Most people respond to sin and grace primarily in two ways:
Legalism - over-emphasis on discipline of conduct
License - basically takes freedom to the nth degree
What I am coming to understand about the grace of God is that it creates a balance in life. It allows me to walk in freedom while keeping me under the Lordship of Christ. Grace has a way of shaping my life so that I am continually conformed to the image of the Son of God but doesn't require that I am rigid in my discipline. As I thought about these two approaches, it occurred to me that Legalism creates rebellion while License creates humanism. I'll do my best to explain.
Legalism doesn't give room for grace. It is typically displayed in a "my way or the highway" attitude. These are the rules and you must obey them. Legalism requires that we have an answer for everything that we do and those answers must agree. Legalism embraces a form of godliness/conduct rather than allow for people to "work out their own salvation". It was predominate in the religious community of Jesus' day. In so much that there was a rule for everything. Is it any wonder that we see so many who were unwilling to live out their Jewish faith?
License on the other hand takes the approach that we see in 1 Corinthians. Paul addresses this mindset by quoting someone in the church: "'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up." {1 Corinthians 10:23). While Paul doesn't argue the thought process of "all things are lawful", he does address the need for balance. Yes, you can walk in freedom but be sure that what you do is helpful and edifying. Why did I say that "license" leads to humanism? It's quite simple really. Humanism (by definition) is a group of philosophies and ethical perspectives which emphasis the value and agency of human beings, individually & collectively. It generally prefers individual thought & evidence over established doctrine or faith. When we take the approach toward sin and grace that says I'm free to do whatever I please because I live under grace then we are valuing our individual freedom over established doctrines or faith. It's a dangerous place to live. What gets lost in this mindset is the idea of boundaries that are in place to ensure safety.
The grace of God (as I said earlier) allows us to walk in freedom while keeping us under the Lordship of Christ. It keeps us away from the things that can never produce holiness and the things that can cause our destruction. The funny thing about these two different mindsets is that each group thinks they are closer to the Lord. One group flaunts their "holiness" while the other struts their "freedom". Where is the balance? It's found in the grace of God.
Paul warned of the things that people would do to "ensure" their holiness: "These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh." {Colossians 2:23} In essence he says that IT DOES NOT WORK!!! Then we find in Romans 6 that we should not live in sin so that grace may about in our lives. Why? BECAUSE WE HAVE DIED TO IT!!!
You and I have the opportunity to display to the world that the grace of God provides a better way. They will marvel at your freedom in Christ because it looks so different from what they have seen out of other Christians. And they will be touched by your submission to Jesus as Lord of your life. They will see the balance and find you as a comfort to their weary soul. They will know that there is no judgement in you but will also appreciate the spiritual aspect of your life. I'm not saying that they will just run to you and ask how they can live the way you live. I'm simply saying that you will get their attention.
Learn what it means to allow the grace of God to shape your life. Find the balance of a grace ruled life. And by all means, enjoy the journey!!!
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