“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”
When you emphasize living under grace rather than Law, some people think you're preaching a dangerous message. Why? Because of the confusion about mercy and grace. Because of this misunderstanding, some people hear permissiveness rather than empowerment. Let’s define mercy and grace.
MERCY is when God treats you better than you deserve. God is being merciful when he forgives you, even when you don't deserve it. Mercy is when God doesn't punish you for your sin, even though you deserve it. God is merciful when He blesses you despite your failures. We can look at King David and see God's great mercy in the life of someone who made so many mistakes. God can legally extend mercy to you because your sin was dealt with in Jesus.
GRACE is a supernatural power that works in your heart that gives you capacities and abilities. It's a divine influence in your inner man to strengthen you. God gives you grace through unmerited favor, but grace is more than just favor, it's strength. Grace is available before you sin, but thankfully mercy is available if you do commit a sin.
Mercy is undeserved forgiveness, while grace is a spiritual strength from God that brings about transformation.
You are under grace, not Law. That means you are under a power that strengthens you to live above the power of your flesh. Under the Law you must live for God out of your own strength, but under grace, God gives you His strength to live. God knows you can not live up to His standards in your own strength, so He gives you the ability to live the kind of life He wants you to live.
Even if you fall short of living in His power, He still loves you, forgives you, and counts you as righteous because of the work of Jesus.
What does it mean to live under grace?
We were under the Law, but now we are under grace. We used to be under a system where we had to live up to a certain standard to qualify for God's blessings. Now we are in a relationship with God in which He has made us His children and has given us His kingdom. He has given us everything He has, through Christ.
The issue is that what He has given us is primarily spiritual. Everything that Jesus paid for in our atonement is in us right now, in spiritual seed form. As we exercise faith in Christ, we make room in our hearts and lives for our inheritance to manifest from spiritual seed form to something tangible or substantive in our lives.
Faith doesn't make God move or cause Him to give us things, faith hosts God's presence within our inner man and allows God's spiritual power of grace to build His character and promises into our lives.
God is not withholding anything from us, but what He has given us must be received by grace through faith.
So how do we access grace by faith and experience the power of grace in our lives?
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoiced in the hope of the glory of God.
It's important to know that Christ HAS justified you, and because of that, you are at peace with God, you are in right standing with God. Your relationship is whole. And because of that, you can live in grace. You keep your faith in Christ, and it accesses grace. But faith is not a power you use to move God.
Faith simply means "to be persuaded of." Great faith is fully persuaded of the character and power of God. Little faith is not entirely sure that God will be who He says He is.
You access grace by being confident in who God is and who you are in Him.
Romans 5:20 The Law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now that we are under grace rather than Law, we can experience life and not death. The Law never produced life for us, it only condemned us and revealed our sin. But grace strengthens us to live in righteousness, which has been given to us in Christ.
Romans 6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Believe it or not, I hear this question often, in various forms. If you preach grace properly, the legalist or mixed covenant believer will always misinterpret what you say. They will think that you minimize sin and advocate lawlessness, which couldn't be further from the truth.
The Apostle Paul encountered that mindset often. He continually explained the mystery of our new birth and pointed people back to the righteousness that's available by faith and not Law. He also continually gave an invitation to live in the power of grace. The invitation to live in the power of grace remains today.
Romans 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master because you are not under the Law but grace.
How do you access grace by faith? You count yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. This is a mind-renewal exercise. You died, and the life you now live is Christ alive in you. It takes faith to believe and understand that. It takes faith to say that sin has no power over you when you keep struggling with sin. But it's true, you are dead to sin and alive to the power of God available because you're in Christ. As you believe the truth about who God is in you, your heart will allow you to receive power.
Grace gives us rest from our works. Grace fills the void that our weakness creates. Grace is available at every turn.
Do you know how to access grace with faith?
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
The doctrine of grace is easy to understand, but living in the power of grace can be difficult. It's not something you can make happen. It's not something you can earn or activate with your understanding. It's something you enjoy by faith.
The truth is, no one can tell you how to enter into grace by faith other than the Holy Spirit. He is your teacher. But we do have insights into how it works. Paul already gave us one…
Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. Romans 6:13
Apply this Tool for Transformation
How do you offer yourself to God as an instrument of righteousness?
The answer is different for everyone. Some folks stop and pray and receive grace easily and move on. Some people have a few boundaries in place to remind them to slow down and depend on God. Some people have different habits and tools that keep their hearts sensitive to God.
Many people have no real plan to offer themselves to God and receive grace in their time of need. I encourage you to make a plan and work the plan. Ask God to help you. He will not control you or make it happen without you getting your heart involved, but he will help you.
Take some time to use your imagination. What does it look like to face temptation yet walk away without giving in? What does it feel like? What does it look like to make a healthy financial decision? What does it feel like to be out of debt? What does it look like for you to be empowered by God's grace and not allow your emotions to shipwreck your day?
It's between you and the Holy Spirit to work out a way of living where you can turn your heart to Him at any moment and receive power from Him. You don't have to discern a message from Him, you don't have to work a miracle, you don't have to have a vision, you simply turn the eyes of your heart to Him ever so slightly and make room for His grace to strengthen you.
Expect His grace to be there. Lean into it. Remind yourself of a few truths about your new creation identity. Be willing to change, and watch His grace work wonders in you.
I will continue in this series throughout March. I pray you join us at Forward Church in person or online. Join us live on YouTube or Facebook Sundays at 10 am EST.
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