| |
The people of Israel and Judah have betrayed me completely. I, the LORD, have spoken.” 12 The LORD’s people have denied him and have said, “He won’t really do anything. We won’t have hard times; we won’t have war or famine.
Jeremiah 5:11-12 GNB
“He won’t really do anything.”
These are the words that many of us think but never really verbalize. “God will forgive me later.” It’s dangerous ground. Though we know His forgiveness is unending, it’s a well-known fact that there are always consequences for our actions. Here in Jeremiah 5, the Lord is unbelievably gracious with the people of Israel and Judah. Even though they had betrayed Him completely, He does not destroy them completely. It’s what they deserved but it’s not what was given. Even so, there would be consequences.
Paul tackles this tough balance of grace and truth in Romans 6.
What shall we say, then? Should we continue to live in sin so that God’s grace will increase? 2 Certainly not! We have died to sin—how then can we go on living in it? 3 For surely you know that when we were baptized into union with Christ Jesus, we were baptized into union with his death. 4 By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life.
Romans 6:1-4 GNB
I admit that, at times, I am guilty of cheap grace. Maybe you are too? I want to perform at the bare minimum level so I can receive God’s blessings but still partially enjoy my sin. I want to avoid drastic measures so my growth can be as efficient as possible. I convince myself that the “small sins” don’t matter as much to God. He just wants me to avoid divorce, tithe on Sundays, and love people when I’m around them face-to-face. Lust of the eyes, an ungrateful attitude, and gossip are sometimes deemed “acceptable” by Christians today. Unfortunately, this “He-won’t-really-do-anything” attitude still exists today.
Jesus has raised the bar for us. He has made us new. The “God will forgive me later” attitude realistically reveals that we do not understand the price that was paid for our rebellion. If love truly is a verb, then the cross is the exclamation point. Cheap grace is not a reasonable response nor is it compatible with the life He’s called us to. Though God could have and should have destroyed us, He chose love. This is the power to change. This is the power that produces victory. Jesus paid for every “respectable sin” that you and I have committed (or are still committing). He sacrificed everything and has asked you and me to do the same. How will your actions demonstrate your answer?