Cheap Grace
Romans 6:1-2 ...
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Ps 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 1 Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God
One of the classic arguments from non-believers is that being a Christian is a joke since you can be a Christian, sin, ask God to forgive you, go sin some more, go back to God and ask forgiveness, and the circle goes on and on and on. We clearly see this pattern in the Book of Judges and throughout the Old Testament. This is not a new charge and Paul deals with it in his various letters to the churches found in the New Testament. Many who hold a very strict legalistic view of our faith, often call it "cheap grace".
Let me set the record straight. God's grace is NOT cheap. Grace literally means unmerited favor. It is something we can't earn. It is freely given by God. For those who think people who know the Lord, sin, and come back to God without paying a price are sadly mistaken. There is always a price, There are always consequences for sin. God's grace that He extends to those of us who have obeyed the Gospel, His promises to forgive us when we come to Him and ask for forgiveness, don't eliminate the consequences of our sin. It is only because of His grace we can endure those consequences, it is only because of His forgiveness that we can stand before a holy God "cleansed of all unrighteousness", but we still must face the ramifications of our rebellion towards God.
You see, when a person comes to Christ, they must learn to "die to sin". It is not an easy process since most have practiced sinning for so long, they must now practice "dying to sin". It is something we must work on each day. It is a lifelong quest and we can always do better. For a person who truly commits his or her heart to the Lord, the fact is sin is something you no longer want to do. Your goal changes from pleasing yourself, to pleasing God. It is no longer about what you want, but what God wants. However when a child of God sins, the Spirit brings conviction upon that person, and there is a disappointment since you realize you have let God down. God still loves you. He will forgive you if you repent, go to Him, and ask Him to forgive you. Best of all, His grace will see you through whatever the consequences of your sin may be.
Never let anyone tell you God's grace is cheap. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 and 9 tell us very clearly that salvation is by 1) Gods Grace and 2)our faith in Christ. You see when faith moves us to obey the Gospel the blood of Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness. He loved us so much, that He sent His only begoten Son to die on a cross for our sins so that we might spend eternity with Him. It is the grace of God that saves us. It is the grace of God that empowers us for service as we see in 1 Corinthians 3:10 and 15:10. It is the grace of God that enables us to endure the trials and tribulations of life. It is a precious gift that He has freely given to us even though we are not worthy to receive it. In actuality, anything from God is without price since there is no amount of money in the world to buy the things of God.
Never take for granted God's unmerited favor, the grace He freely extends to you each and every day. :angel:
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Wooddale Church of Christ ~Daily Devotional by Tom Smith
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