License to Kill, errr, Sin
Why don’t more churches and (more personally) why don’t more Christians act as grace wholesalers? We’ve talked about the messiness of people’s lives and how that scares us. We also looked at how we’re intimidated by the thought that we have to clean up the mess. Another reason is because we’re afraid people will mistake grace for acceptance of sin (and a license to sin). Now if the people we’re trying to wholesale grace to mistake it for the acceptance of sin that is a mistake on their part, because they’re not the same. An attitude of accepting sin says, “God loves you just the way you are … so keep doing whatever you’re doing.” The attitude of a grace wholesaler is, “God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you way too much to leave you that way.” An attitude of accepting sin says, “Come as you are … and don’t feel any need to change.” The attitude of a grace wholesaler says, “Come as you are … but don’t stay that way.”
They are different, very different, but the reality is that some will mistake grace for an acceptance of sin. And you know what? It’s worth that risk. God is willing to take that risk, so shouldn’t we? God’s grace is outlandish, that if it’s taught correctly there will always be people who mistake it for an acceptance of sin. That’s the way it’s always been. Check out Romans, chapter six and you’ll see that it was happening 2000 years ago. And so if God was willing to offer such amazing grace, knowing that some would mistake it for a acceptance of, a license to, sin – shouldn’t we also be willing to take that risk? And if we’re not, aren’t we somehow saying that we know better than God? So take the risk.
Next time we’ll focus in on some practical suggestions for becoming a grace wholesaler.
Until then, work on improving your wind resistance. You know, just in case.
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