has extended His grace to all mankind. He came to restore us unto Himself! (Colossians 1:20) He is trying to fix it so that everyone can have a great relationship with Him.
In other words, God is not looking for us to be good for His sake; He is looking for an opportunity to love us and empower us to do good for our sakes. God is not asking people for confessions or repentance, rather He is offering them forgiveness via repentance. (1 John 1:9) God does not demand baptism, instead, He offers to wash away sin when people obey Him and are baptized. (Acts 22:16) God does not demand that people be filled with His Spirit, but He does offer to give power to those who want to live a Spirit-led life. (Acts 2:38) God does the giving and believers to the receiving and implementing. It’s a great deal for us! God is on our side!
This concept is made clear in the scriptures that explain, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins… We love him, because he first loved us.” (I John 4:10,19) God first extends His love and grace. Then, once mankind is able to accept that grace, they can respond by developing a loving, obedient relationship with their Savior. He loves – we respond.
God offers grace - which can be defined as “unmerited favor.” The result of Him loving us and us loving Him back is peace; a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). We can have peace because He loves us unconditionally. We can have peace when we respond to Him by loving Him back. We can enjoy peace because the lifestyle he inspires is honorable and abundant. Peace will be the product of the many experiences a true believer will have with God as they pray, worship and apply His principles to their life.
God is not looking for a reason to judge, He is looking for people who will cooperate with His “saving plan.” He gracefully throws out a life saving message and patiently waits for people to reach out and accept grace on His terms. Grace to you, and peace….
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