Have you ever had doubts about your standing with God? Have you ever wondered whether you could possibly do enough good deeds to earn His favor? Do you ever worry that you have failed too miserably for Him to accept you, much less love you? Is the idea of His unconditional love for you beyond your comprehension? How can we know for sure if we are OK with God?
The hot topic of late in ministerial circles has been about God’s grace, that is favor that has been granted without being earned. Recent school of thought has attempted to correct years of legalistic teaching by emphasizing the work of grace rather than the misguided doctrine that stresses achieving holiness by adhering to a list of rules or laws. I think it has been a positive move for the church to return to the truth about grace, as long as it remains in the proper perspective, and I am pleased to see many people being set free from the bondage of constant condemnation. Christ came to set us free, and we are free indeed! However, we must be careful to understand fully what that really means. I have seen some confusion and differing interpretations about this topic, but God’s Word has all the answers we seek.
Yes, the Bible clearly teaches that it is God’s grace that sets us free, not following the law. (Galatians 2:16) However, what concerns me is when this teaching is misinterpreted to the extreme by some, giving a false sense of security that we can live any way we please without any consequences. In this scenario, we can easily succumb to our desires and simply let our flesh have whatever it wants. After all, we are only human. God understands. We’ll just take advantage of His infinite mercy and hope He’ll overlook our lack of restraint. Unfortunately, this is what some believe grace is all about, but that mentality is really abuse of God’s grace. It is false and unbalanced, and it leaves out some very important Biblical truths concerning holy living. Grace is not a license to continue sinning. (Galatians 5:13)
On the other hand, for fear that the abuse of the grace doctrine could lead many astray, a number of well meaning ministers have swung the pendulum in the other direction again, cautioning about the need to live a holy life, yet placing a heavy burden upon following rules in order to be holy. Unfortunately the extreme fallacy on this side is to swing too far back into legalism. It implies that the price Jesus paid was not enough, and we must supplement with our own feeble efforts. With that perspective also comes fear, guilt, condemnation, judging, and bondage to the law. While we are admonished in Scripture to put away deeds of the flesh and to obey His commands, none of that will ever be enough to make us righteous before God. It is only through faith in Jesus that we will ever have hope of salvation. He alone was able to pay the price for our sin once and for all. It is finished! (Hebrews 10:10 ) (I included three translations here so you can read it again and again and really get it. His work covers us once and for all! Isn’t that exciting?)
I thank God so much for the return to the teaching about grace. Grace is God’s remedy for our pursuit of right standing with Him. However, it saddens me when I see people who live under constant guilt and condemnation, afraid that God Almighty is watching them and waiting to catch them doing something wrong. They almost paint a picture of a tyrant in the sky waiting to strike them with lightning should they mess up. Generations of believers have been brought up with the fear that if Jesus comes back at the moment they commit a sin, they will be sent to hell. To make it worse, the sins that plague them are often infractions of man-made rules, not Biblical commands. As these rules were given with good intentions to guide Christians into Godly living, somehow this misinterpretation of Scripture does not seem to line up with God’s love or truth. Perhaps this fear was taught as a motivation to help believers want to live properly and to show reverence for God, but Scripture teaches that it is the kindness of God that compels us to turn from our sin, not fear of punishment. (Romans 2:4) The danger of fear-motivated teaching is that it nullifies Jesus’ sacrifice and gives a false sense of security that we can possibly be good enough if we try hard enough.
Here is where we find more confusion, and much of the fear doctrine is based upon this. In Galatians, right after we are instructed that God’s grace justifies us once and for all and that it is not by any works we do, we then see verses that say that anyone who follows the desires of the sinful nature will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21) It gives a list of sins, including “angry outbursts.” Doesn’t that seem like a contradiction? Does it really mean that I will be lost forever if I lose my temper, for example? There are other similar examples of this in Scripture as well.
