Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NLT
The purpose of grace is to help buildup another in love. We are saved from the coming wrath of God by His grace. The wages of sin is death. We all deserve the death penalty for missing the mark of sinless perfection that is found only in Christ Jesus.
The Good News is that Jesus died once and for all to bear the penalty for our sin. The debt has been paid. Before you were born, God took care of your sin problem. Now, the love of God is freely available to anyone who seeks it. The Holy Spirit of God is freely available to anyone who asks for it.
We cannot earn our salvation. We cannot achieve our way into God’s good favor. We already have it by faith in Jesus.
Grace is not meant to be abused. It’s not an excuse to sin. God forbid. But it is a comfort should we sin, that mercy, forgiveness, restoration and healing are readily available when we come back to our senses.
If you understand what sin is, you will hate it. God hates sin, and if we have His divine nature dwelling in us, we will also be repulsed by less than holy behavior.
Once we come to know Jesus Christ as Lord, we become people under His authority. We agree that His way is best. We willfully submit to a higher authority. There is freedom in surrender. We no longer have to figure it out, we simply obey.
Life without God is confusion. You see it everywhere today. God is a God of order. God is a God of Peace. We are not bound by religious traditions. We are not constrained by a set of rules and regulations that govern our thoughts, words and deeds. All the commands of God in the Bible point to one thing: love at all times.
That really simplifies it. Am I loving? If not, why not? What is getting in the way of the Holy Spirit flowing through me? My old dead nature? The enemy’s activity? My unbelief? Whatever it is, it needs to be addressed with confession and prayer.
God’s will is perfect. We can trust Him. His character is unmatched in all Creation. He is a good God who loves us so much that He doesn’t hold our faults against us. He is long suffering and patient. He wants everyone to be saved. He doesn’t want to send anyone to hell. Yet, some choose to go there. And God is a gentleman. He won’t force you to walk with Him. He invites us into eternal life by having a relationship with Him. We are the ones who choose.
Will I follow Jesus? Will I be constrained by love? Or will I rebel and be selfish and self-centered? God forbid. There is a better way. The way of Jesus.
Lord, lead us in Your love to those around us. Today and everyday. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
I Corinthians 10:23-24 NKJV
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