How Grace Works
How Grace Works - Audio/Visual
So, what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace — a new life in a new land! (Rom.6:1-3 – MSG)
Exactly how does grace work, and what does a grace-driven Christian look like? In Romans 6 Paul asks a crucial question: "How can we who died to sin still live in it?" (v. 2 RSV) How can we who’ve been made right not live righteous lives? How can we who’ve been loved not love? How can we who’ve been blessed not bless? How can we who’ve been given grace not live graciously? Paul seems stunned that an alternative would actually even exist. How could grace result in anything but gracious living? "So, what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving?” (v. 1)
The two-dollar term for this philosophy is antinomianism: anti meaning "against," and nomos meaning "moral law." Promoters of the idea see grace as a reason to do bad rather than a reason to do good. Grace grants them a license to sin, i.e., the worse I act the better God seems. And this isn't Paul's first reference to the teaching. In Romans 3:7 Paul writes, "A person might say, 'When I lie, it really gives him the glory, because my lie shows God's truth.'" What a scam. Your mother wouldn't tolerate it. Can you imagine your teenager saying, "Mom, I'll keep my room messy so the whole neighborhood can see what a great housekeeper you are"? A boss wouldn't let the employee say, "The reason why I'm so lazy is to give you an opportunity to display your forgiveness." No one respects the beggar who refuses to work saying, "I'm just giving the government an opportunity to demonstrate its benevolence." Sound familiar in this election season? We wouldn't tolerate it, and we wouldn't do it. Or would we?
Maybe we don't sin so God can give grace, but do we ever sin knowing God will give grace? Do we ever compromise tonight knowing that we'll confess tomorrow? It's easy to be like the guy visiting Las Vegas who called the preacher wanting to know the hours for Sunday services. The preacher was impressed. "Most people who come to Las Vegas don’t think much about church." "Oh, I'm not coming to go to church. I'm coming for the gambling and parties and wild women. And if I have half as much fun as I hope, I'll need a church come Sunday morning." Is that the intent of grace? Is God's goal to promote disobedience? Hardly. "Grace . . . teaches us not to live against God nor to do the evil things the world wants to do. Instead, grace teaches us to live now in a wise and right way and in a way that shows we serve God." (Titus 2:11-12) God's grace has released us from selfishness. So, why return?
Think of it this way. Sin put you in prison. Sin locked you behind the bars of guilt, shame, deception and fear. Sin did nothing but shackle you to a wall of misery. Then Jesus came and paid your bail. He served your time; he satisfied the penalty and set you free. Christ died, and when you cast your lot with him, your old self died, too. The only way to be set free from the prison of sin is to serve its penalty, and in this case the penalty is death. So, someone has to die – either you or a heaven-sent substitute. You can’t leave prison unless there’s a death. But that death occurred at Calvary and when Jesus died, you died to sin's claim on your life. You’re free.
Near the city of Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil is a remarkable facility. About 50 years ago the Brazilian government turned a prison over to two Christians. The institution was renamed Humaita (“ancient stone”), and the plan was to run it on Christian principles. With the exception of two full-time staff, inmates do all the work. Families outside the prison adopt an inmate with whom to work during and after his or her term. Chuck Colson visited the prison and made this report:
When I visited Humaita I found the inmates smiling – particularly the murderer who held the keys, opened the gates and let me in. . . . My guide escorted me to the notorious prison cell once used for torture. Today, he told me, that block houses only a single inmate. As we reached the end of a long concrete corridor and he put the key in the lock, he paused and asked, "Are you sure you want to go in?" "Of course," I replied, "I've been in isolation cells all over the world." Slowly he swung open the massive door, and I saw the prisoner in that cell: a crucifix, beautifully carved by the Humaita inmates – the prisoner Jesus, hanging on a cross. "He's doing time for the rest of us," my guide said softly[1].
Christ has taken your place. There’s no need for you to remain in the cell. Ever heard of a released prisoner who wanted to stay? Me either. When the doors open, prisoners leave. The thought of a person preferring jail over freedom doesn't compute. Once the penalty is paid, why live under bondage? And you’ve been discharged from the penitentiary of sin. Why in heaven's name then would you ever want to set foot in that prison again? Paul reminds us: "Our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us, and we would not be slaves to sin. Anyone who has died is made free from sin's control." (Rom. 6:6-7) Paul’s not saying that it’s impossible for believers to sin; he's just saying that it’s stupid for believers to sin. Because what does the prison have that you want, or need? Do you miss the guilt? Are you homesick for dishonesty? Do you have fond memories of being lied to and forgotten? Was life better when you were dejected and rejected? Do you have a longing to see a sinner once again in the mirror? It doesn’t make any sense to go back to prison.
