Romans Part 3 - LIFEनमूना

Living in Grace

Don’t we love to hear someone say, “I love you?” Who doesn’t want to hear the message that God loves us and gives us grace? These messages make us feel special and, given freely, don’t require responsibility on our part. The book of Romans is Paul’s message, not only to share the beautiful act of grace in the death and resurrection of Christ but also, the responsibility believers have in their relationship with Him.

As Paul completes his explanation of justification, in Romans chapter 5, his final words share that “…grace would reign in righteousness which brings eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” It was this crucial message Paul used to place the Law again in its proper perspective. When giving the Law, God meant it to protect and guide His people (See Deuteronomy, and Leviticus for specifics). However, He always initiated the grace over His people and the promises He made to them. Even before giving the Law, God credited Abraham’s faith as righteousness, not Abraham’s works; he followed the gracious call of God into relationship with Him. It didn’t take long for man to flip God’s intention, as man put his abilities above the gift of God’s grace, thus, challenging His Sovereignty. Before long, in the Jewish religion, following the Law left no room or need for God’s grace.

This revelation, the concept of living under God’s grace, might have appeared as an invitation to live completely outside of God’s original Law, erasing the necessity of keeping the Law, but God never intended that there be grace without accountability.

In chapter 6, Paul addresses the importance of living in grace AND continuing a life of accountability. To achieve this, there must be a relationship with Christ; the relationship incites obedience, rather than a sense of duty. His explanation helps us understand the power over sin, power given by grace, through Christ’s sacrifice. He advises we should develop the habit of knowing the power Christ gave us over sin and identifying with the new life believers have in Him. This is our part of the responsibility in relationship with Him: to decide to give ourselves to God so that our habit is not one of sin, but of giving our life to the One who first gave us grace. It is not only about hearing “I love you,” but being committed to responding to that love.

-Gaylyn Mott