Grace Is Both Liberating and Offensive

S ometimes the natural consequence of walking the path toward grace is that you’ll become offended by God’s staggering generosity and love. God’s grace is extreme. And you know you’ve been offended by it when you make excuses that it can’t be that good. We’re hard-wired to help God out by trying to do our part.

Read the following grace-in-your-face statements and measure your reaction:

• No sin is greater than God’s grace.
• You contribute nothing to your salvation.
• Grace is not about trying harder.
• The law can never get you to be good; it can only get you to act good.
• Tragically, you can easily substitute rule-keeping for fellowship with Jesus.
• Be alert and question when someone says, “A real Christian would never (or always)….”
• Trying to find the assurance of your salvation by looking to your behavior is a hopeless exercise.
• The assurance of your salvation is found only in one place: the promises of God.
• God will empower you through His Holy Spirit to do what He wants you to do if you abide in Christ.
• Well-meaning church people can place burdens on others that are too heavy for anyone but Jesus to carry.
• The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) is not a test of salvation but a test of fellowship with Jesus through walking in His Spirit.