Grace is Better Than Law

Another football season is here. It is called Bowl games in college. In the NFL it is the postseason. Only certain teams get invited to play at this time. Only the teams that have outperformed the others. It is a part of our world--performance evaluation.

We find it at work as well. Each year you are graded on your performance. If you out perform others, you get the big bucks. If you fail your evaluation the job is at stake. You are sent to training so that you can perform better.

We even confront this in our relationships. If you are not performing well as a spouse, you will find out about it. Hopefully you will find out before it is too late. Society looks at your kids and their behavior as an analysis of how you are performing as a parent and family. If your three year old throws a performance (temper tantrum) in a public place, you are instantly graded by those around. It doesn't matter if there are other factors in play.

As a youngster in the church, I thought that God had a performance evaluation as well. I was judged as worthy of being in heaven or acceptable with regard to how well I was living as a Christian. Needless to say, most of my life was categorized an unacceptable and under performing.

Then in college, my New Testament professor Webb Pomeroy set me free from the law. He said, "Jack, the grace of God extended to you has nothing to do with your performance. God loves you the same all the time--at your worse or at your best." Talk about changing my world. The day I believed that to be true set me free.

You see the motive for doing what God would have me do and being what God would have me be changed from law to grace. The motive moved from fear to love. I want to be what God would want me to be and do what God would have me do because I do not want to disappoint someone who loves me so much. I began to understand what it means to live in God's unconditional love.

It is not cheap grace (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). It is costly grace. It cost Jesus his life. So now in response to this grace, I am free to live like I never ever dreamed of living. It is love that has changed me.

Love wrapped in the gift of grace brings out the best in us.