Grace: Our Forever Home

Grace: Our Forever Home

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public specticle of them, triumphing ove them by the cross" (Colosians 2:13-15).

Edith has been in the church all her life having been baptized at an early age. Over the years she has been very busy in church activities and in participating in church ministry. Though still active in church the joy of the Holy Spirit has crept out of her heart.

She has taken on a “religious spirit,” having become critical of others. Though she would never say it to others, she feels that she is more righteous than others––a better Christian. She does “good” but not from a humble, pure heart.

She has become impatient and unloving in her dealings with others in the church. She likes to gossip, pointing out the failings of others––having become blind to her own failures. She resists loving, godly counsel and correction from other spiritually mature members in the congregation.   

In our biblical passage above, Paul the apostle gives us a description of every believer’s life before coming to know Christ through the forgiveness their sins. He reminds us that we were spiritually dead in our sins under the control of our sinful nature––enslaved to do its bidding.

But our lives changed through new birth. We were made alive through the forgiveness of our sins. All our past record of spiritual failures was wiped out and all the penalties for our sins was removed, those penalties having been placed upon the Son of God. Condemnation that stood against us was blotted out and was nailed to the cross.

The power of Satan and his minions was broken as Jesus disarmed them and put them to public shame through his triumph over them by his own death on the cross. We were redeemed and therefore no longer slaves of sin, the devil and death. Christ’s victory has become our victory.  

This liberty, which has been freely given to us, is to be cherished. It is a liberation to be treasured as a most precious gift. We must maintain our freedom by daily surrendering to the Spirit, opening our hearts to the grace of the cross, being empowered unto holiness as emancipated servants of our Redeemer. It is for us as beloved children of God to walk in the freedom that was purchased for us through the sacrificial death of God’s Son.

Though no longer slaves to sin we still have a fallenness within us that will not be fully purged until the moment of glorification upon seeing the face of our glorious Savior. The remaining sinfulness within us, if left unchecked, would draw us back into the bondage of sin and condemnation. Therefore we must maintain a vigilance over our freedom by walking daily in the Spirit and abiding in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we as redeemed children live as if under law, becoming “law-keepers,” we resurrect that which condemns us by un-nailing our “certificate of debt” (NASB) from the cross, laying it again upon our own souls. We bring to life the law which is against us and thereby living again under its condemnation.

In so doing, we again give a place to our Accuser. Our victory is snatched away in self-inflicted defeat. We doubt the all-sufficient death of Christ on the cross and seek to add our own self-effort. We move away from the sphere of liberating grace and slowly return to the place of “legal indebtedness.” In this impaired spiritual state we find ourselves comparing ourselves to others rather than comparing ourselves with living and written Word of God.    

We continue to have a form of godliness but deny its power (2 Tim 3:5) by again experiencing the rule of the law—a law that brings self-deceptive pride and a religious enslavement—unknowingly coming under the influence of the devil.

Through “law-keeping” we progressively open our lives to demonic activity. Satan loves “law-keepers,” knowing that the self-righteous life is the way of joyless, restless, defeat. He attaches himself to our prideful self–deception, encouraging more hopeless “law-keeping,” robbing us our God-given peace.   

Yielding to the desires of the flesh we find ourselves under the servitude of law and seperated from the blessedness of infinite grace. In ignorance we re-arm the evil powers and authorities, allowing their free reign in our lives. The religiosity of self–motivated "good works" strangles out blood-bought freedom. We act not under the inspiration of the Spirit but under the desires of the flesh.

We build a house that Jesus already tore down. In moving ourselves under the power of our own righteousness we distance ourselves from the grace of the cross and thereby unwittingly from Christ himself.

The triumph of the cross is weakened in our lives as grace is drained out of our hearts, leaving us with a spiritually conflicted, self-centered, loveless legalism. The self-production of “good works” replaces the fruit of the Spirit. Religious striving and the multiplication of “spiritual” activity supplant Christ-abiding lovingkindness.

Outward lifeless form has usurped vital intimacy with Christ. Fear of not performing well enough has displaced grace’s full assurance that comes through placing one’s full trust Christ’s finished work on the cross.  

To preserve our freedom we must enter into the measureless ocean of God’s grace and remain there––refusing to leave––claiming it as our forever home. This must be our heart’s desire and our daily prayer.

We live a righteous life through the righteousness that is ours through the forgiveness of our sins. Resurrection grace empowers us for a life of humble obedience for the honor and glory of our Redeemer.

We must allow what was nailed to the cross to remain nailed to the cross and walk in the Spirit’s liberty of blood–washed servants of God. We must abandon “law-keeping,” closing the door to the Enemy of our souls. Having died with Christ and having been resurrected with him his victory is our daily victory.