Sometimes people
are under the impression that if they can muster up enough faith to live out
the sacrificial demands of love, then they can please God and earn their ticket
to heaven. While I know of no churches or theologians that actually teach this
doctrine, it is a rather common expression of what it takes to be a Christian.
Yet nothing could be further from the truth! Asking three questions about
grace, faith and love can help us understand what God is seeking to do in our
lives.
Why
do we receive grace? Wrong answers to this question have produced a lot of
mischief in the church over the centuries! Paul told Timothy, “I was shown
mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13). This is
good news if ever there was any because rather than having to have it all
together to receive grace all that is required is ignorance and unbelief –
which seems in almost endless supply! Jesus’ prayer from the cross – “Father,
forgive them, they do not know what they are doing” – seems to corroborate
Paul’s claim. Paul also told Timothy, “He has saved us and called us to a
holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose
and grace” (2 Timothy 1:9) God gives us grace, not because we earn it or
deserve it, but simply because he wants to give grace to us! Pure gift!
What
does grace do in us? Grace does not come to us because we are exemplary,
but it does make us examples once we receive it. Paul tells Timothy, “I was
shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his
immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive
eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16). The grace working in our lives screams “if
Paul can be saved, then everyone can be saved!” You can replace Paul’s name
with yours and still get the point! Grace also changes the meaning and purpose
of our lives – we no longer live to answer the basic questions, “What will I
eat, what will I drink, and what am I going to wear?” Rather, God’s grace has “been
revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed
death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2
Timothy 1:10). In God’s grace death is defeated, life is given as a gift, and
we are free to live as Jesus lives!
What
are the signs that grace is at work in our lives? Only after having gotten
straight about why we receive grace and what grace does in our lives are we
prepared to correctly answer the question about faith and love. Again Paul
says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus was poured out on me abundantly, along
with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14). Grace
is not a solo gift, for when it arrives in our lives it is always accompanied
by faith and love. Grace creates a fountain of faith and love that is designed
to point people to Jesus Christ. So when you are placed in a situation that
demands great faith, do not try hard to work it up, rather remember the grace
of Jesus that flows through your life and claim the faith he has placed in you.
When you face a person who is demanding great love from you, do not try to love
them, rather unleash the love that Jesus has already placed in your heart and
life and let it flow to them.
If
your life is lacking either faith or love, the reason may be because you are
not receiving the grace that Jesus is trying to give you. If your life is
flowing with faith and love, it is surely the result of God’s grace in your heart.
- Kenny Payne
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