Grace And Accountability!

March 6, 2025

Grace And Accountability!

We want another chance…a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance.  We request some slack, we ask for some leniency, we beg for patience.  We want…sometimes almost demand…forgiveness!

We convince ourselves we are deserving of God’s grace.  Either we believe we are good enough that we deserve grace, that we have worked hard enough or long enough that we have earned grace, or that we are part of a particular ancestry (race, ethnicity, etc.) or affiliation (political, social, etc.) of people so we are worthy of grace.

It is easy to forget that grace is a gift freely given by the Lord God rather than something we deserve, earn, or of which we are somehow worthy.  In Ephesians 2:8-9 the Apostle Paul writes; “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” 

Grace is the gift of God!  Grace gives me strength when I feel weak.  Grace makes forgiveness possible when my sin wrecks my relationships.  Grace restores when I am not able to repair or renew or heal or help.  Grace makes salvation possible when there is no other way to abundant life or eternal life.

God’s grace is a gift to you and me which makes all things possible.  In II Corinthians 12:9 the Lord God says; “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  The Apostle Paul responds to God’s Word; “So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

If grace is God’s gift to you and me, if grace is God’s way of restoring and renewing my life, if grace is God’s process of initiating a new relationship with Him, then God’s grace brings life-change, life-transformation.

In Romans 5:17 we hear; “If, because of the one man’s (Adam in Genesis 2) trespass (sin), death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.”

God’s grace active in you and me makes possible a life in which we reign with Jesus.  There are also eternal ramifications to grace.  In Romans 5:21 we hear; “…so that, just as sin reigned in death, so grace might also reign through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

God’s gift of grace makes possible a renewed relationship with Jesus in this life as well as an eternal relationship with Jesus in heaven.  Grace is amazing in the ways in which it changes you and me.

However, there is more to grace.  Grace leads to accountability to Jesus as well as to one another.  The challenge is that the very things for which we are asking for grace are also the things to which we are often asked to be accountable as we live this new life in Christ.

In Hebrews 10:24-25 we hear; “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Those whose lives have been transformed by God’s grace are called to do two things.  First, we are to “provoke one another” to live a life of holiness in response to the grace God has given us.  We are to prompt one another, prod one another, and persuade one another to live a life worthy of the grace God has given to us. 

Second, we are to “encourage one another” to live a life of holiness in response to the grace God has given us.  We are to inspire one another, support one another, and assist one another to live a life worthy of the grace God has given to us.     

We are called to persuade one another with words of encouragement or, if need be, challenge one another with words that provoke us to live a life of holiness.  In other words, we are to hold one another accountable to live in a way that reflects God’s gift of grace in us.

When we live this life of holiness and when we help others to live this life of holiness, our hearts will overflow with delight in the Lord and what the Lord is doing in us and through us.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug