“Justified Freely By His Grace” by Beth
DeCristofaro
Brothers and sisters: Now the righteousness
of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law
and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for
all who believe. For there is no distinction; all have sinned and are deprived
of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-24)
Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have
taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter. (Luke 11:52)
Piety
May I welcome your message into my heart,
Jesus. May I freely submit to live your message bringing me ever deeper into
friendship with you. May I ever recognize new friends in Christ and bring new
friends to you.
Study
Paul’s words in Romans probably made the
Pharisees as angry as did Jesus’ rebuke. Paul explains that faith, redemption, and sanctification came freely from God through Jesus Christ and that all these
gifts are given to anyone who accepts Christ. The scholars and leaders believed,
however, in their own works. They taught that following the letter of myriad
laws and the public show of that display was the measure of their relationship
to God. Paul discounts this. Holiness, he says is not man-made as the Pharisees
told the people but is bestowed by God. We all are deprived of the glory of
God but justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ
Jesus. Jesus’ exposed their leading people astray for their own glory which
further provoked the Pharisees to plot his murder.
Years ago as a volunteer manager I wrote
evaluations for my volunteers. One pointed out to me that I counted her down
for the same kind of attendance that I had not mentioned in another volunteer’s
evaluation. I faced the uncomfortable truth that I had judged them unequally. The
volunteer who was not “downgraded” played the game better than the other one. She
called ahead to alert me when she wasn’t coming to fulfill her tasks yet she
missed equivalent time as the one who didn’t call conveniently ahead. I had
evaluated the two based on how it looked and my own frustrated reaction rather
than the needs of the program. Leaders who put their own concerns ahead of
those they serve, or we Christians who are comfortable in our status quo become
rather defensive when we are called out on our hypocrisy. We might call to mind
Jesus’ comments about leading those of faith (little children) away from their
faith in God: It would be better for him if a millstone
were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause
one of these little ones to sin. (Luke 17:2) We must put on God and
share God just as Jesus shares God with us.
Action
How
authentically do I put my faith in God’s glory, God’s gifts to me and reveal
Jesus with my heart and in my life not just with my lips?
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