Forsaking Grace by Joseph Shucraft
In this day and age, we treat the Grace of the Lord too often as a way out of repentance and his will. We see his Grace as a covering for sin when it is a covering that imbues righteousness. God shed His blood for His Grace to show us how to sacrifice for one another. We have become selfish and prideful, and arrogant. In the church, where it should be known, we act unbefitting of His Grace. How many times do we neglect the callings of God? How often do we throw away what is right for what feels suitable? The ambitions of self often get in the way of us reconciling with God and following his ways. This forsaken Grace has led us to forsake the ways of God. We see this in many areas of the church, from relationships, addictions, spirituality, feelings of being downtrodden, strife, worries, fear, and many other problems.
Romans 5:15-21
15 But not as the trespass, so also is the free gift. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound unto the many. 16 And not as through one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment came of one unto condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses unto justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, even Jesus Christ. 18 So then as through one trespass the judgment came unto all men to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to justification of life. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous. 20 And the law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly: 21that, as sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [1]
How can one man claim he is saved by grace if he does not seek righteousness, God’s will, and the justification of faith through Jesus Christ? Is it by the works he is saved surely not, but without the fruit of the spirit, one of such being the workings thereof, how can he say he has been saved? When you look, act, behave, react, feel, and ultimately are the same as the world, how do you call yourself justified by faith? It is with that that Christ calls us all to repentance, including myself and all of you as well.
[1]American Standard Version (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), Ro 5:15–21.
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