Abound in Grace

Abounding in grace is difficult for many believers. They come to Christ joyfully, receiving Him as a free gift of God, not of anything that they have done, and then life continues. Their expectations for themselves are often greater than reality. They expect to be a perfect person, mature in the Lord, freed from the flesh patterns that they developed over a lifetime of sin. They disappoint themselves. This is because as the disciple John informs us, “8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8 WEB) Once we come to Christ as our Savior, we are still faced with a sin problem. It is good to think of sin in our lives as having three tenses. At salvation, we are saved from the penalty of sin (justification). After our salvation experience, as we submit to the Holy Spirit, we are saved from the power of sin (sanctification). And when we leave this earth, we will be free from the presence of sin (glorification). We were saved by grace and we remain saved by grace, not by anything we do or don’t do.

Unfortunately, some believers believe they must maintain a certain spiritual level to remain saved. Such is not the case. God DOES expect us to have spiritual fruit in our lives, but this fruit is not “saving” fruit. It is the fruit of becoming more and more like Jesus. Theologians refer to this second stage as “sanctification.” They sometimes refer to the first stage as “justification”. Things become confused for the believer who doesn’t understand the difference between justification and sanctification. This confusion is needless. When you are in Christ, you are made holy (meaning you have been washed in His blood), and the King James writers referred to this as “being sanctified.” That confuses some. But you still must deal with sin in your life and “work out” your salvation gradually. This refers to slowly and steadily becoming more Christlike by renewing your mind (Romans 12:2), a process also known as sanctification.

Scripture tells us that living the Christian life out requires submitting daily to the Holy Spirit and letting Him have His way in our lives. Never mistakenly believe that this has anything to do with being saved. You were saved by grace, and you continue to be saved by grace, and not by something that you have done or are not doing. You certainly may have a checklist that you use to help you remember to do certain things that help you feel close to the Lord. The reality is that He is near all the time, but you have to take the time to talk to Him and listen to Him. That’s the real stuff that makes your “to-do” list have spiritual meaning. Relax and enjoy His abundant grace in your life. Be still and listen. Abound in His grace!

Paul had sent a harsh word to the Corinthians, and afterwards, he wondered whether or not it was the right thing to do. His motive was to correct them lovingly. It wasn’t to make them grieve. They received his letter and they wept over their condition. Paul wrote it to bring them to repentance, and they received the news, making changes in their lives and in their church. When a believer is sorrowful about some sin in their life and they repent of it, it brings about life. It helps to draw them back into the will of God and into Christlike behavior. Because of his love for them and his prior visits, Paul had laid the foundation of a good relationship, and he had the standing to write such a letter.

When I was about forty years old, I moved to a new community. I had just suffered a terrible personal blow that resulted in the loss of a company which my wife and I had started and built. We were pushed out of the business by younger partners. It was a tremendous blow to both of us, but it had a particularly profound impact on me. Often, a man wrongfully looks to his work to find his value and worth, and his identity. It’s a long story and doesn’t need to be retold here, but it hurt my pride and affected my psyche. As I joined a small men’s group in my new community, I shared my wound, and frankly, it dominated my thoughts and much of my conversation. I was always talking about myself to try, I suppose, to convince myself and others that I had value and worth after letting some other guys get the best of me. One day, one of the brothers in the small group took me aside and said to me, “You just love talking about yourself.” OUCH! I grieved at those words. I didn’t consciously realize it, but my subconscious self knew it was true, and I was devastated. I had become one of those pitiful people who always have to have the better story or be at the center of the conversation. I needed correction, and this brother gently pointed out a wrong that needed to be corrected. He had listened to me for many hours, and he had earned the right to give me a harsh letter, wrapped up in some gentle words.

You may need a letter like this, or you may need to give one to someone. Make sure that if you do, you have spent the time with that person to lay a good foundation. Speak to them in gentle words that help them to see the error of their ways and give them a clear path to walk out of it. People often talk about themselves due to insecurity. They don’t think much of themselves, so they overcompensate by trying to build themselves up in the eyes of others. Old wounds affect us greatly. If you can’t get past them, they will affect what you think, do, and say. The enemy uses them to distort us and causes us to focus on ourselves. Be open to correction, and if you need to correct a brother or a sister, lay the foundation, and do so with the greatest of love. If you do, it can bring life back to them. Paul had done so with the Corinthians, and they received the news, changed their behavior, and rejoiced.