Responding to Grace

Years ago, Francis Schaeffer asked the question "How Then Should We Live?" Probably every preacher thinks of this question when he is preparing his sermons and lessons. Many of us err greatly in answering this question.

Since Adam and Eve, people have sought to avoid accountability. Our human nature is such that we run from anything that remotely resembles accountability. We do this in two ways, as an old friend said, "we swing like a pendulum between liberty and legalism." So, where am I going with this?

The Gospel is a gift. That's grace. God saves whom He will by His mercy and love, not for works we have done or could do (Luke 10:22; Ephesians 2:8-10). So, how should we respond? There are typically two responses: Liberty and Law.

Liberty shouts joyfully, "Woo Hoo!!! I'm redeemed and forgiven! I can run wild and Jesus Paid it All." A college friend once said, "God and I have a good thing going. He likes to forgive sins and I like to commit sins." Liberty doesn't get it.

Law's response to the Gospel is quite different. It's joyful but it's looking for the rule book (or to write a new one) that will force the believer to do right.

Which is right? Neither. We need balance. We need to the happy heart of the libertine and we need some of the structure of the legalist. The Bible teaches us that the most appropriate response to grace is gratitude (which has grace as it's root word).

Gratitude is the disposition of joy that comes from one who understands the Gospel: I'm a sinner saved by God's free and amazing grace. "Now," says Gratitude, "how can I show my thankfulness to this Loving God?"

I love the outline proposed by the Dutch and Lutherans: Guilt, Grace, Gratitude. God's law tells us repeatedly that we are guilty of sin, and sinfulness. His Gospel then tells us about his immense love for us that "while we were sinners, Christ died for us." The question then remains, "How will I respond to grace?"

I can go wild and effectively snub my nose at the giver, or I can gratefully seek to please the giver by discovering what He likes. As John Piper said, "I will be most satisfied with God when He is most glorified in my grateful heart."