Grace: giving and receiving

Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ

Romans 1:5-6

Have you ever attended a large event, got in your car and recognized the need for grace? You know what I’m talking about. You’re trying to get out of your parking place and traffic is lined up for a mile. You need grace. You need someone who is willing to allow you to get out of your spot. It’s not a law; it’s not required of anyone. It’s grace and it feels so good when you get the friendly wave and pull out.

When the Apostle Paul began his letter to believers in Rome, he began by pointing toward the gift of God’s grace. It’s undeserved and Paul cherishes God’s blessing. In Paul’s view, grace is a gift that comes with certain responsibilities. Namely, Paul talks about “obedience to the faith”. It reminds me of a great question that Philip Yancey asks in his book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” Yancey questions, “How should a ‘graced’ person act as a husband or wife, as a church member, as a citizen”?

After reading through Romans, the importance of God’s gift of grace is hard to miss. The mention of grace really stirs up my sense of gratitude for God’s willingness to give us an extravagant and undeserved gift. As important as it is for me to express my thanks to God, I believe it is imperative to do something with this gift. Two things come to my mind this morning. First, I should live it. God’s grace has provided me the freedom to live an obedient life. Paul is not shy about the scope of the mission of grace. He mentions his calling to share his faith with “all nations”. Second, I should share it. The Apostle Peter reinforces my responsibility to share when he refers to recipients of God’s grace as “stewards” of grace. In other words, I have a choice today of whether I will extend the grace that I have freely received from God toward others. I hear that little voice whispering in my ear. “Don’t be that person who receives grace in the parking lot and then refuses to let the next person out.”

The love of God

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:5

The Apostle Paul prayed that the early Christians would be able to comprehend how wide, long, deep and high the love of Christ is toward us (Ephesians 3:18). It’s a big prayer. In fact, Paul admits that it surpasses knowledge. Yet, I believe it is God’s love for me that inspires and enables me to live for God and to love others as God commands.

Recently, as I was studying the fifth chapter of Romans, I discovered two extraordinary reminders of God’s love for us. First, Paul states the fundamental truth of the Gospel: Jesus died for the ungodly as a demonstration of God’s love for us (Romans 5:8). This is the essence of the Gospel. I pray that my gratitude toward God for His extravagant sacrifice of love never grows stale. Second, Paul aptly describes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a gift of love. Carefully, read Romans 5:5. My heart is the target of God’s torrent of love. God’s love is neither abstract nor impersonal. Just as Christ came to earth “in person” to live, die, be buried and resurrect from the dead, the Holy Spirit has come to visit our hearts. The abundant love of God that is aimed at my heart is personal. The presence of the Holy Spirit is a personal reminder of the love of God. I pray that the knowledge that God is with you will refresh you and remind you of His great love today.   

Set Apart for God's Purpose

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2)

Following this dramatic commissioning by the Holy Spirit, Saul and Barnabas went to the island of Cyprus. As a result of their journey, the Roman proconsul at Paphos believed. It’s a fascinating journey that grows even more interesting when you take in the details of Acts 13. I am intrigued by the idea that they were “separated” for the work of God. Sometimes it’s easier to think in terms of physical separation. In the case of Acts 13, Saul and Barnabas departed from Antioch and journeyed to Cyprus. The physical separation from the church in Antioch was obvious. Less obvious is the deeper separation that takes place on the inside. Saul and Barnabas were set apart for God’s purpose. That is a separation that requires me to be willing to sacrifice my will in favor of God’s will. Christian writers have often referred to this as “the way of the cross”.

Kyle Stobel points out that “Paul (Saul) did not see the cross of Christ as merely an event in history or an aspect of his theology that he had to admit happened; the cross represented a revolutionary way of life.” This revolutionary way of life compels me to be set apart for God’s work. I may never be led to go to the island of Cyprus, but the way of the cross is a death march for my selfishness and pride and a gateway to the rule and reign of my Lord. Finally, the way of the cross allows others to see Jesus in me. When Barnabas and Saul left Cyprus, they left behind a Roman proconsul who had encountered the Gospel and believed. That is my mission in life.

How big is the Neighborhood?

Jesus said,

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Perspective. It’s sometimes defined as a “point of view” or “frame of reference”. It has to do with how we see. Sometimes it has to do with how far we see. As I read the New Testament, I am impressed by a recurring theme. God wants me to see beyond myself. God wants me to lift up my eyes and enlarge my vision.

Remember how Jesus redefined neighborhood boundaries. When asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told a story about a “good neighbor” who was a Samaritan. That must have been an unexpected detail to those who were listening. Just prior to His ascension to heaven Jesus instructed His disciples to engage in the global mission of God. First, Jesus promised his followers that the Holy Spirit would provide power. After the promise of power, Jesus clarified the purpose. The mission has not changed. Neither has our dependence upon the Holy Spirit to empower us to be credible witnesses for Jesus diminished. Finally, when Jesus presented the scope of the mission, it’s a reminder that God’s view is limitless. God sees the end of the earth more easily than I can see the end of my nose. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives compels us to see differently and prevents us from exempting anyone from the reach of the Gospel.