Q: What is Grace?
A: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
By
Mario Bergner
“In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace”.
Ephesians 1:7
Q: What’s the difference between grace and mercy?
A: There are times when answers to tough questions are best answered by examples.
Let’s use the analogy of a parking meter to answer this one.
Mercy is like when you park your car, and intentionally do not feed the meter, and don’t get a ticket. You’ve made zero effort to abide by the law, with zero consequences.
Grace is like when you park your car, feed the meter, but time runs out, and you still don’t get a ticket. You’ve made a good effort to abide by the law. But still you fell short, and God, aware of your efforts, releases you from the consequences.
Our sin struggles are a thorn in our flesh, just as Paul’s were. 2 Corinthians 2:8
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it from me.”
His pleading was a first step of moral (honest) effort…
Surely, we have all pleaded with God at least three times, and very likely many more than that,
“Please God, take this lust struggle from me.”
Our pleading is the first step of moral effort we need to overcome sexual sin.
Only because we are Christians do we bother to plead this with God. If we weren’t Christians, we’d welcome the impulse to sexually sin, viewing it as an opportunity to experience pleasure. Moreover, we might not even consider it a sin, but simply an expression of who we are.
Of Moses, Hebrews 11:25 says,
“ He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”
Let’s be truthful, we like the pleasure of sexual sin. If it weren’t pleasurable, we wouldn’t seek to fulfill it.
Our sexual temptations do not lead to pain. Temptation does not say, “See that pick-ax over there? Pick it up and jab yourself three times in the eye with it.”
No. Temptations speak to us, like the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, “Go ahead. Do it. It will feel good.”
We may want to be rid of our sexual sin. But, later, not now.
Augustine of Hippo, one of the earliest Christian leaders wrote,
“Give me sexual purity and self-restraint, but not yet.
For I was afraid that you would answer my prayer at once
and
cure me too soon from the disease of lust,
which I wanted satisfied, not extinguished.”
We all have conflicted feelings about permanently killing our lusts. Here is where grace comes into the picture.
“But he said to me,
‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’
Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Grace does not convince us to conclude,
“I am strong.
I can white- knuckle it through this temptation of sexual lust.”
Grace leads us to proclaim the opposite.
“I am weak. I need help”
With Paul we agree,
“I am weak.“
I will happily boast about my weaknesses, and say to Jesus,
“Without Your grace, this sin struggle would take over me.
I am in need of your power, Lord Jesus Christ to rest upon us in my weakness.”
Please, pray this prayer,
“Lord Jesus, thank you for Your grace.
Because of Your death on the Cross,
I can bring my sexual sin to you without fear, and without shame.
With the hope of freedom, which can only come from You,
I ask you to help me.
Keep praying,
“I confess to you, Lord,
I am powerless over this sin.
I enjoy the pleasure it delivers.
Without Your grace,
this sin would overtake my life.
Even if this sexual temptation does not go away fully, as Paul’s sin remained,
I will call upon Your power to rest upon me in this moment.”
Q: What is Grace?
A: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
***
Two Quotes I believe capture the true essence of grace.
Whether we try to abuse God’s Grace
Or refuse God’s Grace the consequences are equally grim.
Bob Hoeskstra
(meaning – if you are a legalist, someone who lives by the letter of the law and tries to live a life without the help of our Holy Spirit, and/or a hyper-grace person who believes that you can just continue in the sin of lust. The consequences are equally destructive to your soul).
***
As we grow in the Grace of God,
It will be the Grace of God that causes us to grow.
Grantly Morris
(meaning – when you are not walking in Grace as a legalist nor as a hyper-grace person, you are genuine and sincere in crying out for our Holy Spirit’s help. You’ll find yourself drawn closer to your Heavenly Father. In that struggle at the end you will celebrate the goodness and presence of God).
