God's Grace

The sound of children singing, "Ke ren lai, kan pa pa... pa pa bu zai jia..." in their cute pelat, from the church kindy/daycare is putting a big smile on my face. Awws.... *Hugs myself*

I'm back to the book of Romans. Today I read Romans 3:22-26 (TNIV) with much conviction.

'This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood - to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - He did this to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

In the chapter before that, St. Paul writes about the three-fold form of God's grace in Romans 2:4 - '...Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" (KJV, emphasis mine)

1. Goodness - having borne with past sin (Ps 78:38, Ps 106:43-46). God is kind. He knows our frame and remembers that we are but dust.
2. Forbearance - this bears with us in the present. (Ps 103:10). In this forbearance, God had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - He did this to demonstrate His justice at the present time... (Romans 3:25, 26)
3. Long-suffering - which in the future as in the past and present, is prepared to bear with the guilty (Luke 13:7-9)

So, what does this gift of grace mean for us? Let us consider some very important things:

1. We are justified freely (Rom 3:24) and redeemed from the sure wages of our sins (Rom 6:23)
2. We are led to repentance. (Rom 2:4)
3. We are righteous through faith. (Rom 3:22)
4. We are children of God, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:15-17) - amongst us, there is no distinction between races, ages, social statuses, etc.
5. We have fellowship and a living relationship with the Father through Christ.
6. Sin shall not be our master, because we are no longer under law, but under grace. (Rom 6:14)
7. As God makes all grace abound to us, in all things, at all times, having all that we need, we will abound in every good work. (2 Cor 9:8).
8. We are strong in our sufferings. (1 Peter 5:10)

And...

9. It enables us to love and forgive others...

Let's have a look at Rom 2:4 again... "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

It is possible to show contempt for God's grace. How?

1. By claiming His grace and talking as if it were something God owes us
2. By perverting it into a license for immorality, and a reason for hardness of heart, presumption, infidelity, complacency and further sin (Zeph 1:12, Eccl 8:11, Jude 1:4) - yikes!!!
3. By urging it as an apology for procrastination (2 Pet 3:3,4)
4. By judging others and not showing grace to others... (Rom 2:1-3)

But how patient our God is with us!

Spurgeon, in one of his sermons, said, "It is observable that the Roman magistratesm when they gave sentence upon anyone to be scourged, a bundle of rods tied hard with many knots was laid before them. The reason for that: Whilst the beadle/flagellifer was untying the knots, which he was to do in a certain order, and not in any other hasty or sudden way, the magistrate might see the deportment and carriage of the delinquent, whether he were sorry for his fault and showed any hope of amendment, that then he might recall his sentence or mitigate the punishment; otherwise he was to be corrected the more severely.
Thus God, in the punishment of sinners, how patient is He! How loathe to strike! How slow to anger if there by but any hopes of recovery! How many knots doth He untie! How many rubs doth He make in His way to justice! He doth not try us by the martial law, but pleads the case with us, 'Why will ye die, O house of Israel?' " (Spurgeon's sermon notes, compiled by David Otis Fuller)

Let us therefore remember how dreadful it is to fall into the wrath of God... and not take His grace for granted. If He was longer in Jericho than creating the world, and if His messengers of wrath come so much slower than His angels of peace who come quickly and fly apace - let us receive His gift with fear and trembling, repent and render ourselves to Him.... and last but not least, may we learn to show His grace to others - especially those who do not yet know it.

God help us.