Grace in practical life

It is interesting to notice that quite many Christians who every week hear (and some even preach) God’s grace gospel, still are so stuck in the condemnation when it comes to practical life. They claim to be graceful while they hide behind their own definition that says that their condemnation is just consequences. Certainly, there are consequences but some of the consequences are nothing else than condemnation.

When you are excluded and not welcomed anymore by people because of something you have said, written or done wrong, it is not a consequence but a deliberate reaction of judgment. Especially when those people who exclude you and do not welcome you anymore are not the same as those you wronged.

The people who exclude you have Abraham of the Old Testament as one of the Biblical persons they look up to. This is the man who lied about his own wife to protect his life. In fear of being killed, he lied and said that his wife was his sister. Twice he did so. Once, while his name was still Abram, and once after God had changed his name to Abraham. It was not exactly a respectful thing to tell others that his wife was just his sister. He risked his wife twice to protect his own life. And he even went to sleep with the slave woman because he thought that would be the only way to see God’s promise fulfilled. But God’s grace is greater than Abraham’s wrongdoings. Still, grace based Christians exclude you, as if God’s grace should not be greater than your wrongdoings.

The people who exclude you have David of the Old Testament as another one of the Biblical persons they look up to. As a boy, David stood up to conquer the giant Goliath, while king Saul was hiding because of fear. As an adult, David committed adultery when sleeping with another man’s wife. And he even killed this other man. But God’s grace is greater than David’s wrongdoings. In Luke 2:4, it says that Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. Surely, God’s grace is greater than David’s wrongdoings! Still, grace based Christians exclude you, as if God’s grace should not be greater than your wrongdoings.

The people who exclude you have Peter of the New Testament as yet another one of the Biblical persons they look up to. Peter who walked on the water. Peter who denied Jesus three times just a few hours after having promised to Jesus Himself that he would rather die than denying Him. The facts were not to be misunderstood. People could witness that Peter had denied Jesus. People could witness that Peter had said that he did not know Jesus. His words are even printed in the world’s bestselling book ever! Peter’s words could not be misunderstood. Just as your words could not be misunderstood. But God’s grace is greater than Peter’s wrongdoings. People around Peter must have had the same opinion. Because he was not excluded from the group of disciples. And on the day of Pentecost, it was Peter representing the disciples talking to the multitudes of 3,000 people after having received The Holy Spirit. God’s grace is greater than Peter’s wrongdoings and God’s grace is greater than your wrongdoings. Still, your grace based friends exclude you even if Peter’s friends did not exclude him.

In the Bible, we learn how God’s grace has a practical impact on individual persons both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. We learn that our wrongdoings deserve condemnation and judgment, we learn that God out of love for us put all the condemnation and judgment on Jesus, we learn that when we believe in Jesus Christ we get His righteousness, and we learn that God through His Son Jesus Christ has given us the ministry of reconciliation  -  not the ministry of condemnation.

Being given the ministry of reconciliation, still your grace based Christian friends exclude you and condemn you. It is interesting to notice. It is not pleasant to experience. But then it is important to be aware of this: None of us is free of wrongdoings. All of us need God’s grace. None of us can boast in ourselves. All of us need 100% of God’s grace every single day. Both you and the people in your surroundings and I and the people in my surroundings. If Christian friends exclude you, be sure that Jesus Christ includes you!