Sermon by Thulane: Understanding Grace vs. Legalism
Beloved, tonight we gather to explore a profound question: What is grace, especially in contrast to legalism, or the law? To guide our reflection, let us turn our hearts and minds to the words of Scripture found in the book of John, Chapter 1, verses 15-17: “For from His fullness, we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
In these verses, the Word of God clearly delineates the two periods in which God interacted with humanity: the era of legalism under the law and the age of grace brought through Jesus Christ.
To truly grasp the significance of grace, we must first answer a fundamental question: What is grace? Grace is the immeasurable love, kindness, and mercy of God bestowed upon humanity without any merit of our own. It is unearned and undeserved. However, let us examine the scriptural context of grace as found in 2 Corinthians 9:8, which states, “Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do.”
This understanding reveals that the grace we receive through Jesus does not grant us the liberty to live as we please; rather, it propels us toward obedience and humility before God. Grace is not a license to sin; instead, it invites us into a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, fostering our spiritual maturity as we learn to discern good from evil.
The Apostle Paul articulates our freedom in Christ beautifully, stating, “Beloved ones, God has called us to live a life of freedom in the Holy Spirit. But don’t view this wonderful freedom as an opportunity to set up a base of operations in the natural realm. Freedom means that we become so completely free of self-indulgence that we become servants of one another, expressing love in all we do.” Galatians 5 v 13
In essence, the grace that we receive through Jesus Christ must ignite within us the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. At the same time, this same grace should make certain behaviors detestable to us, such as sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, and drunkenness.
Beloved, grace is transformative; it changes not only our standing before God but also our character and conduct. In accepting the grace offered through Christ, we are called to reflect His love and righteousness in the world. Let us, therefore, embrace this grace, allowing it to shape us into vessels of His love and instruments of His peace.
May we uphold the beauty of grace and reject the constraints of legalism, living as free people who are committed to love and service to one another. Amen.
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