Turn Toward Grace

This is a hard teaching in our culture, but it is necessary.

Grace is not a pass to do whatever you want, it is the Power working in you to do what is right.

Grace is a word too often kicked around these days. Grace is too amazing for that. It deserves far greater respect and reverence. When words are tossed around, when they are disfigured, mistranslated, misinterpreted, misrepresented and taken in vein...they lose any semblance of usefulness. Who puts a light under a basket? Rather, set it on a lampstand so the whole house can see. Set it to rights. There is a judge, a plumb line, and they are the words he spoke. This can be difficult because he spoke plainly sometimes and other times in tongues of angels: picture language, metaphor, the essence of things seen, but themselves unseen lest you have eyes to see, ears to hear...lest the veil be lifted or torn right open.

Grace, is today often made the same as forgiveness. It is not the same thing. Many times forgiveness must be withheld in order that grace may be revealed.
That is why Jesus commands His disciples...

“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

and again

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

Why is repentance required? Because repentance and forgiveness must embrace one another in order to become one and to be fruitful. In order for reconciliation and shalom, healing and salvation to take place that eternal life may come. If you have ears, hear. The Lord your God, the Lord is one.

Still unsure about repentance? This is going to be difficult to accept, especially in our western mindset. It will likely offend our democratic sensibilities, regardless...it is true.

As concerned about the individual person as God is, He is more concerned about the whole project of creation. Make no mistake, His desire is that none should perish; however, greater is His desire to have a companion within creation that reflects his image...priests and servant rulers...a companion that is free. Free to chose to participate or not. God will not sin against Himself. He made a creation and said it is all good. He will not corrupt his own image. We chose to continue on that road which leads to destruction as He sets all things to rights or to repent.

'I have set before you life and death, therefore chose life.'

Grace is something that is. It does not have to be accepted in order to be. It is a 'name' of the Father; a characteristic, a face, a nature. God is, regardless of how we chose to relate to Him. Now, if we desire to experience God, to experience grace, to receive eternal life since we have fallen from Him, then that necessitates a turning toward Him in response to that still small voice calling us to receive forgiveness and in turning toward forgiveness, we are acknowledging we require it. It is right there that we come face to face with the reality to which we were previously blind. YHWY is with us. YWHY saves.

How great is the destruction of the one who tastes that and then turns again to worship idols.

For it is by YHWY you have been saved, through Jesus— this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of YHWY— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are YHWY’s handiwork, created in Messiah Jesus to do good works, which YHWY prepared in advance for us to do.

The Lord says...'You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.'

We, as individuals and as the Church universal, would be well advised to steward the grace we have been given well. We have this treasure in jars of clay. Jesus has called us to be generous in love and compassion; while simultaneously defending against the locusts that are compromise with pagan worldviews, practices and excesses. (Mark 12v1-12, Matthew 25v14-30 . . .)

All authority on heaven and earth have been given to Jesus.

Open your gates before Him.

I have set before you life and death, therefore chose life...

Now, may the LORD bless you and keep you;the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.