Grace for the Race

Today is our final installment on the debt of love we owe all people. Let’s first review the original passage, Romans 13:8-10 —

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

We’ve looked at what this love is and identified to whom we owe this debt of love. Today’s message answers the question: “How do we pay it?” The answer, in a word, is SACRIFICALLY!

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

(1 John 3:18)

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9)

These passages clearly state that to simply tell someone we love them is not the biblical understanding of love. How easy it is to say those three words—“I love you”—without ever backing it up with actions and in truth.

But this is not for you! You see, God did not only send a book that told us that He loved us . . . as amazing as that is. He sent His one and only Son to die on a cross to show us his love. The apostle Paul exulted, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The love of God in Christ is a sacrificial, agape love that revealed itself through the ultimate sacrifice the world has ever seen. The perfect, sinless Son of God went willingly, lovingly to our cross; He took our nails in His hands and feet; He wore our crown of thorns; and He died the death we should have died and paid the penalty for our sins.

John echoed Paul when he wrote, “This is how God showed his love among us . . .”—by giving His Son as the atoning sacrifice for sin, “that we might live through him.” It’s truly incomprehensible to imagine that the unblemished Lamb of God was given over to the most horrific, agonizing death for the blemished sinners of this world—sinners just like you and me.

Let me remind you what we are doing as we pay off our Divine Debt: we are fulfilling the law! Jesus said,

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Disciples of Jesus fulfill the law by loving vertically (by loving God) and horizontally (by loving all others). The great reformer, John Calvin, wrote that our Lord’s command is “reducing all the precepts of the law of God found in sacred Scripture to love!”

So . . . let me ask one final as we close out this series: How are you doing in paying down this divine debt? Let me leave you with these words from the great evangelist, D. L. Moody:

A man may be a good doctor without loving his patients: a good lawyer without loving his clients; a good geologist without loving science; but he cannot be a good Christian without love.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

As we look deeper into our divine debt, we will learn to whom we owe this debt of love. Let me quickly refresh you on the passage this message is grounded in:

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.  (Romans 13:8-10)

In the previous blog, we looked at the Greek word agape, which Paul was inspired to provide to describe this unrestricted, unrestrained, unreserved, and unrelenting love; today I’d like to unpack the Greek word allelon, from which we get the English phrase “one another,” and which the New Testament often employs to refer to the relationship between believers. But here allelon is not limited to the body of Christ. It refers to EVERYONE! Here are a few Scripture passages which reveal this truth:

As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10)

The “all people” here means exactly what it says—ALL PEOPLE—including those who do not belong to the family of faith.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for

you.  (1 Thessalonians 3:12)

Here “each other” identifies the family of believers, and “everyone else” identifies everyone else! We are to love everyone, without exception. The reason for this is rooted in creation and the fact that all men without exception are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Francis Schaeffer offered this profound explanation:

All men are our neighbors, and we are to love them as ourselves. We are to do this on the basis of creation, even if they are not redeemed, for all men have value because they are made in the image of God. Therefore they are to be loved even at great cost.

This wonderful truth takes us from our natural tendency to be “tribal minded” (caring only for the members of our “tribe”—that is, our family, community or nation) to becoming “mission minded” (caring for all people, from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation), regardless of cost or circumstance.

So . . . how are you doing in paying down your debt to all people? Do you find it easier to love only those in your “tribe” and those who love you in return? By nature, the answer for all of us is “Yes.” But by the new nature, which was given us by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are equipped and empowered to put the Gospel on display and make God attractive by loving others—all others—even when we would rather not!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

What debt are we to pay daily and yet never pay off? The answer to this profound question is the focus of our next three meditations, which are taken from a sermon I preached at Cross Community Church. The messages were rooted in the following passage, which came from the inspired pen of the apostle Paul.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)

The debt we are to pay daily and yet never pay off is the debt of love. It is important to pause for a moment to define this word love. The Greek (in which the New Testament was originally written) employs a number of words for love that are not in view here.

