Living Hope Church

Grace and the Scandal Thereof

Is the grace of God a scandal? The answer, I believe, is yes and no. It’s not a scandal to God, because it’s His grace and He initiated it. I don’t know how it could be a scandal to those who aren’t yet following God or the irreligious. It is amazing.

Freely given? Come on, there must be a catch, right? No. Freely given, but in actuality, costly to obtain on both sides. It cost Jesus His life and for us to appropriate it, it will also cost us our life. We trade our life for His. When we reach that point it’s an absolutely amazing offer. Do I have to clean up my life? No. Trade your life, with all your stuff (even your religious rules), for Jesus’ perfect life. That’s freedom.

So, who is it a scandal to? Most often to the religious. To those who’ve forgotten who they once were, or who have never actually received grace. Maybe they have just adopted a religious lifestyle and joined their goodness to Christ’s. Maybe they are now taking credit for the grace of God still at work in their life. Ouch. I do that sometimes. Jesus, forgive me. It’s all you, all the time.

Maybe the scandal is that we would offer anything less than our entire lives to Christ. Although it may be better said this way: the scandal is that we would offer anything less than our death to Christ. I believe this is it. He gave His life and we are often satisfied with just adding Him to ours, compartmentalizing Him or putting Him in our pocket for when we need Him. We try to give Him the leftovers of our life (time, energy, money) instead of the first, and best, parts, or better yet, our whole lives.

That’s the scandal. That I am satisfied with so little when He has already given so much and has more in store for me. That I freely obtain this costly grace and expect it to cost me nothing. That I am satisfied to die just a little and not continually die day upon wonderful day.

I’m undone. I have so far to go, yet His grace sustains me and carries me forward. What He began in me, He will continue. The race I began by grace will only truly continue by grace. Glorious, amazing, undoing, stunning grace. Jesus, You are amazing!

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Tags: freedom, grace, religion, scandal of grace