Chapter 1 - The Performance Treadmill
Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? - Galatians 3:3
He used the analogy of bankruptcy to talk about our position before God: permanent bankruptcy and temporary bankruptcy. First of all, every person in the world is spiritually bankrupt. Because of sin, they have a debt before God and it is a debt they cannot pay. In the business world there are two types of bankruptcy, Chapter 7 and Chapter 11. Chapter 11 is temporary because given time, the company can work through its financial problems. Chapter 7 speaks of a business that has lost everything. Its all over and everyone loses. The Gospel speaks of permanent bankruptcy and most Christ following Christians say they embrace this permanent bankruptcy and yet they often live like with the idea they can earn God's blessings in their lives. We act like we can sort of pay back our debt. The one difference though is with Christ, unlike the business world, there is no possibility of going into debt again and Christ covers all future sins.
The problem is we are engulfed in the false security that "rights" correct "wrongs." But these wrongs are not a temporary or momentary issue in our lives, but our condition. In our world of self-improvement, betterment, progression, we believe the idea we can improve ourselves.
Improving oneself is a good thing. We want to be a better person, but for the purpose of obedience to God, thanking Him for the eternal life he has given us, and realizing that following His plans make us content with life. It is interesting, though, how we daily get reminded of this notion of "you give, you get" and how innately we want hard work to be rewarded. At my job, when someone works hard, does their best and then gets promoted, we cheer. We cheer over merits receiving a reward or acceptance. and we don't cheer when just because of a relationship, someone gets promoted.
Grace means that Jesus has completely paid our fine through his death. God provided grace. This grace makes us righteous before God. Grace is His Son dying for us. Jesus didn't offer grace, though, he was the result of God's grace.
3 Distinct phases of the Christian experience.
- Justification - being declared righteous before God through faith in Jesus Christ. It is a point in time event.
- Sanctification - our growth in Christlikeness.
- Glorification - is the time we depart from this life to be with Christ
Each phase of the experience is covered by grace.
Grace is God's free and unmerited favor shown to guilty sinners who deserve only judgment.
Romans 11:6 shows how grace and works are mutually exclusive. "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; it it were, grace would no longer be grace."
Great story of Mephibosheth, the son of David's friend Jonathan. Mephibosheth was crippled in both feet at age five. Through his kindness, David allowed to sit at his table and be like one of his sons. He was kind to Mephibosheth, but he offered this because of Jonathan.
Chapter 2 - Grace - Who Needs It?
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. - Romans 3:22-24Through an analogy (I decided not to reflect here), this chapter reiterates the message of Chapter 1--grace is completely free from any of our works. It then talks about the misconception that grace covers what we can't (cover). Meaning, our good works get us some of the way, but grace gets us the rest. Using another analogy, it is not like the Grand Canyon and thinking that someone could leap across the canyon (all nine miles or 47,520 feet). But any of our leaps of any size are worthless. Whether we can jump 5 feet or 30 feet Jesus bridge over our sin reaches the entire distance, not just stopping short of our leap.
Its interesting because he brings up the point, that I say, when we are sharing our faith, that a person is never on a quest to live a good life and then they will get to heaven, but rather each person, upon asking them the question thinks that at that moment they have merited heaven by being a good person. It is not that they think they are trying to get to heaven, but that they are already there.
The book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, begins with the assumption that people are basically good. But Paul said in Romans 3:10-12 that we are all bad.
"--going our own way. Your way may be to give money to charity, while another person's way may be to rob a bank. But neither act is done with reference to God; both of you have gone your own way."
"Rather we are all born sinners with a corrupt nature, a natural inclination to go our own way."
Psalm 51:5 - Surely I (David) was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."
It is amazing to hear how most people barely think they are a sinner. The Bible references sin as wickedness and rebellion. The Bible "charges another man of God with defying the Word of the Lord, when all he did was eat and drink in a place forbidden to him by God (I Kings 13:21). God takes a far more serious view of sin than man."
We need a grace that completely cancels our debt. "Grace considers all men and women as totally undeserving and unable to do anything to earn the blessing of God."
Based on the words of C. Samuel Storms quoted, Bridges concludes that if we even feel for a moment that we deserve an answer to prayer or a blessing because of my hard work or sacrifice, then I am living by works, not by grace. Ouch. It could be the other way around as well, thinking we don't get something when we haven't done what we know in our heart we should have done.
