Tuesday, November 10, 2009

God’s Grace and Sufficiency

"This is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it" 1 Peter 5:12

A lie has entered the hearts of many sincere believers. It goes like this, "Yes, you are saved by grace alone, but now it is your turn. You begin the Christian live by grace, but staying 'in' and moving forward is up to you". This lie, which contains a kernel of truth, inevitably leads to disease and despair. From this lie springs legalism, self sufficiency, performance based religion, spiritual pride and presumption, as well as spiritual depression.

The truth that sets us free is this: we not only begin our Christian lives by grace (saving grace) – we live our Christian lives by grace (sustaining grace). It may seem counter intuitive, but the way to stay connected to the grace of God is to stay connected to your sin and weakness. As my awareness of the depth of my sin and the frailty of my weakness increases, so also increases my need for and dependence on the grace of God.

Happy is the man, despairing of his own efforts, finds himself shipwrecked on the shores of grace! He needs saving grace, sustaining grace, empowering grace, forgiving grace, consoling grace, restoring grace, encouraging grace, helping grace, and, well, you get the idea.

Q: To whom do we turn for such grace? Who would give stumbling, faltering, stubborn, weak children the grace they need?

A: "The God of all grace" 1 Peter 5:10

The well wisher of your soul's happiness,

Pastor Tom

(Click here for passages to meditate upon this week)

(Click here for "Grace by Which I stand" by Keith Green)

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