Philos is brotherly love between two people with shared interests; philos love steadily grows through a strong commitment. (Now you know why Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is called “The City of Brotherly Love”—it comes from the Greek!)

Eros is the root from which we get our English word “erotic.” Eros love is primarily emotional and sexual. It is characterized by an insatiable desire to be near its target; it changes suddenly; and it is based entirely on circumstances.

Storge is love for one who is dependent. It is a “motherly” love based on the relationship between the lover and the loved.

But the word used here in Romans 13 is not a feeling motivated by physical appearance, emotional attraction, or self-satisfaction …

The Greek agapao in this passage is from the root agape, which is a love that is as unconditional as it is sacrificial. Agape love finds its meaning and manifestation in the revelation of God in Christ Jesus.

So the debt every Christian owes, moment by moment, is the debt of agape love, a love that is unrestricted, unrestrained, unreserved, and unrelenting. It is volitional (a personal choice), unconditional (not motivated by hope of some return), and sacrificial (it loves regardless of the pain or cost).

So . . . how are you doing at paying down your debt? In the next blog we will dive a little deeper into this passage and discuss who it is to whom we owe this debt.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Life by a thousand deaths. How in the world can we have life . . . by death? Let’s take a look.

I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.  (1 Corinthians 15:31)

The apostle Paul is saying that dying daily is the only means to finding life. Remember, Paul also said that “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He made it abundantly clear that the Christian life requires daily dying.

Are you still wondering what in the world I am talking about? Paul was saying that we must die to our old ways of living:

• Death to the approval of others
• Death to the applause of man
• Death to the acceptance of peers

The Lord Jesus Christ calls all of His followers to deny self and die daily:

Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”  (Matthew 16:24-25)

Truly, life will only be found in a thousand deaths! We must keep in mind that “death” simply means the absence of life; in the spiritual life of the Christian, it means that the old self dies daily and ceases to be the foundation upon which life is built. We die daily to our selfish, sinful desires and live moment-by-moment for our Savior. Without death to self, we simply cannot be alive to our Savior.

Just a cursory glance through the Gospel accounts makes it perfectly clear that this was the point where many turned away from Christ. They refused to make Him Lord over their lives. The Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16-26) is one of the most poignant examples of this truth. When Jesus explained what was required to be His disciple, the young man went away sad, because he had great wealth. He refused to die to the self and life for the Savior.

And let me be clear here that his problem was not the fact that he had great wealth. Many Christians throughout the ages have had wealth, yet have wholeheartedly lived their lives for the Savior. The problem is not with what we possess, but what possesses us . . . and if our passion is not for Jesus, then we are living for a savior that simply cannot save.

When Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20) he was making it clear that there is no life to be found outside of Christ. To be sure, there are many things in this world that promise life, but only One who can deliver on that promise . . . and His name is Jesus Christ.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

If the whole world be against me it matters not, because God is for me! These are the words of the psalmist who feared no foe; David knew he could call on his God and count on Him to crush every enemy.

My enemies will turn back in the day when I call; this I know, that God is for me.(Psalm 56:9)

David was inspired by the Spirit of God to write this psalm—not when the sun was shining, the skies were blue, and the clouds were fleecy—but when he was surrounded by enemies. Beloved, no matter what obstacles or challenges or trials or enemies you face today, whether in your personal life of your professional life, they will all be overcome when you call on God, because He is for you!

Truly, no mere words of any finite, fallible preacher can plumb the depths of this unimaginable truth. And yet they are indeed true; God said it, and that settles it! Your own personal experience will confirm this for you. If God was not for you, would you be where you are today?

• In your weakness . . . has He not been for you in His strength?
• In your restlessness . . . has He not been for you in His peace?
• In your storms . . . has He not been for you in His calm?
• In your pain . . . has He not been for you in His comfort?
• In your doubt . . . has He not been for you in His wisdom?
• In your shame . . . has He not been for you in His love?
• In your sin . . . has He not been for you in His forgiveness?

