Living by grace

 

A friend and I discussed the current trend of Christians to avoid certain “sinners” whose behavior is obviously sinful. We both agreed that sin is sin. Christians can gossip, be judgmental, ignore needy people, and do things that the Bible also calls sin, but overlook some of those things and pounce on some we don’t do. We agreed that Jesus ate and drank with “sinners” that many of us refuse to associate with, and are not happy about bring ‘high and mighty’ — when we all fall short.

The gospel comes into play in nearly every situation. We cannot save ourselves, so what makes any of us think and act as if we did? Some call it ‘holier than thou’ and more accurately, ‘hypocrisy.’

Today’s reading begins by saying God’s tenderness toward the lowly is “rooted in His transcendent self-sufficiency.” I’m not like God, not self-sufficient. I need Him because any goodness I could claim is not even close to being like Him.

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

Those who put their faith in the Savior enjoy “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22–23) and none of us can claim that we did it ourselves.

Faith puts me in the family and kingdom of God, but it is not my nature or doing that makes that happen. I have no right to boast. Where would I be if Jesus had not come into my life? I shudder to think at the possibilities.

The Word of God tells me to treat people as Jesus treats me. That means I cannot look down my nose at those who sin — which is everyone. All fall short. All need Jesus. As my lunch friend said yesterday, how will they hear about Him if our snooty attitude keeps them from being around us?

Piper quotes this verse:

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:17–19)

The goodness of God comes out of His character. My salvation has given me a new character. The old one hangs around and can mess me up, but I’m to live by that new nature by the power of the Holy Spirit whose goal is to transform me into the image of Christ. One of His traits is to welcome sinners, not shun them, point fingers at them, or put them in a category where they are totally untouchable.

My hubby attended the funeral of a coworker yesterday. He was not a believer. His ‘celebration of life’ was held in the restaurant of a pub. No evidence of faith could be seen, but hubby went, said a few words about the man’s working life, and a few words about faith matters. No one responded to the latter, but hubby went to mourn with them anyway. I’m thankful for his example.

PRAY: Jesus, the world is filled with sinners. Some seem totally disinterested in being anything different, but You died for them too. And You want me to live for them as well. Justice for the orphans and widows, and love for the refugees and aliens who need to know that they are welcome, not just here in our lives, but also to know Your invitation to join You in Your life. Help me live the gospel, knowing I cannot be like You without yielding all of my life in the grace that You give.

Love rejects lies . . .

It’s interesting that the OT speaks of the things God hates, but the NT mentions this word only once to describe what God hates. It is in a verse that mentions the deeds of a false group or sect but with no other explanation (see Revelation 2:6).

Instead the NT uses ‘hate’ to describe the attitude of some have toward Christ and His people: “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.” (Luke 21:17) It also describes the attitude we can have if God is not put first in our lives, and even if He is put first.

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:13)

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)

Without using that word, today’s reading implies that God hates worldliness and points to this passage:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15–17)

This does not say God hates the world, but that we are not supposed to love it. The Greek words used in these verses and in the well-known verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) are the same words: agape (love) and cosmos (world).

In the longer passage, the problem is not the world but the sinful cravings common to the world, and that we are not to ‘love’ this in the same way that God loved the world and gave Himself for it. Instead, we are to give ourselves and that love to the people of the world, recognizing the difference between the love of God (humble, obedient, sacrificial) and the love popularized in the world (proud, do my own thing, me first).

That false love is not from God, will not last, and has nothing to do with the life of Christ that is in me. These verses do not say that God hates anything, but is a warning to distinguish what I am to ‘love’ and give my life toward. He died to set me free from living from worldly desires, a Greek word for “evil cravings” — and as one in whom Christ lives, that desire is changed so that I want to love what God loves. I just need to recognize what that is!

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. (Colossians 1:13)

The lies that can lead me astray come from Satan, the father of lies and the one who opposes all that is of God. He wants to destroy my faith and lead me away into worldly cravings, but God says, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

PRAY: This devotional ends with, “Praise God that someday Satan and his evil system will be vanquished.” In You, Jesus, this has already happened. Even though the Bible warns that “In later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1) it also says, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” (1 Corinthians 2:12) My focus is on You, not on what You hate but on what You love. I don’t want to be a Christian who rants about all the evil in the world — Satan does not deserve any free publicity. Instead, I want to honor You by loving You with all my heart and giving my life to love that which You love.

PONDER: I don’t need to study the lies and the negatives to be able to quickly spot and avoid them. Instead, I need to know the truth so well that all that is evil stands out in sharp contrast to the goodness of Jesus Christ.