We looked at Grace as a system. Not just a system but the established system through which God operates in this age. We saw that Christ established this system by fulfilling the law. So he is the basis and foundation of the system of grace.
What are the operating dynamics of this system what is the standard of grace. To go into this I would like to point out that,Law yields fear and death, grace yields faith and life. Let me say that the wages of Grace is life. So what is the proper application of grace and is there an abuse of grace.I hear some people talk of extreme grace preachers. I personally believe that the word extreme puts a boundary to grace.I don't preach extreme grace I preach exceeding grace, I do not believe that there is a limit to the grace of God. So the question then what stops people from sinning continually or living their life without regard for God. Before we answer that, what is sin?I will simply define sin as choosing your own opinion or the devils opinion on an issue over God's own. So you once you have taken the decision in your heart it is sin, even before you carry it out. Remember that God looks on the heart. With that definition we see that many things we think are just normal is sin as far as God is concerned. Good news Jesus died for all sins whether commited or yet to be.So once you accept Him(Gods love) God no longer sees you as a sinner. Then comes the question can you truly love someone and keep on consciously and intentionally go against the person. Anyone will question your love for the person. Even you,and that is where your heart condemns you. Your heart, not God. God still loves you even when you sin because He doesn't see you He sees the sacrifice of Christ which you have accepted. The blood of Jesus washed you clean and no sin is stronger than that blood. Yes you will sin, but Christ died for it. You should not let that sin stop you from approaching the throne of grace with confidence. I don't pray to God to forgive my sins, he has already judged and punished Jesus for my sins it would be unfair of him to punish me again. Yes, I am saying our Father in heaven does not punish His children for sin. What happens is that when you sin the devil comes and condemns you and points out to that sin and you feel ashamed and fearful ( Remember that fear is the opposite of faith and without faith it is impossible to please God) So he kills your faith, and that stops you from receiving from the Lord. Sometimes its not the devil but our hearts condemning us because of the the knowledge of sin that came as a result of the law. God is as pleased with you as ever there is a level in your relationship with God where you are no longer conscious of sin. Instead you remain conscious of the fact that Christ has died for your sins once and for all(Heb 9:2) This is necessary to have boldness to approach the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace in the time of need (Heb 4:16).
So what then is the standard of grace. Its simply realizing that God doesn't look at you or treat based on your flaws, errors or shortcomings. Then on your part because of your love for God and in appreciation of what Jesus has done you live to please God, and serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus.
I'm gonna take this a step further. Its basic knowledge that God judges intentions not actions. That's why you might think someone is living a godly life and in the eyes of God the person is a hypocrite. If someone offers you a drink and normally you will accept that drink(in your heart you have even accepted it), but so that the person will not say you have backslidden(whatever that means)you reject the drink you are a hypocrite. On the same vain if you see taking that drink as something wrong(based in your knowledge and understanding of God). But because you want to fit into the crowd you are also a hypocrite. Does it mean that if you don't drink at all you are better than those who do? No, it just means that your health is so important to you that you won't want to jeopardize it by consuming alcohol .Does this then mean you can drink yourself to stupidity, do you think Jesus will approve of that? You need to have an understanding of God for yourself. That's why I strongly emphasize a personal relationship with God as the solution to not getting mislead or deceived. When you have this in place you then have strong convictions based on your personal knowledge of God and His Word.This applies also to dressing, God is not interested in your outward appearance as much as he is interested in your motive for looking that way. If you are comfortable in a certain dresstyle and your motive for looking that way is straight, then feel free. But if you like wear an overflow 3 skirt or a trouser so large you look like a walking parachute. So that people will think you are "holier than all" your motive is wrong and it is sin, because you are thinking of yourself more highly than you ought to (Rom12:3), not because of the way you appear but your motive for appearing that way. Look good you represent Christ well when people want to look like you. Decency to me is simply not dressing with the intent of drawing unnecessary attention. Either because you look so shabby and unkempt. Or because you are so unnecessarily flamboyant or you wear a dress that makes people distracted and wonder if your tailor was done before you collected it, and when you do all of the above intentionally. Maintain a balance that makes people appreciate the way God created you. If we are children of God we should represent him well. Our Lord looked so good that hardened Roman soldiers gambled for his clothes they wanted to look like him. There are many other issues but I just picked these two issues, if you have questions go and meet God with them, go to His Word for your answers.
To maintain this standard of grace you need to have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. He will give you the right approach to things. He will also keep you from being misled. Don't let another mans conscience be the judge of your freedom.(1cor 10:29) Finally what might be sin to me might be ok for you and vice versa, not because God has a varying standard of sin but because we do not all have the same knowledge of God. That's why Paul speaking in Rom 14:23 said whatever is not out of faith is sin( to that person because the person is in a state of doubt in their heart). God deals with everyone on a personal level. Its good to look up to people but first know what God is doing in your life as a person. We tend to set standards for ourselves that God did not set for us. This standards put a burden on us and we struggle in our Christian race this should not be so, Our Lord speaking in Matt 11:28-30 said " Come unto me all of you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give rest, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls,For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Isn't that wonderful. I love to say that flexing is for us children of God,yes we are the ones that know what real enjoyment is. If you can't say the same then you need to go back to God and ask Him where you got it wrong. Does this mean there are no standards for us to maintain of course there are but all of those standards are for our own benefits. Our flesh may (most certainly will)rebel against those standards but in the end we stand to gain a lot from maintaining those standards. God is a loving Father. He never leads us in harms way. Whatever he does is for our own good. Amen. Have you mixed Gods grace with a little law here and there, then its time you go to God and ask Him to straighten it out. You do this through prayer and study of the word both with the ever present help of the Holy Spirit. Remain blessed.