To say that “God is for me” is to say all that ever needs to be said! For David, this was a settled matter. “This I know” leaves no room for uncertainty or doubt. It is an eternal and immutable truth that is beyond contestation; David cried out to his God, knowing that his prayer would be heard and answered. Paul echoed this truth in his great and glorious encouragement to the Christians in Rome:

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32)

You may be facing challenges which seem insurmountable today, but it matters not. God is for you! God is so for you that the day came when He stood against His own Son. Picture the cross . . . hear the Son’s agonized, despairing cry—“My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”—and marinate in that truth for a moment.

What father could possibly turn away from his son after hearing that plea? How could the God of love forsake His beloved Son as He was hanging on that cruel cross? Because God was for us . . . even when we were against Him! We cared nothing for the things of God; they were foolishness to us (1 Corinthians 2:14). We were expanding the cause of our own kingdom and not His. We were alienated from God, thinking ourselves to be His enemies (Colossians 1:21). And yet while we were still sinners, God demonstrated how much He is for us by turning His holy hatred for our sin on His only begotten Son, the sinless God-man—putting Jesus in our place, giving Him our nails and our crown of thorns (Romans 5:8, 10).

Oh, to be able to cry out with the psalmist, “THIS I KNOW: GOD IS FOR ME!” Let that truth set you free today and every day until God brings you safely home into glory.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

By nature, we all want to settle the score . . . to get even . . . to give a little payback when someone wrongs us. How many movie “heroes” have we seen who set out on a quest for revenge? We watch, riveted by their pursuit of becoming the hands that deliver retribution.

But this is not for you! The truths of the Gospel free us from this cancerous condition.

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

The apostle Paul makes it crystal clear that God’s judgment will reign in the end; we must not try to take these matters into our own hands. As the Almighty Accountant, God has promised to settle all accounts, which frees us from the spirit of unforgiveness and bitterness. It has been well said that unforgiveness does more damage to the vessel in which it is stored than the object upon which it is poured.

So . . . how are you doing in the area of forgiveness?

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Because this is the final verse in the fourth chapter of Ephesians, it’s easy to skim right over these words if we’re not careful. God commands us to forgive others just as we have been forgiven. And for how much have we been forgiven? More than we could ever recount! God not only forgave us for all the sins we had committed before we were first saved, He forgives us daily for all the sins we commit from that day forward! I am convinced that those who find it hardest to forgive simply do not recognize just how much God in Christ forgives them every day . . . every hour, for that matter. We like to think of ourselves as being much better than we actually are!

The truth is that you and I are great sinners in need of an even greater Savior . . . not just daily, but moment by moment. Not for a single instant has any one of us ever loved God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, as Jesus said we should (Mark 12:30). Only when we see ourselves as Paul saw himself—as “the chief sinner”—will we be able to lay down our vengeance and trust that the Almighty Accountant will settle all accounts in His time and in His perfect way.

Paul had many opportunities to succumb to bitterness and seek revenge against those who wronged him, slandered his good name, and actively sought to kill him. But nowhere in Scripture will we find him wasting any time on this toxic track. Much of what Paul wrote, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote while he was in chains, sitting on a cold prison floor because he had been falsely accused and wrongly imprisoned. But instead of pursuing revenge against his critics, he preached the righteousness of Christ, trusting that the Almighty Accountant will one day put all things right.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Ernest Gordon’s book, Miracle on the River Kwai, relates the true story of a group of POW’s working on the Burma Railway during WWII:

At the end of each day the tools were collected from the work party. On one occasion a Japanese guard shouted that a shovel was missing and demanded to know which man had taken it. He began to rant and rave, working himself up into a paranoid fury and ordered whoever was guilty to step forward. No one moved. “All die! All die!” he shrieked, cocking and aiming his rifle at the prisoners. At that moment one man stepped forward and the guard clubbed him to death with his rifle while he stood silently to attention. When they returned to the camp, the tools were counted again and no shovel was missing.

What an incredible story of putting others before yourself in spite of the incredible cost! Instead of everyone dying, an innocent man stepped forward and offered himself in their place.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.(John 15:13)

Imagine what all the other men in the work party must have thought when they returned to the camp, only to find there was no shovel missing. I wonder what the guard that clubbed him to death thought? As incredible as this story is for demonstrating selfless love for others, there is another story even more remarkable, because it involves the sinless Savior who went to a cross to save sinners from their sin.

You see, the justice of God demanded payment for sin, and Jesus stepped forward for sinners, took our place, and paid the penalty in full. The POW stood silently at attention while the guard clubbed him to death; Jesus stood silently before His accusers and executioners as He received the penalty that you and I fully deserved. He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf and died a death reserved for the most vile of criminals. He did it so that all those who place their trust in His atoning death will never feel the sting of death and never be punished for their sins.

So . . . have you experienced this amazing grace? Have you acknowledged your sin and need of a Savior? And does the love of Christ now compel you to love others—all others—even to the point of demonstrating this “no greater love,” regardless of cost or circumstance? The more we look to the Savior, the more we are seized and strengthened by this “lay-your-life-down-for-others” love.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . .

We’ve all heard the sardonic expression, “THE HONEYMOON IS OVER!” Although it is used in a variety of contexts, from business to sports to politics, the phrase refers to the dreary truth that the wonderful, even fantasy-like beginning of a marriage, marked by bliss and unimaginable optimism, has now settled into the relentless burden of “doing life” together. In my pre-marriage coaching sessions, I always emphasize that couples not to do what most people do, which is spending far more time planning the wedding than they do the marriage.

But there is one honeymoon that will never come to an end! As the prophet Isaiah wrote,

As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.(Isaiah 62:5)

Notice that Isaiah did not say that the bridegroom rejoices over His bride only during the initial honeymoon phase. Rather, it is a mark of the Master’s unchanging nature (which He reveals in Numbers 23:19 and elsewhere) that He rejoices over His beloved bride. It’s a HOLY HONEYMOON from the moment we are raised from death to life in Christ; it continues throughout our lives; and it will go on for all eternity! Because God is infinite and unchanging and we are His bride, the honeymoon is never over.

I remember the incredible joy Kim and I experienced on our honeymoon back in March of 1993. We went to the place where we got engaged and where we go twice each year with our children to this day: Walt Disney World. It was, as they say, “magical” and we remember it each time we return. However, whatever joy . . . whatever pleasure . . . whatever excitement . . . whatever magic Kim and I experienced together on our honeymoon is only a shadow of the substance to come when we are received into glory by our Bridegroom.

For those of you who are married, think back to how you felt on your honeymoon. To think that God rejoices over us as a Bridegroom rejoices over His bride is almost unimaginable. For the Bridegroom and His bride the honeymoon never ends. In fact, the joy and pleasure simply continues intensifying.

We must remember that our marriages are tainted by sin, so the euphoria we experienced on our honeymoon will not be our experience on a moment-by-moment basis. But this is not the case with our eternal Bridegroom. God’s love for us is perfect and infinite and it never changes. Even when we are unlovely and unlovable, our Bridegroom loves us with an everlasting love. We cannot make God love us more and we cannot cause Him to love us less. God’s love is as unchanging as our holy honeymoon is unending.

So . . . how should this Gospel truth inform our lives? It should cause us to rest in our redemption, knowing that our God is rejoicing over us! It should lift us when we are low, strengthen us when we are weak, comfort us when we are anxious, and give us unwavering hope when we are hurting. Oh, what a Bridegroom we have in Jesus!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

There are many metaphors we can use for this life. Some describe it as a race and find pleasure only by increasing its speed. Others describe it as a party and believe we should eat, drink, and be merry—for tomorrow we die. Regardless of our view, every “life metaphor” influences, to an altogether unsuspecting extent, the way we live our lives at every level—personally, professionally, and spiritually.

God has given us the truth about life in the Bible. Our study of Scripture will, by God’s grace and through the working of His Spirit, cause us to develop a biblical worldview. As we grow in that worldview, we’ll discover Life’s Three T’s, which are designed to teach us some basic truths about how we should work out our salvation. Let’s take a brief look.