What we need to be careful about when we read the Bible is to understand it in context. As we read the rest of chapter 5, for example, we understand that it is really cautioning about living according to our flesh rather than living by the Spirit. When we have a relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us to guide us. We are then new creatures that are no longer slaves to our sinful natures, but to Him. When we yield to Him, we are walking according to the Spirit, not the flesh, and we have nothing to fear. He is certainly able to keep us out of trouble, even if we trip once in awhile. Go ahead and read all of chapter 5 and understand the freedom we have in Christ, not condemnation. Also, see Romans 6:14 for even more clarification. His grace is so awesome! Here is even more hope for you if you are afraid of falling out of God’s grace. Proverbs 24:16 says that even when a righteous man falls seven times, he gets back up. That’s it! That is the difference between walking in the Spirit rather than after the flesh.
With all of that said, is it really possible to know for certain then that all is well with our souls? Here is how to know for sure:
First of all, understand that there is no way we could ever earn God’s grace. It is a free gift to us who do not deserve it. It is through faith in Him that we can be sure of salvation. It is not by any works we could ever do. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Our righteousness alone will never amount to any more than filthy rags. Every one of us has a sin condition that needs dealt with, and we will never meet God’s perfect standard on our own. The consequence of our sin is death, but Jesus died in our place so we don’t have to. Because of Him, we can be as pure as if we have never sinned. He then gives us the gift of eternal life. In other words, Christ, who never sinned, became sin for us and paid the price for sin in our place. Thus, He took care of the sin problem once and for all. (2 Corinthians 5:21) He bridged the gap forever that had separated us from God. However, we MUST be born again before we can claim that promise. (John 3:3)
When we are born again, our old nature passes away, and we become new creatures in Him. We enter into a relationship with God, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. (1 Corinthians 6:19) It is actually a simple process for us since He did all the work. All we have to do is first believe in Him; admit our sin nature and ask for forgiveness; turn away from our old life; invite Him into our lives; and allow Him to transform us. Invite Him to be your Lord and Savior, and He will. Then, instead of striving in our own efforts, we learn to walk by the Spirit, and by faith, we trust in Him to keep us. As this wonderful relationship develops, the Holy Spirit gives us the desire and the strength to do what pleases Him. (Philippians 2:12) He teaches us and guides us in all truth. He does not give us a check list of things to do or not to do to be holy, thankfully, but He takes us through a process of developing Godly character. His purpose is to form us into the likeness of Himself. (Romans 8;29) As we cooperate with Him, we will see Him make something magnificent out of our lives.
So, where do holy living and good works fit into all of this? Here is where it all comes together. Although works can never make us good enough, obedience to Him is the evidence whether or not we truly belong to Him. (1 John 2:3-6 and 1 John 3:4-9) As our relationship with Him grows, so does our desire to live a life that glorifies Him. We will naturally make the effort through the Holy Spirit’s prompting and strength, and the fruit will be evident in our lives.
Of course, living for Him does not mean that we will be perfect. After all, we still live in physical bodies. It is certain that we will make mistakes. The good news is that while we are only righteous because He is righteous, His righteousness is more than enough for us. When we fall or fumble with desires of our flesh, the Holy Spirit convicts us and sets us back on course. Keep in mind, conviction is not the same as judgment or condemnation, but it is loving correction from the One who cares about our living the best life possible. His discipline is not disapproval of us, but on the contrary, it is actually proof that we belong to Him. He only disciplines those whom He loves, and He corrects those whom He calls His children. (Hebrews 12:5-11) This proves that a mistake will not sever our relationship with Him.
Here is the caution, however. If we are continuing to live in darkness with no apparent regard for avoiding evil, or if the fruit we bear is rotten, then that is when we need to question our relationship with God. (Romans 6:15-18) When we have been transformed by Him, it will show in our lives. If we truly love Him, we will keep His commands. (John 14:21)
If you feel far from God right now but are afraid to approach Him, please understand His infinite love for you. He accepts you just as you are and wants a relationship with you more than anything. He loves you more than you could ever imagine! You cannot possibly sin yourself away from His love for you. Please, don’t waste another minute living in pit of despair or false hope. You can make it right with God right now. No more running. Return to Him with all your heart, and let Him take the driver’s seat of your life. Even at this very moment, you can be certain of your salvation now and for all eternity. You can know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)
