Saved by Grace, Kept by Grace
Can you imagine the coastguard saving someone drowning in the middle of the sea and then throwing them back in because when they got in the boat they said or did something wrong? Ridiculous, right!? Yet many people think this is what God is like— mostly because of what they’ve been taught and told by religion.
Ministers may not use these exact words but the message often sent across to listeners is, “Come to Jesus and receive forgiveness but don’t mess up again or you’re outta here! And if you do mess up you are a backslider, you’ve lost your salvation and you need to come back to Him again!” I literally used to think this way, and it resulted in me believing that I needed to repent and get saved over and over again because let’s face it, I knew I surely had messed up or missed it somehow. There was no security and no assurance because I was focused on me and not Jesus. I became self-righteous and miserable.
What I’ve learned about the Father and His Grace since seeking to understand the gospel has changed everything. Rightly understanding grace does not lead to sin, it leads to gratitude, love and a deep desire to please the Father not out of fear but out of love. It has been the power in my life to actually overcome things that I couldn’t before when I was under mixture (law and grace).
When you rightly see God, you will see that like any good Father — He guides, teaches and instructs His kids in what is bad and good for them. But ultimately the choice is ours to make. He doesn’t control us or threaten with punishment if we miss it, He offers love, mercy and kindness. It is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance.
There are consequences to sin, we will reap what we sow so it is unwise to choose sin, but God is not throwing you out when you miss it. His grace is there to influence your heart so that you can walk out of the struggle and choose differently. Grace is the power of Jesus Himself living on the inside of us to overcome and to deny ungodliness. I used to hear that grace was “greasy” and “dangerous” so I avoided it, but now I know it’s what I need most. Truth makes you free.
