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Setting Aside God's Grace
Contributed by Mark Atherton on Mar 29, 2001 (message contributor)
Summary: If grace is so great, why don’t we live by it? Why do we set it aside?
Setting Grace Aside
Gal. 2:21—”I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteous could be gained through the law, then Christ died for nothing.”
SOME SET ASIDE GOD’S GRACE BECAUSE:
¨ -----Confusion about God’s Character
--God the traffic cop
--God the record-keeper
--God the domineering parent
¨ -----Confusion about God’s Expectations
--God is more concerned w/ your direction than your perfection.
¨ -----Confusion about God’s Message.
--We don’t drink, smoke, or chew, or go with girls who do.
Paul was concerned in the book of Galatians that people who had started to live in Christ by grace were now trying to live by law. We sometimes do the same thing. In our efforts to live holy lives and be pleasing to God we can set aside His grace and start livng by the flesh.
The little book "Your God is Too Small" will help you with the first point. Too many people have an unbiblical view of God.
God doesn’t expect us to be perfect; as in sinless. He does expect us to WANT to be and to walk in the light that we have. God is after the heart. If we get our heart right then our walk and our talk will follow.
God’s message has been contorted by well-meaning people. It can become of list of do’s and don’t’s instead of a relationship with HIm. Too many times the Christian life gets boiled down to what we do and what we don’t do. It’s much bigger than that.