Responding to the Grace of God

God's grace is a very uplifting, happy, subject. The idea that we can have a positive, warm, friendly relationship with the Creator of the Universe should make you feel good. I believe the prospect makes God feel good as well.

If you have a run-in with someone at work, in your social circle, your family, at church, the tension between those involved can tie you up in knots. Restoring good vibes with the people in your life results in mental peace, smoother operations, even spiritual joy.

Graciously extending mercy and forgiveness feels good, receiving mercy and forgiveness feels good too.

Question: once you have reconciled what do you do? How do you follow up?

Request a free copy of What Does the Bible Teach About Grace?. This free bible study guide is available in a variety of digital formats... or you can request a printed copy sent to your address.

Let's say you lose your temper with a co-worker... they're upset, you're upset... lots of tension... you realize you’ve been stupid… you apologize, they forgive. Where do you go from that point? Do you change your behavior? Or do you intend to keep on letting your temper flare assuming the other party will keep on forgiving you? If you make no effort to change... what do you think is going to happen in the workplace if this pattern continues?

You might say that with God such a scenario is possible: He is infinitely merciful, always ready to forgive etc. This is true, God is infinitely merciful and forgiving. But His infinite mercy, and infinite forgiveness is graciously extended to you to accomplish an greater purpose: to make change possible.

The Purpose of Mercy & Forgiveness

Mercy and forgiveness serve an immediate purpose of making peace, reducing tension etc. which are good outcomes from any perspective. But of themselves mercy & forgiveness do not lead to lasting solutions. Even in human affairs only a positive change of behavior is going to produce lasting reconciliation. God's mercy and forgiveness serve a greater purpose: they allow you time to enact change. If that change is pursued in accordance with the express will of God it leads to life everlasting.

Otherwise all we have is an endless loop of sin-->forgiveness-->sin-->forgiveness

Once God graciously offers you mercy and forgiveness for sin you achieve this wonderful state of spiritual peace and joy… because you are reconciled to the Creator of the Universe. Then what?

One school of thinking is to wallow in the moment of reconciliation: I am going to call this the "God accepts me just as I am", He loves all people and is willing to make peace with them even though they are hopeless sinners. OK, the United Church of God teaches that too...  Its scriptural: God is willing to make peace with everyone no matter how awful they are, God accepts you just as you are... But He doesn't want you to stay that way… this too is scriptural.

How Does God Want You To Change?

The best way to answer is to look at what caused the offense in the first place. For example: if an employee caused trouble by losing his temper and spouting off on others... you can extend mercy and forgiveness... but you want them to stop making the same mistake that got them in trouble in the first place. What they need to change is defined by the offense.

Your Behavior Is What Caused Your Bad Relationship With God

Romans 3:23 - all have sinned

Isaiah 59:1-2 - separates you from God/breakdown of positive relationship, tension, trouble

1 John 3:4 - sin is disobedience to God's commands

The change of behavior God is wanting to see is related to His commandments.

Perhaps you don’t see yourself as having offended God… “I’m a basically good person, so what’s the big deal”. Perhaps you see yourself as having a problem but don’t really know exactly what’s wrong or where to begin. In either case your course of action is the same:

Isaiah 55:6-11 seek out God's desires by examining His commandments, His judgments, move on to familiarizing yourself with the life wisdom He offers, look into the attitudes and perspectives He has on human interaction, social responsibility, worship and religious practice. Grow in understanding so the grace of God makes a difference.

Go To Where You Know You Can Find Him

Luke 15:11-24 the prodigal son received mercy but wouldn't have received that mercy, forgiveness, acceptance, and joy... if he had not had a change of mind and acted on that change of mind.

Point: the son returned to the Father.

In the same way, the Creator of the universe does not change to suit your tastes. The standards and definition of righteousness don't bend or shift to suit you… He’s not even coming to meet you half way. Your heavenly Father is gracious and merciful to you... so that you might have ample opportunity to change your ways. Reconciliation with God your Father is about you returning to Him.

Seek God by turning to His written word [the bible] and to His Church.

Point: the son had to believe [have faith] the Father would take him back. That belief prompted him to climb out of the pig pen, pack up his stuff and head back home. Faith and action work together… faith without action is dead.

