One of the books I enjoyed reading while on my vacation a couple weeks ago was Soul Keeping by Howard Baker. My friend, Glen Murray, passed it on to me and I am so glad. It's packed full of gems concerning the cultivation of a strong spiritual life. I thought I'd highlight one of the lessons I gleaned about GRACE, or rather, the ENEMIES OF GRACE.
A relationship with God through Jesus Christ is obtained by GRACE. The Scripture clearly says that our salvation has nothing to do with our efforts (Eph 2:8-9). However, it is so common among Christians to begin by GRACE and then follow a "different gospel" of spiritual works and formulas. By doing so, we end up rejecting the very GRACE that enables a person to enter a relationship with God as well as thrive in that relationship with God.
Baker uses A.W. Tozer's "hyphenated sins of the human spirit" to describe 3 examples of these enemies of grace. Perhaps you can identify with them personally.
The Three Enemies of Grace
1. Self-Righteousness - this is the person who "believes he is only 'blessed' as a result of his obedience to God's principles, and receiving more grace for the future will be his reward if he puts out greater efforts to live a godly life." You can see how subtly this mindset will substitute our works for His grace.
"He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor 5:21 HCSB
2. Self-Defeat - this is the person who is perpetually defeated because he "bears the impossible burden of 'pleasing' God." We need to never forget that we'll never be good enough to gain access to God on the basis of what we can do. Pleasing God is always the result of simply turning to Him and drawing upon the ever-present help and power of God that comes through grace.
"Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time." Heb 4:16
3. Self-Contempt - this is the person who "feels like a stepchild in God's family" and "is always more conscious of their sin than they are of their Savior." This person is "always resolving to redouble their efforts and try harder to please God. The treadmill of 'spiritual performance' leads only to tiredness without progress...which leads to more self condemnation."
"Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." Romans 8:1-2 HCSB
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3 comments:
Grace of our God is great but also are his other attributes and character. Holiness for me becomes the main reason I pray to my God because he is Holy and I am not. Thanks to His Grace I can hope to be worthy through Christ to become an adopted son of God. I like King Davids response in 2Samuel:24 to cheap Grace he says he will not offer sacrifice that cost him nothing, nor shall I. Praise God who makes all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above all yea Heavenly Host praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen: My prayers are for His people to find their purpose in life as worshiping our Holy God in prayer and supplication through sacrifice and thanksgiving. Then let the blessings flow to His Glory. By Kevin Eskew
Amen, my friend. May we not ever cheapen His Grace by devaluing its role and worth with noble substitutes.
Grace definition was originally spoken by Hal Lindsey. He used it first in a sermon in 1957.
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