Study 46 – Frustrating God’s Grace

Last week we saw that Paul was keen to ensure that this grace was ‘not without effect (in vain)’ and looked at one way in which we can frustrate God’s grace in our lives, namely not believing that God can use us. This week we consider five other ways in which we can do this.

Carelessness
We must avoid the snare of becoming careless or having a casual attitude. Paul warned the Galatians, ‘You were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another in love’ (Gal. 5:13). Peter declared, ‘Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil’ (1 Pet. 2:16). And Jude spoke of ‘godless men who change the grace of our God into a licence for immorality’ (Jude 4).

Don’t turn amazing grace into cheap grace. We must never adopt that attitude, ‘It doesn’t really matter. God will always forgive me; grace covers it. I can do whatever I like.’ That’s taking God’s grace in vain. Paul said, ‘”Everything is permissible for me” – but not everything is beneficial … “I will not be mastered by anything”’ (1 Cor. 6:12). He celebrated his newfound freedom from the restrictions of law, but refused to drift into bondage to sin.

Legalism
The Galatians were originally pagans, but they listened to Paul’s teaching about Jesus and were born again and filled with the Spirit. After Paul left them, some formerly Jewish Christians arrived and began to confuse and intimidate the church by teaching Jewish customs: ‘to be fully acceptable to God you have to observe circumcision, the Sabbath and special eating rules’.

Paul was outraged because he realised that the Galatians were actually reverting to the law in an effort to make themselves worthy of God. ‘I do not set aside the grace of God,’ he said, ‘for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! … You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace’ (Gal. 2:21; 5:4).

False Doctrine
Christ personally commissioned Paul, yet Paul still recognised the need to check that he wasn’t running in vain or veering off course. So he went to Jerusalem and submitted his teaching to those who were apostles before him (Gal. 2:2; 6-10).

Speaking of the Jews of his generation, Paul said, ‘they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge’ (Rom. 10:2). In other words, all their energy was a waste of time. They were enthusiastic but wrong! In the same way people can give all their devotion to something that will ultimately prove to be in vain because it’s not what God requires. So be careful that you don’t drift into theological error and develop a fierce commitment to false doctrine or dead religion. It‘s tragic to see a new believer starting well and then being devoured by a particular doctrinal emphasis and ultimately becoming a blinkered single-issue Christian.

Laziness
Paul said, ‘(God’s) grace to me was not without effect (in vain). No, I worked harder than all of them’ (1 Cor. 15:10). And he wasn’t ashamed of mentioning his labours, toils, sleeplessness, pressures, struggles and beatings (2 Cor. 11:10-33). Clearly he never saw hard work as an enemy of grace. He was both strong in grace and also burning with zeal. If you’re thoroughly rooted in grace, you won’t be lazy or afraid of hard work, will you?

To Meditate On

We’re called to be diligent, not lazy.

‘Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth’ (Prov. 10:4).

‘Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labour’ (Prov. 12:24).

‘The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied’ (Prov. 13:4).

‘We want each of you to show  … diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy’ (Heb. 6:11,12).

To Ponder

Has your understanding of grace so thrilled you that you are more zealous than ever, or have you drifted into laziness in the name of being free from law?

To Consider

What Biblical topics can become ‘single all-consuming issues’ for Christians?

Consider whether you need to check out your theological position with a more mature believer.

Be Inspired

Awake, my soul! Stretch every nerve,
And press with vigour on;
A heavenly race demands thy zeal
And an immortal crown.

Zeal and Vigour in the Christian Race
by Philip Doddridge (1702-1751)