Responding to Grace

Responding to God’s Grace

Romans 11:33-12:2

“Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable His ways...Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

                  In Romans 1-11, Paul meticulously lays out the effects of sin and the hope of grace. Paul confronts us with the reality that we are sinners by birth and by choice. Sin has penetrated all aspects of our lives, distorting all our thoughts and actions so that we are worthy of divine judgment. However, God, in His infinite grace, has made salvation possible through the redemptive work of Christ. Christ accomplished what we could never achieve: the forgiveness of our sins and the freedom from its mastery over our lives. Furthermore, God allows sin to enter the world so that He might have the opportunity to manifest His grace and mercy. Paul points out in 11:32, “For God has shut all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.” The wonder of God’s grace is that He offers forgiveness and restoration from sin freely to us, apart from any work or effort on our part. All that is necessary is to acknowledge Christ’s sovereign rule in our lives and accept His salvation (see 10:9).

                  Having set forth the wonder of God’s grace, Paul leads us to the only response we can have, which is the praise of God. In 11:33 he captures the wonder of the grace of God: “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways.” If our understanding of God’s redemptive plan does not lead to an anthem of praise, then we neither understand the extent of our sinfulness nor the depth of God’s grace. When we fully grasp our sin and our unworthiness of salvation, then we can only stand in wonderment that God has made salvation possible, giving it freely to us without any work or worthiness on our part. In spite of our willful rejection of Him and His word, He remains faithful to forgive us of our sins. All that is necessary for us is to ask.

                  In light of the unfathomable nature of His grace, what is a proper response from us? Paul answers this question in 11:36. Paul reminds us that because of who God is( the creator of the universe) and what God has done (saved us from the judgment of sin), we just recognize that He is the source of all our life. All the joys and riches of heaven only come through Him, and He is thus the goal of all creation. We owe our life to God. Everything we have, including eternal life, comes through Him, so we exist to honor and glorify Him. This brings us to the critical question we must answer. If the purpose of our life is to glorify God, how do we do so? In 12:1-2, Paul provides the answer. The only response we can give that adequately expresses our gratitude for His all-sufficient grace is to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. We are to present our lives to Christ and walk in obedience to Him. Instead of conforming to the world and following the patterns of the world in which we live, we are to be transformed by reorienting our thoughts, motives, actions, and desires to conform to the will and purpose of God as revealed in His Word. We are to completely reorient how we think and view life.

                  Paul calls upon us to perform a self-examination.  Where do we turn to for guidance and direction in life?  Who determines how we live?  Where is the center point of our moral compass?  Paul challenges us to redirect our whole frame of reference so that God and His Word provide the basis for every decision we make and desire we have.  This is the only adequate response to the marvelous grace He has given us.  Today, just ask yourself these questions:  What is the driving point of your life, your decisions, your desires, and your character?  What is your ultimate goal in life? Is it God, or is it the world in which we live?