How easily we fall into works!! We live a DIY Society where self is King and whilst we as Christians understand that our beginning is by grace we often fail to see that are everything is by grace and in grace.
There are three passages that we need to consider if we are going to live in and live out grace:
The first is Ephesians 2:8-10.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, [and this is not from yourselves;
it is the gift of God – 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.]
10 For we are God’s workmanship/masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We understand that we are saved by grace, though I am not certain that we recognise the full extent of the salvation grace gives us access to!! [This maybe the topic of another post!]
We sort of understand that faith is a gift from God, though we all too easily fall into turning it into a work – trying hard to believe or not as the case may be!
But this is when we stop short and miss out. You see there is a direct connection between verse 8 and verse 10 that we often fail to see because of the parentheses of verse 9.
Paul wants us to see that what begins by grace through faith continues by grace though faith. It does not start by faith and then drift into works. Everything is of grace – the faith, the works. They each and all have God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit as their source.
The good works are not our works but His works through us. We are to collaborate and co-operate with Him in His plans for us and through us.
This is where we often go awry. We start by grace and descend into the should and aughts. The do’s and don’ts. Our focus is not supposed to be on what we do, but who we are. Our deeds are to be derived from our identity. We are no longer to operate in sacrifice but surrender.
The second passage is found in Ezekiel 36:25-27
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean;
I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees
and be careful to keep my laws.
What we cannot and will never be able to do He will by His Spirit enables us to do. It is by grace.
Just as our salvation is by grace, so our progression is by grace. The moment we attempt to do it ourselves we fail because this is not how the kingdom works!! Anything attempted in the flesh fails, in fact it counters what is accomplished in the Spirit. The two are at odds. (Romans 5:1-5; 8:5-9) There is enmity between the flesh and the spirit and hence between grace and works.
Consequently, much of what is done in the name of Christ is nullified. Maybe this explains why so much of our witness is toothless and ineffectual. It comes from the wrong source. What we think are good works turn out to be flesh works and the only hint that this is the case is that it is so hard!
The third passage is Paul’s personal revelation in 2 Corinthians 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Maybe we need to learn afresh the way of grace. Maybe we need to reappraise and redefine the gift of faith. Maybe we need to examine our works and lock step with the Spirit in what He is doing in and through us.
If grace is all our fear and our danger is that we descend into a passivity where we think that there is nothing for us to do, but this cannot be further from the truth. Paul does not tell us in Ephesians 2:10 that there is nothing for us to do, but rather there is much we can accomplish but only if we step into the flow of grace and all the river of His blessing to carry us into His plans and purposes for us. Only if we do the work He has prepared for us to do in the grace and faith He supplies. (Ezekiel 47:1-12; John 7:37-39)
God has so much more for us right here and right now. Will we step into it?
