When We're Finally Ready For Grace

Any practical discussion of God's grace must begin with the real-world consequence of sin. When even an historically religious society becomes so caught up into its own self-interest that it imitates the evil from which it has been delivered, that consequence is often an erosion of the protection that comes with obedience. A society that takes God's grace for granted risks becoming vulnerable to enemies that do not enjoy that grace.

Plainly stated, God's grace is not cheap.

But because grace is built upon relationship instead of behavior, even a wayward society has hope. If you recall the parable of the prodigal son, then you may be able to envision how God as a loving father waits for His sinful children to come to their senses and head back home. The same God who provides favor that we don't deserve nevertheless remains ready to show His compassion if we remember to cry out for His help.

That “crying out” is related to God's relational arrangement with His people, whom He chastises where appropriate and redeems as an expression of His sovereign will. The bible says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God is ready to forgive us, but first we have to admit that we have sinned.

Quite remarkably, once God has forgiven a sin, one has no further need to cry out concerning that sin. God's “once and for all” forgiveness is much unlike what one finds within many faith communities, from which lasting forgiveness is somewhat more begrudging. Perhaps that is a reason that when Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He not only directed us to request each day our daily bread, but also included a petition that our Father would forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

God encourages us to trust Him enough to confess our sins, rather than to gloss over them. A failure to confront our own sinfulness yields a harvest of trouble and sorrow – which only improve our spiritual awareness that we've gone off track – whereas confession leads directly to God's abundant blessings.

But God promises to guide His people back to His protective presence once we become so ready for it that we confess our sin. When we “get over ourselves,” and stop blaming everybody else for what's going wrong, and humble ourselves and pray, and turn from our wicked ways, that's when God will hear from heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land.

This principle applies not only in the temporal context of our earthly struggles, but also in the context of our eternal destiny. Recall the prophet Isaiah's statement that “the Lord has given you trouble and sorrow as your food and drink.” As many of us imbibe from our everyday cup of sorrows, we may have unknowingly digested an aspect of our “daily bread” from God that leads us to repentance.

Our salvation is premised on our frank admission that we have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, our recognition that our noblest efforts are inadequate to remedy that breach, and our acceptance that Jesus' death at Calvary has atoned for that sin once and for all. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.