"If you are trusting to any degree in your own morality or religious attainments, or if you believe God will somehow recognize any of your good works as merit toward salvation, you need to seriously consider if you are truly a Christian."
In answer to the title of the chapter, Grace, who needs it? All of us. Equally.
Chapter 3 - Grace - It Really Is Amazing
But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Romans 3:20-21This chapter pits man against grace. It focuses on the idea that man is incapable of saving himself, not because his deeds are inadequate, but rather because, quite simply, he is a sinner.
Righteousness is completely apart from the Law. We must stop thinking that deeds or good works make us right before God. If this were so, then righteousness would be self-attaining. Instead, righteousness comes from God. God sent His Son to be our righteousness and then impute it to us.
Sin results in death. Sin's result or wage is charged to His Son. Through our faith, Christ's righteousness is then credited to us.
Romans 3:25 - "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." A sacrifice of atonement means Jesus by His death turned aside the wrath of God from us by taking it upon Himself. I deserved condemnation. I deserved pain. I deserved separation from God.
Ephesians 2:1-3 describes the plight of the unbeliever: "dead in our sins, under the sway of Satan, captivated by the world, prisoners of our own sinful lusts, and objects of God's holy wrath." The plight is a condition. It does not represent deeds per se that could be contrasted with good deeds. Hopeless. Only answer: grace.
Titus 3:3-5 also shows the clear contrast between our lost condition and how this is solved by grace. We were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
Psalm 103:13, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Our sin is removed an infinities distance. Psalm 103:10, "He (God) does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." The grace of Jesus Christ removes the sin.
Isaiah 38:17, "You have put all my sins behind your back." Out of sight.
Micah 7:19, "You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Lost forever.
Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remember your sins no more." Removes the record from the file. Blotting out is a legal act. Remembering no more is a relational act.
Grace doesn't just cover our past, but our daily life as well. And because God has dealt this way to us, we can forgive others as well.
Chapter 4 - The Generous Landowner
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? - Romans 8:32
The bookends of this chapter is a good discussion on God's generosity toward us. In the world we live, we have the idea that we are rewarded in proportion to our work, but God makes it clear--grace is a gift.
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son..."
The bulk of the chapter is about the parable many know as the Parable of the Workers or Laborers in the vineyard, Bridges focuses on the Landowner.
The parable is about the landowner hiring workers. At the beginning of the day, workers are hired and told they will earn a denarius for their work. As the day goes on, he hires workers at the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hours, each time stating he will pay them whatever is right. At the end of the day, each worker is paid one denarius.
Some may be upset with the outcome of this parable because it doesn't seem right, but once again, that is looking at life through man's eyes and how man defines worth. The landowner (God) makes payment not based upon hours of labor, but based upon His generosity. "He chose to pay them according to their need, not according to their work. He paid according to grace, not debt."
Earlier when Peter heard the message about the rich young man who was to sell his possessions and give to the poor, Peter thought his sacrifice should merit great results. But, Jesus responds to Peter by stating that his reward would be one thousand percent more than his offering. In essence, God's generosity goes beyond what we can comprehend.
Bridges then tells us how, since the beginning, God has been all about grace and generosity. In the garden, he provided trees with fruit, not just a one tree. When man needed a helper, God gave him a gift--woman. And even after they sinned, while consequences occurred, God was still gracious in providing them clothes.
He also talks about God's goodness and gives examples from Jeremiah 32:38-41 and God showering His goodness on people who had been sinners (Jer 32:30) and from Joe's prophecy of locusts in Joel 2:25 where God tells the people they will be repaid, not simply restored, for the years the locusts have eaten.
He speaks of Peter and all the problems he had with his obedience and yet, all the blessings and high positions God continued to show Peter. "It looks not to our sins or even to our good deeds but only to the merit of Christ."
The problem is most of us don't live the full life Jesus promised us (John 10:10) because we don't really believe in Jesus' words, completely. Do we believe that Jesus loves to answer prayer or do we think He is a reluctant giver? In Philippians 4:19, God promises to meet everyone of our needs. Really?
