2010: the year of the Gospel; 2011: the year of Grace

Happy New Year! In brief, I pray that 2011 may be the year of Grace--my weakest attribute amongst too many--as some of us prayed for 2010 to be the year of the gospel--the matters of 1st importance (1 Cor 15:3,4). I pray that 2011 may continue our gospel-centered, cross-centered, Christ-centered focus (1 Cor 9:16; Acts 20:24), which can be summarized as Grace.

A Weak Ministry Results from the Rule of Law

I believe that what weakens our Christian influence and Christian ministry is a deviation from grace, however subtle. When Grace is weak, the Law prevails: "Just obey. Just pray. Just repent. You should be thankful. You should work harder and sacrifice more. You should be mission-centered, not family-centered. You're proud. Etc." These statements may be true. But they do not transform the heart. As Paul Zahl, an evangelical Anglican and author, said, Grace alone achieves what the Law demands.

An Unjustified Accusation Against Preaching Grace

Many have made the accusation that preaching grace produces apathy, negligence and laziness--that is "cheap grace." But I'd say that preaching imperatives, such as "make disciples" (without sufficient grace) produces legalism and arrogance among the initiated, and despair, despondency and indifference among the rest. But grace, properly and repeatedly expounded and expressed by the Spirit, leads to the best result. The apostle Paul says it best: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me" (1 Cor 15:10). So....

So, What's the Problem?

• If someone is lazy, it may be because I failed to expound on grace sufficiently that produces hard work (Phil 2:12,13).
• If someone is proud, it may be because I have not expressed the real humility that can only come from grace (Eph 2:8,9).
• If someone is lustful, it may be because I have not displayed the grace of Christ that reveals the beauty of the Lord (Ps 27:4), and the king in his beauty (Isa 33:17).
• If someone is disobedient, it may be because I failed to manifest Christ's gracious obedience unto death (Heb 5:8,9).
• If someone is selfish, it may be because my grace and patience shrunk in proportion to my perception of their selfishness.
• If someone has no spirit, it may be because my spirit lacks the grace, freedom and liberation that comes from the Spirit of God (2 Cor 3:17).
• If someone is unthankful, it may be because I forget the grace that causes thanksgiving to overflow from within me (2 Cor 4:15).
• If my ministry is not growing, it may be because I am like the angry legalistic older brother who cannot tolerate despicable failures and ingrates (Luke 15:28-30), rather than the gracious father who loved the ungrateful failure (Luke 15:20).

May God have mercy on me to practically live out in 2011 the truth that "Grace alone achieves what the Law demands." May 2011 be the year of Grace.

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