MERCY AND GRACE

MERCY AND GRACE

                In God’s mercy He forgives us. IN His grace He empowers us.

                In Christianity there is a broad spectrum of opinion as to how mercy and grace work. Some believe that we are perpetual sinners who are perpetually calling for mercy. On the extreme end of this concept, grace becomes license to sin while mercy covers it.

                On the opposite end of this spectrum there are those who believe that we must reach perfection of character and it is largely up to our own stubborn will and backbone to do it. We must constantly deny the flesh and enter into the most stringent of disciplines in order to achieve victory over sin and when we fail then a good deal of self-flagellation is in order… or we could call it penance.

                There is a better way… a balanced way and it is prescribed in the Bible from beginning to end. This is one of the reasons why I mention Romans 8 so much. This one chapter seems to encapsulate the Bible’s teaching on the Bible’s teaching on mercy and grace. Paul’s solution is that if we live by the Spirit we will not carry out the deeds of the flesh. In this case then we can see mercy as God’s willingness to forgive and His grace as His power to overcome sin and to live righteous lives.

                It is not a matter then of having a strong enough backbone, for as the bible says His power is demonstrated in our weakness. Paul said:

                “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2 Cor. 12:9.          Like the song says then: “We are weak, but He is strong.”

                But what does this mean exactly? IN our weakness, do we go on sinning perpetually while asking for perpetual mercy, or has grace equipped us with the power to quit our perpetual sinning?

                In revelation chapters 2 and 3 Jesus said to every one of the seven churches: To him that overcomes I will grant…” But in Revelation 12:11 it says that they overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. But that statement still leaves us with the same question. Does overcoming by the blood mean perpetual sinning and perpetual covering or does the blood have within it the power to overcome sin?

                St. John said: ”My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; for He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but for those of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “ I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him; the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” 1 John 2:1-6.

                Okay, so here we go in another circle because Paul says that by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified and that the Law is not of faith. But John says that we must keep the commandments and walk in obedience even as Jesus walked.

                Hebrews 5: 8-9 says of Jesus: “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered and having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.” In other words, to obey Him is to walk as He walked and we know that Jesus walked out His life in constant contact with His heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit.

                Some have asked if Jesus was our example or our substitute and the Biblical answer is “Both.” As the divine and perfect Lamb of God He is our substitute, but as a prototype of the New Man in Christ, He is our example…” He has become the source of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him.”

                Whenever we see apparent contradictions in the Bible, such as whether we keep the commandments or whether we don’t it is time to become alert, for in the contradiction itself there is hidden a key to a greater truth. It is not a matter of keeping the commandments and it is not a matter of doing away with the commandments. It is a matter of living by His Spirit.

                Love is the fulfillment of the Law and love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control are all aspects of love that are manifested in our lives as we live by the Spirit instead of by the flesh. Everything God has asked us to do; He has also provided us by His Holy Spirit. Gal. 5:22.

                 Jesus came to show us how to live by the Spirit. After all, it was the Spirit that Adam lost in the fall and it is the Spirit that Jesus brought back. He demonstrated how to live by the Spirit in His own life and then on the day of Pentecost He sent that same Spirit down to us so that we could walk as He walked.

                Consistent with all of Scripture then Paul says to us: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

                The great argument then between Law and grace is thus solved as we walk in the spirit and not by the flesh. It is not by setting out to keep the Law that we end up keeping the Law, but in setting out to live by the Spirit, we end up fulfilling the Law as well.

                Jesus tied it all together in John 15:8-12 saying: “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full. THIS IS MY COMMANEMDNT THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.”

                How is your love life? Do you find yourself in constant disputes and divisions? Are you continually frustrated by the (*%#*@) people in your church, your home and at work, or has the Holy Spirit given you an overwhelming sense of love for the people around you? And when you see someone in need to you help, or do you just say “Good Luck.?”

                We love to bat around our doctrinal ideas   and we tend to identify our particular church as the True Remnant church of God because we have this or that doctrine or belief, but in the judgment Jesus said. “I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”

                So even as we pontificate over every nuance of doctrine, God may be watching with pleasure, the person who is carrying food to a needy person, or clothing, or encouragement to the discouraged, or love to the unloved.

                Peter gave good instruction when he said: “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins, be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:8-10.

                This then is one of the key reasons why we attend church. A large part of our training in this life is to love the brethren, not just theoretically, but in practice. And together that love must reach beyond the four walls of our church to the needs of the community as well.

                In these days when grace has been misconstrued to mean license to sin, even the love of many brethren has grown cold. Our lives become self-centered and self-serving and that is certainly not the way of Christ.

                So if we want to qualify as God’s Remnant people then we must learn to be fountains of the love of Christ to those around us. As we know from history, you can grit your teeth and keep the law legalistically all you want to and still crucify the Son of God.

                “…Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:30-32.

                Mercy and grace will be extended to us from God even as we extend mercy and grace to those around us. Forgiveness is only given to those who forgive. Give and it shall be given unto you.

                So, barricading you church doors and firing rockets at everyone who disagrees with you is perhaps not the best way of demonstrating Christ’s love to the world. This does not mean that we abandon the truth for the sake of unity, but it does mean that the Spirit of God must be the active agent in our lives and that His fruit in us will be manifested as love for one another.