#1. Life is a TRUST!

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28)

Adam and Eve were given what I call an “Almighty Trust Account.” They were owners of nothing and stewards of everything. God gave them authority and dominion over all of creation, and they were to care for it in such a way that would bring honor and glory to God. Nothing has changed today; you and I are stewards of all God’s creation, just as our first parents were—except that today, the creation has been distorted and disfigured by sin.

#2. Life is a TEST!

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:2-3)

Adam and Eve failed their test in the Garden of Eden, and the result is that you and I inherited their sinful nature. Even after we place our trust in Christ and are filled with His Spirit, the results of our own testing will always be a mixed bag: we respond successfully on some occasions; at other times we don’t do so well! Abraham was tested by God, and he responded beautifully, offering his son Isaac . . . but he lied about his wife (calling her his sister) to save his own skin. David was a man after God’s own heart . . . but he committed adultery and murder. Peter was one of the first disciples Jesus called . . . but he denied his Lord three times.

The goal of our testing is progress, not perfection. We will only be perfect when we are taken home to be with our Lord; until that time, we should be making measurable progress in reasonable time . . . even if that progress often feels like one step forward and two steps back!

#3. Life is a TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT!

Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. (Psalm 39:4)

Because our identity is in Christ, our home is in heaven. We are simply pilgrims passing through this life, and we have been called, equipped, and empowered by God to expand the cause of His kingdom while we are here, regardless of the cost or circumstance.

So . . . how are you doing with Life’s Three T’s? If you are holding on tight to the truth of the trust God has granted you, if you are prayerfully striving to meet every test, and resting in the fact that eternity awaits after this temporary assignment, I congratulate you and exhort you to keep pressing into these truths.

But perhaps you’ve read this article and feel stricken; you’ve been focused only on your own “stuff” . . . you’ve failed a test as dramatically as Abraham, David, and Peter did . . . or you’ve been focused on the things of this world for so long that eternity feels like little more than a fairy tale to you. Let me close with this gracious invitation from our loving, forgiving Lord:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

Draw near to the Lord, as James invited, and He will draw near to you. He has promised you His full forgiveness, His eternal power, and everything you need for life and godliness. Don’t let Life’s Three T’s drive you to despair; let them drive you to your knees, where you and I should be every day! It is there that you will find the grace and the power you need for this day.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Grace for your race starts out as pardon—the forgiveness of your sins; it continues in power—the strength to fight against sin; and it results in progress—growing in Christ-likeness. The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth:

By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

Paul was explaining the “effect” of the grace that was given to him. God’s grace strengthened Paul for the race God had set before him. You can see that Paul was not boasting in himself when he wrote “I worked harder than all of them,” because he immediately added “yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” Paul boasted in the power that had been given him for his progress, power which was rooted in the grace of God poured out into his life.

Sadly, many today only see God’s grace as freedom from the penalty of sin. As stupendous as that grace is, the Word of God makes it clear, here and elsewhere, that grace is also freedom to make progress against sin and to live a life of holiness and obedience to the Lord.

Now, don’t think for a moment I am suggesting you will reach a state of sinless perfection! That will only happen on the other side of the grave. But I am speaking about the power to make progress in the pursuit of the life God has called us to live.

The grace that saves by faith is the grace that sanctifies by faith and it is never without effect. To be sure, every Christian will live the painful truth set forth in the seventh chapter of Romans; we will struggle against the old, sinful nature. But God’s grace will never be without effect; the Christian is empowered to advance in holiness and live a life that is honoring to God. And is there any better life to be living? I think not!

So . . . what kind of effect has God’s grace had on your life? Is God’s grace evidenced in your personal relationships? At home? At the office? In your thought life? In your ability to express your emotions in an appropriate way? Remember, once God’s grace pardons you, it unleashes His power in you to make progress, as you grow by faith in Christ-likeness “in the strength which God supplies, that in everything God may get the glory” (1 Peter 4:11) as you journey toward the Celestial City.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!