TRUSTING THE GRACE OF GOD

by Ron Wood

The grace of God is foundational to our faith. If we bypass grace, then we have missed the Spirit of God altogether and are doomed to struggle with self-effort. Many Christians are frustrated because they fail to understand God’s grace. So let’s examine the Scriptures and at least gain an introduction to this grace in which we stand.

Titus 2:11-12 says, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us..."

This verse says that grace has appeared. That means you can see it, that it has become manifest. How did it appear? In our Lord Jesus Christ. He embodied grace. By His life and His atoning death, He revealed grace. But today Jesus isn’t walking among us as a visible model of grace. So how can people see God’s grace in action? By the members of his body, the church.

If we fail to be gracious, we hinder Christ’s testimony. One way we fail to show grace is when we refuse to forgive. Failure to forgive means we criticize or judge others. You can’t judge the world and love the world at the same time. Another way we fail to show grace is when we don’t do good works or practice prayer. Empty of grace, our light grows dim and we don’t reflect Jesus.

This verse also says that grace brings something to us, something deposited into our lives which has a transforming, liberating effect. It is payment of sin’s debt and it is power to live for God. That something is called salvation. Salvation includes everything which Jesus purchased for us on the cross. That’s so much broader than simply forgiveness of sins. Salvation has eternal results but also has temporal effects. Saved people act differently–we’re a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Saved people associate with new friends–they re-orient their relationships to live in Christian community. Saved people have a new motivation–to do God’s will. Saved people have a new destiny and a new destination–to become like Christ and to live with Him eternally, escaping hell and gaining heaven. All this happens because the grace of God brings salvation to us.

And grace teaches us. If you are following the Lord Jesus, you can enroll in the school of grace and be taught. That’s why we need to be patient with each other... we haven’t graduated yet! If you’re willing to learn, grace will actually instruct you to adopt a lifestyle pleasing to God. It’ll show you the way and it will empower you to do it.

You see, grace is more that just a cover-up for sin. If that were all, it would be no better than Old Testament mercy. Nor is it just a declaration of undeserved favor. It is much more. Grace is God’s active help continually made available to anyone who seeks Him. Grace is actualized favor, realized blessing, and available power, all obtained by faith, as an undeserved gift through Christ’s loving sacrifice on the cross.

From this one verse in Titus 2:11, you can see why we are touching "surpassing riches" whenever we deal with the topic of grace (Eph. 2:7). By grace we are saved (Eph. 2:8). By grace we are called (Gal. 1:15). By grace we receive gifts (Rom..12:6). All of our access to God is by grace. All of our ministry for God is by grace. This rich doctrine of grace is not just theological theory, but is a necessary truth for all believers.

In the New Testament there is one particular story which illustrates the reality of grace–the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Take time to read this story and you will see grace in action. The faithful father showed grace by giving an inheritance prematurely. The wayward son experienced grace when he came to his senses in the pigpen. The father showed grace again when the son returned in shame and was received without being judged. And the whole household showed grace when they celebrated over the prodigal’s return. That is, all except one person–the older brother. He didn’t have any grace.

The older brother is an example of "Performance Orientation." He had lived in the same household, been loved by the same father, but he didn’t know his father’s heart. Rather than rest in his father’s love, he felt like he had to earn his father’s favor every day. He kept trying harder. He had an inaccurate image of his father that wasn’t true.

This is a common problem when people don’t understand their relationship with God’s authority. People with "PO" attempt to please by keeping all the right rules, by conforming to the standards of conduct for the group, by putting on a fake smile and pretending everything is okay. The symptoms are anxiety, insecurity, and being a man-pleaser.

Do you know where this problem is often found? In churches! Religious pretense can easily replace a real relationship with God. Listen to this: Failure to understand the Father’s heart puts illegal pressure on immature saints, producing performance rather than rest through believing. The father in this story appealed to his oldest son, saying, "All that is mine is yours." But the oldest son had been living beneath his privileges, not really knowing how much his father loved him.

