Romans 5:20 “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”
Grace is an action word. It can be defined as God’s loving and delightful action towards me given because He simply wants to and because He is excited about it. There are two parts to this definition. Firstly it has nothing to do with my actions. God gives it because it’s free. I don’t have to perform to get it. God just gives it. Secondly, God is excited about extending His grace to me. He does it because He wants to, and He loves doing it.
Let’s be clear here. God hasn’t extended his grace to us so that we have an excuse to sin. He has extended grace so that we have an excuse to come back to a loving God. Satan will often tempt you then whisper in your ear, “You’re just like a piece of paper. Now that you are screwed up, you can be straightened out, but you’ll never be any good any more. God is finished with you”.
This is when God steps in and says, “Now it’s my turn. I have more grace than you have temptation”. Does that mean every time I sin I can come back to God? Let’s answer that question with another question. Are you looking for an excuse or a reason to sin? One question often asked in sex education is, “Where do you draw the line?” Asking “How far is too far?” is just like saying, “what can I get away with?” You shouldn’t look for what you can get away with but rather think what would please or offend God? Saying sorry to avoid punishment is not true repentance. True repentance is turning your back on sin, and walking the other way. True repentance can be acted upon by God’s grace. Will you mess up in life? Yes. You most certainly will. Will God go into cardiac arrest as a result of the shock He receives when you confess your sin to Him? Of course not! There is nothing that you could say or do that could make Him fall off His throne!
Why not allow Him to show off to you and exercise His grace again. No matter how shameful or how severe your sin, God’s grace is much bigger.
Have a ‘Grace’ week.
Adrian Nyhuis
Grace is an action word. It can be defined as God’s loving and delightful action towards me given because He simply wants to and because He is excited about it. There are two parts to this definition. Firstly it has nothing to do with my actions. God gives it because it’s free. I don’t have to perform to get it. God just gives it. Secondly, God is excited about extending His grace to me. He does it because He wants to, and He loves doing it.
Let’s be clear here. God hasn’t extended his grace to us so that we have an excuse to sin. He has extended grace so that we have an excuse to come back to a loving God. Satan will often tempt you then whisper in your ear, “You’re just like a piece of paper. Now that you are screwed up, you can be straightened out, but you’ll never be any good any more. God is finished with you”.
This is when God steps in and says, “Now it’s my turn. I have more grace than you have temptation”. Does that mean every time I sin I can come back to God? Let’s answer that question with another question. Are you looking for an excuse or a reason to sin? One question often asked in sex education is, “Where do you draw the line?” Asking “How far is too far?” is just like saying, “what can I get away with?” You shouldn’t look for what you can get away with but rather think what would please or offend God? Saying sorry to avoid punishment is not true repentance. True repentance is turning your back on sin, and walking the other way. True repentance can be acted upon by God’s grace. Will you mess up in life? Yes. You most certainly will. Will God go into cardiac arrest as a result of the shock He receives when you confess your sin to Him? Of course not! There is nothing that you could say or do that could make Him fall off His throne!
Why not allow Him to show off to you and exercise His grace again. No matter how shameful or how severe your sin, God’s grace is much bigger.
Have a ‘Grace’ week.
Adrian Nyhuis
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