Faith = Works = Grace

Grace, in the Biblical context, is undeserved favor. But why don’t we deserve it? Well, we’ve sinned. We’ve been rebellious towards God. And while we all have to admit that describes us at some level, it’s tempting to have the attitude of "I do deserve it!"

“Undeserved.” This has a negative connotation to it. The idea that you’re not good enough, you didn’t perform well, or even you’re unworthy to receive whatever it is – and that’s a tough pill to swallow, especially for the trophy-generation, the ones who think that everyone needs a trophy, even if you didn’t earn it.

The longer people refuse to face the truth about themselves the harder they fall when the truth is revealed. For that reason, a person who refuses to see their faults often becomes angry for being rejected. Consider Cain in Genius 4; he didn’t “deserve” a praise from God for his sacrifice, whereas Abel did receive praise for his appropriate attitude. Although the feeling of anger may have been legitimate for Cain, it was his call what to do with that anger. God asked him, “Why are you so downcast (upset)? You know what you need to do. If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

Acceptance and praise that would be deserved was within his power, but he had to humble himself, make corrections, and then try again. Similar to any one of our kids sports teams; if they messed up in a game, they should: take note, fix it, overcome that problem, and next time don’t fall to it. Sounds easy enough, but this is rooted in humility. If I refuse to recognize that I didn’t “deserve it,” then I will naturally fight to justify my sloppy or rebellious nature.

The other side of the definition of grace is “favor.” Favor is basically being accepted, receiving praise or approval, or winning support from someone. In the case of Christianity, we would therefore be winning the support of God! Sounds pretty cool to have Him in your corner. But that’s where the problem lies, since “we’ve all sinned and have fallen short of God’s glory,” we quickly realize that God won’t support my nature by itself.

So, Jesus came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, the perfect offering to pay for my sins. By doing so, He allowed God’s gift of the Spirit to be given to those who will trust in that sacrifice. The gift of the Spirit, therefore, becomes the vessel through which we find the ability to “rule over it,” or “master sin” as God told Cain to do.

Perhaps this is an over-complication of a simple concept, but it seems too many people get caught up on the idea of “grace” or “works,” instead of realizing that Jesus introduced us to the Spirit of God for the purpose of giving strength to our weakness. That strength becomes the evidence of God’s grace. If Cain had humbled himself and admitted that how he made his offering wasn’t acceptable to God, and then DO what he already knew what to do, he would find favor with God.

James 4:5-8, “Do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts.”

God's Passion

“You can't force passion.” Ask a starving artist or an author dealing with writer’s block if that’s possible: So how do you find your passion? Basically, you could determine what you enjoy spending your time on, or what is deeply satisfying to you even if it’s a struggle to do it; and it will typically show in your work.

Our culture has a tendency to determine what our passions “should” be. We should be passionate about making money. We should be passionate about sports, or art, or hunting, or shopping, or technology. While those things may be okay, are those things something that brings deep satisfaction to your life? Passions could be summarized as those things we do that bring us joy, and bring us peace. And joy or peace are deeper feelings than simply “fun.”

What would God’s passion be? What brings Him joy or peace? What is truly satisfying to Him?
His children are His passion, and most of us can sympathize with that. We do what we do for our kids because we love them; but at the end of the day, our children may bring us tremendous grief or tremendous joy. Most parents aren’t seeking accolades for their efforts, but a more genuine response. Psalms 51:17 reminds us that “the sacrifices that please God (or bring Him joy) are those from a broken heart and a pure heart…”

Or as Jesus said in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Because people displaying a consistent and genuinely pure heart display a love towards their fellow man similar to God’s display of love for mankind.

God’s actions have proven that He loves us so much. Or as John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Seeing His children excited about running to their Heavenly Father, wanting them to want Him around, and listening to His guidance brings God joy. His actions continually prove that He wants them to have that passion within themselves.

The Passion of the Christ is more than a ritualistic scene depicting Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the cross. Instead, it’s a glimpse into God’s desire for us to want to be near Him, and the lengths He’s willing to go to make that happen.

What keeps you from bringing joy to God’s heart? Consider the words of Hebrews 12:1-2, “Let us throw off every sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame.”