Sometimes us fathers make it hard on our firstborn offspring. After all, we’re practicing at being parents, aren’t we? But God’s kind of love is never deficient, never arbitrary or capricious. It never stops giving, loving, accepting. You may say, "But I don’t deserve it." And you’re right. That’s why it’s called grace. Grace is always given, never earned. If you earned it, then it wasn’t by grace. In fact, working at it harder will only frustrate the grace of God. The flesh has nothing to boast about in God’s kingdom. Grace comes only by trusting.

The opposite of grace is works, or law-keeping. The letter of the law, even if that letter is scripture, can never obtain grace for believers. Only faith in the One who gives grace, the Lord Jesus, can bring deliverance to us since "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3:5). Living by the law misses the mark.

This problem is called legalism, or reverting to law rather that walking in faith. Legalism isn’t new. Paul saw it in the Galatian churches and said they would fall from grace if they reverted to rules in order to be saved (Gal. 2:21). Religious people must fight the temptation of trusting in works, because law-keeping doesn’t bear fruit. Only being joined to Jesus enables us to bear fruit (Romans 7:4). In other words, a relationship with Jesus gives rest. Real faith results in grace to keep God’s laws from the heart, with joy, without striving.

Legalism is a perversion of the gospel. It is a "polite" form of backsliding that disqualifies us from God’s favor. This is a serious problem. The Apostle Paul said, "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (Gal. 3:1-3 NIV). That’s the problem in a nutshell–trying to become perfected by religious self-effort.

Legalism is trying to be righteous by keeping regulations. These Galatians weren’t committing fornication or some other blatant sin. But they were turning to the law. Paul sternly rebuked them for it. He says they were bewitched. They couldn’t see straight. Legalism replaces regulations for the power of the cross. The cross is the gateway to God’s grace.

People blinded by legalism forget God’s judgment on their old nature, that a rebel lives inside us. We think our flesh can work harder and thereby please God. We don’t realize the cross has to work in our own lives, an experience of death to sin and self, so we can live toward God.

Let me testify to you about grace. As a youth I wrestled with the fear of losing my salvation. Why? Because I wasn’t grounded in faith and grace. I had equated being saved with being perfect and I knew I wasn’t. Then God showed me something about the cross. He showed me that even if the devil lied to me, or tempted me, or covered me up with accusations, one thing would stand unchanged–the cross upon which Jesus died. It became an anchor for my faith.

What Jesus did on the cross can not be undone. It has been forever settled– Jesus hung on the cross and suffered in my place. The price has been paid. My faith can be tested, sin may momentarily overwhelm me, but the work of the cross can never be erased. Christ invaded human history, split the calendar in two, shed His holy blood, declared the saints righteous, and wrote our names down in glory. Hallelujah, it is finished!

When I saw this truth, I quit looking at myself and started looking at Jesus instead. I put my eyes on Him. That’s when I began to walk in victory.

You can know this victory as well. God intends for you to reign in life, defeat the devil, and have lasting peace. How? Put your faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. Enjoy a new relationship with God because of Christ’s grace.

By God’s doing, we are liberated from sin’s control. Romans 6:14 says, "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."

The cross is still there for you. It is the fountainhead of God’s love revealed in Christ. It is the historical landmark that affirms God’s covenant of grace. It is the key to receiving God’s gifts by faith instead of works.

Keep looking to Jesus. He had you in mind when He hung on the cross. He paid the price to put sin to death and enable you and me to become a new creation in God. You can have rest in your soul through believing! Let nothing obscure His cross from your sight.

© 1997 by Ron Wood. Ron and his wife, Lana, have been pastors more than 30 years. He has served as a State Coordinator for the U. S. Strategic Prayer Network. Ron is best known for his prophetic writing ministry. Ron & Lana are a ministry team. They are members of Reconciliation Ministries International led by Bishop Joseph Garlington. Ron & Lana were sent to Africa to help equip emerging apostolic leaders in the developing church. If you wish to copy this article for free distribution, permission is hereby granted to duplicate it provided there are no changes or omissions made to this article and this byline is included. The author asserts his moral rights of ownership. For more information or helpful literature, visit our web site at touchedbygrace.org, or e-mail us at ron@touchedbygrace.org.