God's grace - too good to be true?

"It sounds too good to be true," so begins a well-known saying, and we know it's rather unlikely. However, when it comes to God's grace, it is indeed true. Nevertheless, some people insist that grace cannot be like that and resort to the law to avoid what they see as a license to sin. Their sincere, yet misguided efforts are a form of legalism that robs people of the transformative power of grace, which springs from God's love and flows into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. (Röm 5,5).

The good news of God's grace in Christ Jesus, the personified grace of God, came into the world and preached the gospel. (Lk 20,1)This is the good news of God's grace toward sinners (this applies to all of us). But the religious leaders of that time didn't like his preaching because it placed all sinners on the same level, yet considered themselves more righteous than others. For them, Jesus' preaching about grace was definitely not good news. On one occasion, Jesus responded to their protest: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' I have not come to call the righteous, but to call sinners." (Mt 9,12-13).

Today we rejoice in the gospel - the good news about the grace of God in Christ - but in Jesus' day it was a great nuisance for self-righteous religious officials. The same news will also offend those who believe that they must always try harder and better behaved in order to earn God's favor. They ask us the rhetorical question, how else are we going to motivate people to work harder, live properly, and use spiritual leaders as role models when you claim they are already under grace? You can think of no other way to motivate people except by affirming a legal or contractual relationship with God. Please do not misunderstand me! It is good to work hard in God's work. Jesus did just that - his work brought it to completion. Remember, Jesus the Perfect revealed the Father to us. This revelation contains the absolutely good news that God's compensation system works better than ours. He is the inexhaustible source of grace, love, kindness, and forgiveness; we don't pay taxes to earn God's grace or to fund God's government. God works in the best-equipped rescue system, whose job it is to free humanity from the pit it has fallen into. You may remember the story of the traveler who fell into a pit and tried in vain to get out. People passed the pit and saw how he was struggling. The sensitive person called out to him: Hello you down there. I really feel for them. The rational person commented: Yes, it's logical that someone had to fall into the pit here. The interior designer asked: May I give you some suggestions on how to decorate your pit? The prejudice said: Here you can see it again: Only bad people fall into pits. The curious one asked: Man, how did you do that? The legalist said, You know what, I think you deserved to end up in the pit. The tax officer asked, Tell me, are you actually paying taxes for the pit? The self-pitying person whined: Yes, you should The Zen Buddhist recommended: Take it easy, relax and just stop thinking about the pit. The optimist said: Come on, hold your head up! It could have been much worse. The pessimist said, How awful, but be prepared! It will get worse. When Jesus saw the man (humanity) in the pit, he jumped in and helped him out. That is just grace!

There are people who don't understand God's logic of grace. They believe their hard work frees them from the pit and see it as unfair that others get out without having made a similar effort. The hallmark of God's grace is that God gives it generously to everyone without distinction. Some need more forgiveness than others, but God treats everyone equally, regardless of their circumstances. God doesn't just talk about love and compassion; He made it clear when He sent Jesus into the pit to help us all out. Adherents of legalism tend to misinterpret God's grace as permission for a promiscuous, impulsive, and unstructured lifestyle (antinomianism). But that's not how it works, as Paul wrote in his letter to Titus: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age." (Tit 2,11-12).

Let me be clear: When God saves people, he doesn't leave them in the pit any longer. He doesn't abandon them to their own devices, to continue living in immaturity, sin, and shame. Jesus saves us so that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can rise from the pit and begin a new life, imbued with Jesus' righteousness, peace, and joy. (Röm 14,17).

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard: Jesus spoke about God's unconditional grace in his parable of the workers in the vineyard. (Mat 20,1-16)No matter how long each worker had worked, all the workers received the full day's wages. Naturally (this is human nature), those who had worked the longest were upset because they felt that those who had worked less didn't deserve as much. I strongly suspect that those who had worked less also thought they had received more than they deserved (I'll come back to this later). Indeed, grace in itself doesn't seem fair, but since God (reflected in the person of the landowner in the parable) passes judgment in our favor, I can only be truly grateful to God! I didn't assume that I could somehow earn God's grace by working hard all day in the vineyard. Grace can only be received gratefully and humbly as an undeserved gift—just as it is. I like how Jesus contrasts the workers in his parable. Perhaps some of us identify with those who worked long and hard and believed they deserved more than they received. Most people, I'm sure, will identify with those who have received far more for their work than they deserved. Only with an attitude of gratitude can we appreciate and understand God's grace, especially because we desperately need it. Jesus' parable teaches us that God saves those who don't deserve it (and you really can't earn it). The parable illustrates how religious legalists complain that grace is unfair (too good to be true); they argue, how can God reward someone who hasn't worked as hard as they have?

Driven by guilt or gratitude?

Jesus' teachings undermine the guilt that legalists use as their primary tool to make people obedient to God's will (or, far more often, to their own!). Feeling guilty is the opposite of being grateful for the grace God bestows upon us in his love. Guilt focuses on our ego and its sins, whereas gratitude (the essence of worship) focuses on God and his goodness. From my own experience, I can say that while guilt (and fear) does motivate me, gratitude for God's love, goodness, and grace motivates me far more. Unlike legalistic obedience driven by guilt, gratitude is fundamentally relationship-oriented (heart-to-heart)—Paul speaks here of the obedience of faith. (Röm 16,26)This is the only kind of obedience Paul approves of, because only this glorifies God. Relationship-oriented obedience, shaped by the gospel, is our grateful response to God's grace. It was gratitude that propelled Paul forward in his ministry. It also motivates us today to participate in Jesus' work through the Holy Spirit and through His church. By God's grace, this ministry leads to the reorientation of lives. In Christ and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are now and forever beloved children of our Father in heaven. All God desires of us is that we grow in His grace and thus come to know Him better and better. (2. Petr 3,18)This growth in grace and knowledge will continue now and for all eternity in the new heaven and on the new earth. To God belongs all glory!

by Joseph Tkach