Are We "Grace" Killers? Confronting Grace Killers
I gave that new believer a cold stare and told him he was disobeying God, that he should check his “salvation pulse,” and that he probably wasn’t even saved. Only a few months earlier I had led this young man to faith in Christ. Now I was unleashing every devastating weapon in my arsenal to keep him from making a choice against my will. But what was this wayward course he was about to take? Was it sexual sin, drug addiction, or denying the Lord? No, he wanted to join the Army. I was attempting to commandeer his Christian life like a grubby, scowling pirate, pulling Scriptures out of context and shouting down his objections. I was a grace-killer—mean-spirited, controlling, critical, and self-centered. I was saved by grace, but I failed to turn that vertical grace God showed me into a horizontal grace toward others. My friend had a choice to make: either run up the white flag of surrender or put up a fight and resist my onslaught of uncontrolled legalism. Each of us today has the same choice. Will we stand up for the freedom of grace purchased for us by the priceless blood of Christ? Or will we let pirates board the vessels of our Christian lives, hijacking our faith and turning our rudders away from the freedom for which Christ set us free (Galatians 5:1)? The Example of Paul In Romans 14:1–15 Paul said that some matters are not explicitly addressed in Scripture and have to be determined by an individual’s conscience before God. While Paul always reminded believers to use their liberty in Christ with wisdom and love (1 Corinthians 8:1–13), he also drew a line in the sand and refused to give in to those who were trying to seize the true gospel of freedom and replace it with a false gospel of legalism (Galatians 1–2). For Paul, the choice between surrendering to grace-killers for the sake of peace and standing against them for the sake of truth was simple. He chose to fight. In Galatians 2:4–5 Paul described his own encounter with legalists who wanted to force an optional matter on all Christians. He said, “But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage. But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.” Time to Choose Wisdom determines whether a practice not addressed in Scripture is useful or useless, wise or unwise—but in every instance the matter is left to each believer’s freedom in Christ, not to the dictates of a grace-killer. Today we’re surrounded with many such matters on which grace-killers come down hard. Which of these have you heard? “All movies are bad.” “That kind of music is wrong.” “We only use this translation of the Bible.” “No dancing!” “No wine!” “No shorts!” “No makeup!” “No SUVs!” The list could go on and on. Years ago my friend who wanted to join the Army made the choice to defy my senseless legalism. His words were painful. At one point he told me that though I was like a bridge that had led him to Christ, I had crumbled beneath him. He was right. By being a legalist I had let him down. But by taking a stand he had led me one step closer to liberation. Many reading these words today are under the thumb of a grace-killer and have given up their Christian freedom. Stop! Follow Paul’s example and stand up for your freedom. Refuse to submit to bondage. Be straightforward about the truth. If you’re convinced that the matter is neutral, stand up in a wise and loving manner rather than allow the grace-killer to cut you down without mercy. Perhaps you are the grace killer. If so, release your grip on others. Stop stifling their freedom and creativity. You’re not releasing them to live in rebellion or to disobey the clear precepts of Scripture. You’re letting them learn to make wise, mature decisions in their relationship with God. You may not like their choices. They may even fail or let you down. There will always be some who abuse Christian liberty (Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 2:16; Jude 1:4). But to replace law with grace is not the solution. Instead, admonish them to exercise freedom with love and wisdom, not legalism. Being a grace-killer is easy. Being a grace-liberator is hard. It may be painful. It will certainly rock the boat. You may alienate legalistic friends, family members, or even a grace-killing church. But in the end it will be worth it as you see people liberated into a rich, abundant life of freedom, for “it was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Taken From Insight For Living - Written By Michael J. Svigel (From The Bible Teaching Ministry Of Chuck Swindoll)
7:50:35 PM 
|
