Grace: the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God
I’ve spent the last two days in a protective shell, shutting out the world. The funny thing is it’s not the world I’ve needed to shut out. I’ve needed to feel protection from religion, from anyone whose heart doesn’t scream Grace!, from those who would have me quiet down about radical grace, from those who would have me deny my beliefs in the name of submission to authority and leadership.
I’ve questioned over and over if there’s such a thing as leaning too far towards grace. I’ve questioned if Jesus intended us to live in some middle ground between drowning in grace and striving for holiness. I’ve questioned if we move from grace to holiness {as if that’s even possible}. I’ve questioned whether I should write more about God’s wrath and less about Grace and Mercy.
All of this has reminded me what brought me to the threshold of the mystery of grace in the first place: a miserable failure that led to the awakening that I am incapable of doing or being good enough to be acceptable to God. Don’t think I haven’t tried. I’ve used all kinds of good behavior in an effort to please God and be holy: commitment to church, tithing, participating in Bible studies, reading the Bible daily, taking meals to sick friends. That’s the short list; trust me when I say there’s a much longer, stricter one.
Do you know what I found? What pleases God is when I rest and trust in Grace, in the finished work of Jesus, in the guiding whisper of Holy Spirit. He looks past my behavior {good or bad}, and sees the righteousness of Jesus in me. He delights in me, even when my behavior is contrary to that of holiness.
Over the past two days, I’ve found that I don’t lean far enough towards grace. So I’m pressing further into it, and propping myself up on it. It’s the only foundation on which I want to live. The more I stake my life upon it, the more I am overwhelmed by grace.
The following question was recently asked of me: Do you think grace is an excuse to sin? My initial answer was the same answer it’s always been when I’ve been asked that question: No. But after the past two days, I have a different answer. Maybe I’m getting picky with semantics, but let me show you something.
Excuse is defined as to regard or judge with forgiveness; pardon or forgive; overlook; to offer an apology for; seek to remove the blame of; to serve as an apology or justification for; to release from an obligation or duty.
Now let’s turn that question into sentences, replacing excuse with the definitions:
Grace regards or judges sin with forgiveness. Grace pardons or forgives sin. Grace overlooks sin. Grace offers an apology for sin. Grace seeks to remove the blame of sin. Grace serves as an apology or justification for sin. Grace releases me from the obligation or duty of sin.
Grace. Scandalous grace. Yes, grace excuses sin! And in the process, it somehow leads me to love God and to desire to carry out good works…to be holy.
Is it an excuse to sin? As Paul says in Romans 6, May it never be! As my dear friend and grace advocate, Jennifer, said, I don’t know {anybody} that is consumed with the idea of grace that looks at ways to exploit it {in order} to sin more. Those who caution against extending too much grace are those who live in fear. Fear that sin might win. But we already know the ending: Grace wins!
If anything, the past two days of emotional and mental turmoil have brought me to a deeper understanding of grace, as well as a greater dependence on it. I won’t retreat from extending grace to those who have caused their own hurt due to sin. I won’t offer steps for behavior {or sin} management. I won’t encourage others to strive for holiness; instead, I will encourage them to rest in grace. I will emphatically remind others that God doesn’t condemn or punish them because forgiveness for sin was completed at the cross.
My resolve is founded on one thing, and one thing only: grace. Scandalous grace that relentlessly rescues me…moment by moment.
This is beautiful, Rebecca!!! I LOVE how you broke down what excuse meant!! Grace is radical and messy. Beautiful and breathtaking. And the reality of that smashes the boxes religion tries to keep it contained in. Thank you for having the courage to share this and share your voice. XOXOX
Thanks, Karen! Thank you for your encouragement! Your courage and your voice inspire me.
This is beautiful! I find myself wrestling with the same question sometimes, and like you had an initial reaction that “Of course grace doesn’t excuse sin”. Some might call it splitting hairs, but I think it’s far from it. Clarifying grace *excusing* sin versus being an excuse *to* sin is pretty much the gospel – and how we are called to live our lives after receiving said grace – in a nutshell.
Thank you. My friend and I were discussing this post as I was writing it, and she was the one to question the difference between excusing sin and using it as an excuse. I had to wrestle with the difference, but it was defintely an “aha!” moment.
Wonderful post! Thank you. Resting in grace.
Thank you, Joy. Thanks for reading!
Such a beautiful grace filled post, Rebekah. I love how you’ve explored the semantics and come to the awesome conclusion that it truly is “scandalous grace” which God offers us all. This is a breath of sweet Holy Spirit inspired air. Joining you in resting in His grace. Thank you!
x
Thank you, Joy! This was a hard-fought post to write. But the wrestling and struggling were worth it! It drove me to a deeper understanding of grace.
Thank you for your blog
I have been asking these questions too
But I don’t have the gift you have for writing
Thank you
Karen, thank you for reading! Grace is a beautiful mystery that I’m not sure we’ll ever completely understand. So glad you commented.
I have read this several times as God keeps popping it up in my browser, so today, I explored deeper to see what all the fuss what about (from Him to me). I am going to be picky on semantics too and play devil’s advocate: Do you think grace is an excuse to sin?
Excuse used in that sentence is a noun. The noun definition is this: a plea offered in an extenuation of a fault, release from an obligation, promise, a pretext or subterfuge, the act of excusing someone or something, a ground or reason for being excused.
Grace is unmerited favor of God. Can I use God’s grace as a plea to release me from the promises I have to God? No – God’s grace is a gift from God that I cannot offer back to Him as a release from Him. It can never be an excuse to sin or to keep sinning. I cannot plea off of something that is not mine. Is grace a pretext or subterfuge? Only if I use it as a means to keep on sinning. Does grace excuse me or my sin, is it the reason I am excused? Most definitely! But I can never use grace as an excuse – it’s not mine to give.
Jamie, I agree.
No, I don’t think it’s an excuse to sin, as I stated in the post: “Is it an excuse to sin? As Paul says in Romans 6, ‘May it never be!'”
I’m not sure what you mean when you say “promises I have to God.” Can you explain?
I think I will blog about it. I think we are on the same page though.