Lately, I have recognized God’s grace in my life more and more and I feel it has been tested. John Piper answered a question about grace in an interview a couple years ago like this, “Well, it appears that the word grace in Paul’s use not only refers to God’s character trait or disposition or inclination to treat people better than we deserve, but the word grace also refers to the action or the power or the influence or the force of this disposition, which produces real, practical outcomes in people’s lives, like being sufficient for good deeds or enduring the thorn in the flesh or working harder than everybody else, which Paul says about his own apostolic work.” I have seen God treat me better than I have deserved when I have not wanted to show grace in particularly difficult situations. Yet, His grace has been giving me the power to deal with a “thorn in the flesh” and not do what my flesh is inclined to do normally in such a situation. God’s grace is truly enough. Now, let’s see how Nader has shown how others have handled the grace of God in his last article in this series.
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When Christians have problems, I always like to say to them, “So if you were in World War II, what would you do with all those problems?” Well, let's look at a great example. When a person believes in Christ, a storm of revolution arises in his heart that affects those around him and society. Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish priest who lived during the Second World War. He was a well-known spiritual writer who had many readers of a monthly periodical he founded. After the German invasion of Poland, he began writing anti-Nazi articles for public circulation. At the same time, he used his monastery to hide an estimated 2,000 Jews from persecution. Eventually, his activities resulted in his arrest and imprisonment in the infamous Auschwitz prison camp. His time there ended in death by starvation when he volunteered to switch places with another prisoner, accepting an undeserved punishment in order to save the other man. Kolbe is now revered in Poland and all over the world for his selfless courage and sacrifice in a seemingly impossible situation. Truly, in even the most dire circumstances like a Nazi death camp, it is possible for a human being to behave with great love and dignity. Hitler could temporarily conquer Poland, but he could never conquer the heart and soul of Maximilian Kolbe. No dictator or government can ever control a person as long as they retain their inner dignity and remain true to their values and beliefs.
Yes, when I look at these examples, I better understand the true meaning of being light and salt in the world. A Christian must stand by the beliefs of God's Word under all circumstances and not compromise with the sins of the world. As we see in letters of Paul, he has never reconciled with sin. For examples he never condones the sins of the Corinthians because they were under grace, these Christians were the worldliest, most wicked, believers in Paul’s ministry. Paul did not say about the Christian fornicator, “Let him keep living in sin, he is under grace.” Paul’s instructions were to remove the man from fellowship until he reformed himself (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). Paul did not condone the Thessalonians’ sins of being disorderly and lazy (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). He did not agree with the fighting and bickering between Euodias and Syntyche but rather reproved them for it (Philippians 4:2). Paul preached grace, and yet he never ever advocated that we were now free to live in sin. We are not called to selfish living, but to godly living; we have been called to live like God lives. Paul never preached grace as a license to live in sin. And if we preach grace as Paul did, we will not preach grace as a license to sin either. Still, as we see Paul was wrongly accused (Romans 3:8). However, Paul said:
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought for a price: therefore, glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Yes, God placed Christians under the grace system so that they could have the ability, and the identity in Christ, to overcome sin, to live for Him who died for them and rose again. Christians died with Christ, and they were raised again with Christ. They are dead to sin and alive unto God. Now, they can go live by faith in that identity. The wonderful grace of God, it not only saves us from hell, but also from daily sins. Christians have the power in Christ to say NO to sin.
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
Yes, grace gives us the information and the ability to overcome sin, but it does not force us to overcome sin. We are free to walk in our identity in Christ. Now who will we serve? At one time, we all served sin and grew weak under its deadly power over us. Now, through God’s grace, we have become servants of obedience that sets us right with God, each other, and ourselves. We must daily decide whose servant we are and offer Him our hands, our feet, our hearts, our eyes. In union with Christ, sin no longer reigns. Death no longer has the last word. Christians should know that the main reason for Christ's crucifixion was sin and that is enough. The main feature of God is His holiness. Because He is holy and never leaves sin unpunished, He reveals His love for sinners by punishing His only son instead of us sinners on the cross.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
Finally, let us test ourselves with the Word of God and examine ourselves, because we may be able to play a holy performance for ourselves and others, but we cannot deceive Christ. Everyone sleeps in his own grave and will in the end be judged by Him.
“And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment.” Hebrews 9:27
Finally, let's answer Paul's question: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
OK, what is our decision today and at this moment???!!!
Nader your little brother in CHRIST
GOD BLESS YOU. AMEN
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