Have 100% confidence in this: God is ready and waiting for you to return to Him

God's Work In This World

A lot of changes need to happen in this world: cleaning up corrupt political institutions... re-balancing unjust economic systems... stamping out suffering, war, and oppression… and are of these all on Christ’s future agenda… but God’s agenda proceeds in a logical order.

First, God will fix the broken relationship between man and Creator... then create clean hearts and minds. Only on that foundation can  lasting solutions to the world’s problems be built. Without that change of heart and mind… any fix is bound to fail.

2 Corinthians 5:16-20 God is at work in the world is at the present time. Thus it is the primary message of His church at this time; to proclaim and promote His agenda. Which is: the reconciliation of human beings with their Creator and the purification or cleaning of hearts and minds 1 John 1:3-7.

Changed hearts and minds can make a difference here and now but just understand the results are  going to be kind of a mixed bag… good and evil.

Sins of The Past & Future?

That initial change of mind and direction... leads to baptism which is for the remission of sins, a person is baptized into Jesus death so that the penalty for their sins might be paid for. This deals with past sins... what about the life we must live after baptism?

After a person comes up out of the water… the first thing that happens is they receive the holy spirit of God through laying on of hands from the ministry. This is the beginning of a new life... and a new way of life.

Your guide to living this new way of life is the word of God. One of the works of the holy spirit is to guide you... which is accomplished by continually pointing you back to the answers found in the written testimony of God Deuteronomy 8:3.

Christ participates in the process through the power of His spirit within you, and through the Church of which He is the head… both point you back to the word of God, the bible Ephesians 5:25-27 

A common error believed and taught is that once a person accepts Jesus sacrifice and is saved from sin they are always saved... with boldness and confidence you can count on God's grace to be freely applied to you come what may... well, yes... but also no... it depends on you.

Romans 6:1-4 a baptized person is expected to live differently!

1 Corinthians 9:27 story of running to make the team, lounging in the grass

Colossians 1:21-23 Jesus died so you might be able to draw near to God not alienated or separated because of sin... and that healing of the breach remains... if you continue in your faith, which means to believe God, believe what He says is true, and believe His commandments.

Philippians 1:6 If you are working at it... God is with you. He does not give up on you, but you can give up on Him.

Two enemies of the baptized person are: bitterness and neglect.

Bitterness: we can become bitter because of what others say or do to us, we can also become bitter because of unresolved suffering, or hardship... "why obey if that's the kind of treatment I get". Bitterness causes people to walk away in frustration.

Neglect: hopefully this is obvious... we stop listening & attention, we let out minds wander, maybe we decide to take a break for a while, a little more "me" time, cut myself some slack, the spirit within you can die out like a neglected flame.

Whether its bitterness, neglect, deceit, or something else… to continue in, or go back to, the same sort of living you had before baptism {or find some new perversion] will simply start the process of alienation from your Creator all over again. Note: the remedy is not re-baptism. The remedy is to clean up your act... come back home to God and His word James 4:8.

God Wants To Give You Direction

We all grow and develop as we age. If you need a reminder of that simple look at a picture of yourself from 10 years ago. We change a lot physically [its inevitable]... and we change a lot internally; mentally, physically, spiritually [that too is inevitable]. Will it be good change or bad?

If you don't take care of your body you can find yourself aging very badly... when you look at that picture you don't like what we see. The same can apply to what is going on inside.

God your Father wants to offer you guidance and direction.

If a child does not get guidance from parents they tend to grow up wild [unruly, or sullen, dark]. Not because they are any worse than others. They simply conform to the wild, unruly, sullen, and dark world in which they live... a child raised by wolves is going to act like a wolf.

Titus 2:11-14 your Father Creator’s goal is to purify you... He has a positive uplifting program of discipline through which you to grow/learn/develop in a manner that is focused, with clear guidance and direction. That focus, guidance, and direction begins with His commandments, judgments, His wise commentary on human life provided in the bible.

He offers you all this so you can have a good life when you mature and resurrected to spirit.

Do You Want to Change?

As parents we have charge over our children for a short time, after which we must be released to live their own lives. We want them to have good lives. As a parent my goal has always been to move my children from "have to do" to "want to do" because one day they will live one their own. Plus,  I have always known that the only way for them to remain in God's truth is because they want to.

I believe it is the same with God our Father and Creator. It is His desire that you live by His word because you want to... because you are convinced it's the best way to live... a way that leads to peace, joy and every good thing imaginable.

Wanting is measured by doing.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.