Reason #784
There is no condemnation for those in Christ. We let out a sigh of relief and say, “Thank you, Jesus, for your grace. Grace that is greater than all of my sin.” We’re thankful to be cleansed. To be washed whiter than snow, and forgiven for our sins. There is no condemnation for those in Christ, but there are consequences.
The use of the grace card, although comforting, does not let us skip pass the consequences of our sin. In fact, it’s often in the consequence that we realize the magnitude our wrongs and find grace. And so consequences show us God’s grace but they don’t excuse us, either. Why is this, then? It doesn’t seem fair does it? You feel bad enough for what has happened. If we’ve asked for forgiveness, shouldn’t it be over? Well, in a way, it is. You’ve been forgiven and that part is over. However, the consequences of sin will still play out, and sometimes those consequences affect others.
I’ve tried to wrap my mind around this concept lately. No one deserves God’s grace, and honestly, we probably deserve much harsher consequences for our sin than we actually get. God's grace is far reaching, and it reaches into our consequences so that we can get through them rather than be overcome by them. Because consequences are temporary, yet condemnation is eternal. We reap what we sow, and if we want to reap good things, we must sow good things. Simple enough, but it seems to be easier said than done.
I’ve reaped what I’ve sown. I’ve spent plenty of time living through consequences of poor decisions and disobedience. And while I can see how people get upset with the Lord during these seasons, I also realize these things are of our own doing. Sure, we can play the blame game. We can be the victim. And although you may not have asked for what you got, you pursued it in some fashion up front. You desired a part of it, you wanted what it promised, and you chose to follow along. Maybe you had high hopes, maybe you were deceived, but if you are a child of God, I have to believe there was a little part of you that had second thoughts you chose to ignore. The little part, now, that you wish you would have listened to.
God knows the consequences of our sins. He knows what we will face. So often, God puts road blocks on our paths that we jump over so that we can get to the thing we’ve fixed our eyes on. And when things fall apart, we don’t understand. And when we’re living out our consequences, we don’t think it’s fair. But God works all things together for our good, and He even does so with our consequences. Because through them, God changes our lives in ways we would have never imagined. If we'll allow it, He uses them to refine us, and it's through those consequences that we learn, we become wiser, and we realize we desperately need God's grace and guidance in everything.
Grace for our forgiveness and grace in our consequences so that when all is said and done, we come out looking more and more like Him.
#784 - For grace given in the consequences.
"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:16-17