Grace vs. Works

“And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”  -Romans 11:6 NIV

There are often great dichotomies in our journeys in Christ.  There are things that seem as though they are directly contradictory, when in fact a closer examination reveals that they work together in a careful balance. One of these dichotomies is the balance between grace and works.  

In our world, there’s a lot of pressure to be perfect.  We strive and try so hard to do the right thing, to make the most money, to gain the most approval from others, to be the most Christ-like. But in reality, we can never prove ourselves worthy to God.  How did we think we could make ourselves worthy to Him when He already paid the price? 

When we are in ministry-related activities, or even in everyday life, we shouldn’t confuse our faith with works. Works says, “I do this because I need to prove myself worthy.”  Faith says, “I do this because I believe and I love God.” It’s exhausting to believe that we have to “prove” ourselves acceptable to God.  But, at the same time, faith without works is dead.  (James 2:14-17).  This is the same struggle the Protestant reformer Martin Luther experienced.

Resting in God’s arms requires realizing that it’s not about us.  It’s not about how much we serve, how good we look to others, or how much money we make.   It’s about our understanding of who we are in Christ.  It’s trusting, and believing.  It’s the reality that we don’t have to do anything – but we want to.  This is relationship without religion.  

Works are a natural out flowing of true grace.  Once we walk in this grace, we don’t have to feel obligated.  We desire everyone to experience the grace that we do. Are you able to trust & walk in God’s grace?

Preparing for Eternity

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”  -Ecc 3:11

Have you ever noticed how much time we spend planning for our education, planning for weddings, or planning for retirement?  And yet, we rarely think about planning or preparing for our eternal lives - and those will last forever! 

We have such a small amount of time on this earth compared with eternity.  We will spend eternity somewhere, but the question is, where, and also, how? 

If we’ve accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior the first question has been answered. However, there is a difference in how each of us will spend our lives in heaven.

The Bible says we will receive rewards in heaven based upon our works and faith during our time here on earth.  (1 Peter 1:17, Matt 24:46 ) This has a lot to do with fulfilling the calling God gave to us, (Luke 12:43, Luke 19:17) taking care of the people around us, taking care of the poor and orphans, (Mark 9:41) (and whether we do this for the applause of men, Matt 6:1), loving our enemies, (Luke 6:35) the persecution we have undergone because of our faith, (Matt 5:12) and living out His word.  (2 John 1:8)

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” -Matthew 5:11-13

Some people think we are physical beings headed for a spiritual place.  But, the reality is, we are spiritual beings living temporarily in a physical place. Are you busy preparing for your reward in heaven? 

A Balance of Grace vs. Works

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." -Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT 

We live in a very performance-based world. Performance can equate to more success, which equates to more money. And although we should be diligent and hard working, is our success or lack thereof all because of us? 

Sometimes we think we can earn our salvation because of our efforts. But the reality is, we received grace - and that's it! We do things Christ would want us to do out of our love for Him - out of our revelation of Him - so that others might experience the same abundant life. We receive our inheritance in heaven this way. "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." John 10:10 But we've already received His grace. 

It is so easy to come from a place of performance, instead of coming from a place of grace (what we have already received.) Did you know all you received when you chose to believe that Jesus died for your sins? We can so easily think that our success is our doing. Yes we did the "working hard" part - but without God, our efforts would have been fruitless! 

Do you have a good balance in your life between fruit and grace? If we don't, we can become religious or workaholics on the one hand, or if we lean upon grace, we can become lazy, lacking excellence. Do you carry a careful balance between effort and surrender?