I often think that many of us think we deserve grace, and I include myself in that accusation. Oh, we will say, ?we don?t deserve God?s grace or mercy.? But that goes without saying. Grace is unmerited, underserved, and solely from the love of God. I think of the Pharisee who went up to the temple to pray and saw the lowly tax-collector. This story, found in Luke 18:9 ? 14, is striking because the person who truly received mercy was the one who deserved it the least. You probably think of yourself as the lowly tax-collector as I often do, but the more I see God?s grace, the more I see myself as the Pharisee. The Pharisee thought he was better because he tithed and didn?t fornicate, but God justified the tax-collector because he saw his own unworthiness.

It is like a Bean-Counter looking at a lazy glutton and saying, ?I am glad I am not like that lazy person.? But do not think for a moment that there are not lazy gluttons who look at bean counters and say, ?I am glad I am not as uptight as that bean counter.? Those with a strident work ethic look down upon those who are less organized and who don?t work as hard. Those who wake up at noon look down upon those who are hard working. And each one thinks they deserve grace. Grace is still unmerited favor towards sinners isn?t it?

Look at Romans 4:4:

?Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.?

Continue reading: ?But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin." (Romans 4:5 ?

I admit I still have much to learn about God?s grace. I am like the worker that was hired last but received the same wages as those who worked all day. (?For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.? Matthew 20:1) I sometimes get angry because God gives someone else the same grace He gave me. I am like the man who owed millions of dollars and was forgiven and then tries to get back the few dollars owed to him. (Matthew 18:21 ? 35) This master, this king, forgave the debt and yet the servant was ungrateful. As Philip Yancey points out in his book What?s So Amazing About Grace:

?Why Jesus draws the parable with such exaggerated strokes comes clear when he reveals that the king (the master in Matthew 18:21 ? 35) represents God. This above all should determine our attitude towards others: a humble awareness that God has already forgiven us a debt so mountainous that beside it any person?s wrongs against us shrink to the size of anthills. How can we not forgive each other in the light of all God has forgiven us??

The Bible teaches that: ?God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:9).? Charles Spurgeon said of this passage:

?The apostle does not say, "You are faithful." Alas! The faithfulness of man is a very unreliable affair; it is mere vanity. He does not say, "You have faithful ministers to lead and guide you, and therefore I trust you will be safe." Oh, no! If we are kept by men we shall be but ill kept. He puts it, "God is faithful." If we are found faithful, it will be because God is faithful. On the faithfulness of our covenant God the whole burden of our salvation must rest.?

We are not faithful, and we are undeserving of God?s favor and yet we received grace instead of judgment. Please pray for me that I will learn more of God?s grace, and dispense it more freely.

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Published on: 2005-05-21 (1772 reads)