But not only has a price been paid, a vow has been made. "Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ when we were baptized?" (Rom. 6:3) Baptism was no casual custom; no ho-hum ritual. Baptism was, and is, "a pledge made to God from a good conscience." (1 Pet. 3:21) Paul's high regard for baptism is demonstrated in the fact that he knew all of his readers had been instructed in its importance: "You have been taught that when we were baptized into Christ we were baptized into his death." (Rom. 6:2) So, what kind of amnesia is this? Like a bride horrified to see her new husband flirting with a bridesmaid at the wedding reception, Paul asks, "Did you forget your vows?" (Rom. 6:3)
Baptism is a vow, a sacred vow of the believer to follow Christ. Just as a wedding celebrates the fusion of two hearts, baptism celebrates the union of sinner with Savior. We "became part of Christ when we were baptized." (v. 3) Do the bride and groom understand all of the implications of their marriage? No. Do they know every challenge or threat they’ll face? No. But they know that they love each other and vow to be faithful to the end. When a willing heart enters the waters of baptism, does he know all the implications of the vow? No. Does she know every temptation or challenge? No. But both know the love of God and are responding to him.
To return to sin after sealing our souls in baptism is like committing adultery on your honeymoon. Can you imagine the distraught bride discovering her husband in the arms of another woman only days after hearing his vow at the altar? Among her many sizzling words (and that’s putting it nicely) would likely be the question, "Have you forgotten what you said to me?" Similarly, God asks, "Does our union mean nothing to you? Is our covenant so fragile that you would choose the arms of a harlot over mine?" Who, in their right mind, would want to abandon those vows? Who will care for you more than Jesus? Have we forgotten what life was like before our baptism? Have we forgotten the mess we were in before we were united with him? I choose the word mess intentionally. Let me share mine.
Do you know the mess that I'm glad I’m finally out of? My college dorm. Of all the names I've been called, no one has ever accused me of being a neat freak. Some people have a high threshold for pain; I had a high threshold for sloppiness. Not that my mom didn't try. And not that she didn't succeed. As long as I was under her roof, I stacked my plates and picked up my shorts. But once I was free, I was free indeed. Most of my life I've been a closet slob, and I was slow to see the logic of neatness. Why make up a bed if you’re going to sleep in it again tonight? Does it make sense to wash dishes after only one meal? Isn't it easier to leave your clothes on the floor at the foot of the bed so they'll be there when you get up and put them back on the next morning? Is anything really gained by putting the lid on the toothpaste tube tonight only to remove it again tomorrow? I was as compulsive as anyone, only I was compulsive about being messy. Life was too short to match your socks; just buy longer pants. But then I got married and became a new man. I’d been exposed to my wife’s higher standards.
Isn't that what’s happened with us? Isn't that the heart of Paul's argument? How could we who have been freed from sin return to it? Before Christ, our lives were out of control, sloppy and indulgent. We didn't even know we were slobs until we met him. Then he moved in. Things began to change. What we threw around we began putting away. What we neglected we cleaned up. What had been clutter became order. Oh, there were (and still are) occasional lapses of thought and deed, but by and large he got our house in order. Suddenly we find ourselves wanting to do good. Go back to the old mess? Are you kidding? "In the past you were slaves to sin – sin controlled you. But thank God, you fully obeyed the things that you were taught. You were made free from sin, and now you are slaves to goodness." (Rom. 6:17-18)
Can a discharged prisoner return to confinement? Yes. But let the con remember the gray walls and long nights. Can a newlywed forget his vows? Yes. But let him remember his holy vow and his beautiful bride. Can a converted slob once again be messy? Yes. But let her consider the difference between the filth of yesterday and the purity of today. Can one who has been given a free gift not share that gift with others? I suppose. But let him remember that the gift was given freely. Let her remember that all of life is a gift of grace. And let them remember that the call of grace is to live a gracious life. That’s how grace works.
Grace,
Randy
[1] Colson used Humaita as a model for his Prison Fellowship, which he launched in 1997. Kairos was similarly inspired in the 1970’s.
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