The Power of Grace

The tomb is empty, for He has risen -- at the Garden Tomb, Jerusalem. 

Scripture:

Rom. 6:1   What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Rom. 6:5   For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For whoever has died is freed from sin. ⁸ But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Rom. 6:12   Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. ¹³ No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Observation:

If grace is supplied equal to the need in regard to sin, then there are those who would argue that we ought to keep on sinning so that grace can abound. Paul is wanting us to understand the absurdity of this statement, for those who were now “in Christ” are now no longer in a condition in which they want to continue to sin. If that were the case, then they would have misunderstood the work of Christ. Jesus died once and for all for our sins, therefore we don’t continue to live in sin once we have received his righteousness and justification. “Thoroughly changed, the person we once were is ‘dead.’ It is as if we enjoy a new life that is not our own” (Edlin & Modine, NBBC) 

Paul says that we have been “united” with him — and  Origen tells us that this means that we are “planted” with Christ. Just imagine that we have roots that go down deep and are intertwined, so much so that we are held firm. Not only are we united, or planted with Christ, but we are also planted with other believers. The more that we are united and/or rooted, the stronger we will be, and able to live free from sin. 

There is intentionality in our actions where we submit our bodies to the Lord as his instruments. The word for instruments is the same as armor, or weaponry. In other words, our bodies can be used in the battle for sin, or in the battle against sin. It depends how we use what we have been given. Every day we are to bring the members of our body and be submitted to the Lordship of Christ. If we do this, we will be able to live in grace, no longer controlled by sin. “God justifies us in order that he may sanctify us, and he sanctifies us that we might serve him as his instruments in this world, share fully in the likeness of Christ, and participate in his glory in the world to come” (Edling & Modine, NBBC). Grace gives us the power to be liberated from sin’s master and to submit our redeemed selves before God. 

 

Application:

There have been times that I’ve heard the “old-timers” testify, “His grace is sufficient.” These are people who have been walking with the Lord for many years and have endured difficulties and trials. I used to love the testimony services, and I miss them because there is much that we need to learn from one another. Timothy Smith, church historian, commented: “Might we not establish the custom of beginning every business meeting with a time of sharing, even a brief one if necessary, of the experiences or concerns of at least two or three persons? And could we not concentrate on the quest of the fruits of the Spirit and how the blessing of heart purity sustains that quest?" (Smith, Nazarenes in the Wesleyan Mission). I believe that we need to revive the practice of sharing testimonies because they edify those who are planted, and helps to deepen our roots. It also provides for accountability among God’s people. 

Let’s get back to the “sufficient grace.” God’s grace is sufficient to save us from a multitude of sins, but that is simply the beginning. The power of grace is so strong that it is sufficient for everything that we will face in life, and keep us from sinning. We don’t need to continue living in sin, but can be held by the power of grace. 

Those “saints” in the testimony service would often talk about the ways in which God had taken them through the most difficult moments in life. This includes loss of loved ones and physical pain and agony. Instead of complaining, they rejoice and praise God for the power of grace. These are the messages that we need to hear from those who have learned the lessons of grace. The power of grace not only sustains us, but can also have an impact on our attitude. Those “saints” were often some of the sweetest people that I’ve ever met. Their intimacy with the Lord through their personal pain became transformational. Maybe it’s because grace abounds when we are going through tough days, and that grace is actually an outpouring of the divine nature. 

Walking through the dark days of life in the power of grace allows us get in touch with God in ways beyond anything we can imagine. That’s why the old “saints” of the testimony service would not only speak of “sufficient grace” but that it all gets “sweeter as the days go by.” As a young child I simply heard words, without an understanding of the meaning, but today those words are filled up with the power of grace which I have experienced throughout this life’s journey. 

Prayer

Lord, please help me to see and understand the power of your grace to sustain and infill throughout life. Amen.