Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

This is the fourth installment in my series of posts entitled: “180°: lives turned around by God’s grace.”

Sometimes I struggle to accept things I haven’t earned. When I’m given something, I want to know that I deserve it and I am worthy of it. But that doesn’t work when it comes to grace. The value of grace depends on the worthlessness of its recipient. It is only in pride that I can ever feel worthy of God’s goodness to me or think I can somehow repay it.

The Bible’s first reference to the apostle Paul (who was at the time called Saul) is in Acts 7:58: “When they had driven [Stephen] out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” The first verse of the next chapter says, “Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.” Saul was one of the most actively anti-Christian people in the Bible. He didn’t just oppose those who proclaimed Jesus’ deity, he sought them out and persecuted them. But Saul’s story didn’t end there. Acts 9:3-6 says, “As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.’”  The thing is, Paul obviously believed his actions were honoring to God. He thought he was doing all the right things to gain God’s approval, but he didn’t understand that he could do nothing to redeem himself.

It can be so easy to fall into the trap of “checklist Christianity.” But what God truly wants is a heart that is fully devoted to Him—He is Lord and must be dethroned by nothing else. Matthew 19 tells us, “And someone came to [Jesus] and said, ‘Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments…The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.” Jesus doesn’t command the young man to sell his possessions because that was the one box he hadn’t checked off. He tells him this because He knows the thing which has the tightest grip on the man’s heart and life. If he is not willing to sacrifice this, then he doesn’t want Jesus badly enough.

When Saul (soon to be changed to Paul) encounters God’s grace, he is completely humbled. Every altar he had supposedly erected for God’s glory was really erected for his own. As he writes in 1 Corinthians 15:8-10, “And last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” Paul is so obviously aware that he has no right to be saved by God. He realizes his need for grace and gives up all his futile attempts to win God’s favor. That doesn’t mean he stops working; his life is completely devoted to building Christ’s kingdom. But his actions aren’t endeavors to deserve God’s goodness, they are an overflow of a heart sold out for Jesus.

In Galatians 3:17, Paul writes, “Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the law no flesh will be justified.” Later in verse 21, he says, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” I still remember the time, probably 7-10 years ago, that I came across that verse. It stopped me in my tracks and still does, every time I read it. Even the hypothetical idea that Christ’s unimaginable sufferings on the cross could ever be needless is enough to take my breath. Yet every time you and I think we can earn our salvation, that is exactly what we are saying.

Don’t ever let yourself get over what God has done for you. Don’t ever grow comfortable or even indifferent to the incomprehensible gift of salvation. Don’t ever try to “nullify the grace of God.” He has replaced your rags with His riches—and the only repayment required is the blood of His Son.