Atheism speaks of evolution which speaks of survival of the fittest. The concept of grace stands in direct opposition to survival of the fittest. RC Sproul stated, "Grace is for other people - for beggars." Grace is a sign of weakness, not strength. This is why the theology of man getting to heaven on his own boot straps, on his own merit is such a popular one as it is basically survival of the fittest. Grace, on the other hand, states that man isn't strong and man can't do anything to save himself. And so the 11th hour worker (homeless guy) in the parable of the landowner (or laborers) receives the same wage as the beginning of day worker (Billy Graham) and to us, we don't like that.
Thank goodness for God's generosity.
Chapter 5 - Does God Have a Right?
‘These last (men) worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:12-16, ESV)
How is it God rewards people at the 11th hour in the same way as he rewards those at the 1st hour? Everything in our being makes this out to not be fair. In life we want merit or good work to be rewarded. One big problem with this thinking though is people reward differently. Two teachers grading an essay will probably grade it differently. And since we are a culture that is merit based, Satan has done a thorough job setting up a myriad of faiths that each basically grades people differently. The LDS states they are the true church and have many ordinances set up to follow. The JW's state they are the true ones and have their good deeds, somehow in concert with grace. Islam, again, like LDS and JW's state they believe the scripture, as long as it is translated correctly. This means they are the only ones to translate it correctly. And Catholicism is the same way, focusing on works or deeds and doing certain things. The result is 4 main beliefs accounting for million adherents, each focused on ultimately the same thing, grading merits in their own way, each stating they are right, everyone else is wrong.
Luke
7. Centurion healed. People bring Jesus the Centurion. “And when they
came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying,“He is worthy to
have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who
built us our synagogue.” (Luke 7:4-5, ESV)” Elders pleaded to Jesus.
“Jesus, heal this guy. He’s done so much for you.” Our problem thinking:
We must work hard to get God’s blessings.
Centurion’s response. “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. (Luke 7:6, ESV)” Centurion got it right. Jesus isn’t focused on rewarding us based upon our faithfulness. He rewards based upon His generosity.
Love that. Opposite of what trains us daily. What trains is Do, Do, Do, then you will Receive, Receive, Receive. Centurion got it right. The problem is our condition. We are sinners. Focus on Him redeeming us and His generosity. The world focuses instead on how we are to be faithful.
Bridges uses a great example about obeying the traffic laws our entire life. What do we get at the end of life for our obedience to laws when driving on the road? Nothing. We have simply lived the way the laws intended. Same way with God's word. It isn't there with a reward dangling at the end. We live that way because that's the Law set up by God.
"I have merely done my duty." God isn't obligated to give me something for my obedience.
Bridges continues to give example after example from God's word. It's refreshing to see how God's word confirms the message of grace over and over, backwards and forwards.
Romans 11:35 - "Who has ever given to God that God should repay him?"
As people, we think the government owes us, our jobs owe us, society owes us, our parents owe us. We are focused on entitlement. James 1:17 states, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who not change like shifting shadows." Don't live with the idea that God owes you something.
This reminds me of the Steve Taylor song, "You don't owe me nothing." Catchy tune that speaks of people doing things for God then expecting a blessing.
I know you'll give me what I need
They say I need a shopping mall
I claim the victory over greed
Lord Jesus, I surrender all
Chapter 6 - Compelled by Love
Romans 6 is written because grace alone could be misunderstood. People can easily see "grace alone" as a license to sin. The response to grace and good works should always be about gratitude. Our lives are lived as a "response" to grace and not as a "condition" for grace. Problem - we often preach grace to the non-believer and duty to the believer,
The book of Romans is the foundational letter to believers (those called as saints) on salvation. The first 11 chapters is doctrine. Chapter 12 is the first mention of application. Verse 1 shows us that our offering is in view of mercy. And this offering is living and perpetual. Motive is as important as performance. If we ever think that we must be obedient otherwise we are not saved then we have misunderstood grace. Our motive can never be to prove ourselves worthy. Motives are not based upon having the right feelings for God. Motives are about the reason we do what we do. For example, with my wife, do I serve her with a pure motive or is my serving in hopes of receiving something in return?
Christ and His love for us compels us to do works for Him. It is gratitude based living. Freedom from the law is too often preached without first really teaching grace. And so people end up not doing because they think the Law does not constrain them. I think we often look at the roles in the church (pastor, elder, deacon) and think people earn this positions from faithful living. But we do these roles because God has called us to them.
We are also compelled by our reverence to God's greatness.
- He is worthy;
- He is majestic;
- He is infinitely perfect.
Run from merit based programs in your walk in Christ.
