“…where sin increased grace abounded all the more.” Romans 5:20
Often when we consider God’s grace in Christ toward us, we can become personally absorbed with the benefits His grace brings. We can easily & rightly, be joyful over the tremendous freedom we have been given. And, it is true that by God’s grace we have been set us free from the shackles of sin and its eternally damning consequences. God’s grace in and through Jesus Christ has indeed set believers, who were once prisoners of sin, free!
But how should we respond to God’s grace? What does God’s grace in our lives, produce? What is our personal response to God’s abundant grace? These are questions that can test the quality of our understanding and appreciation of God’s grace. They will test us as to whether God’s grace is merely a ‘pick me up’ when I feel down, like a tonic to lift me out of a depressed mood. In other words, it can be that God’s grace toward us is nothing more than a wonderful truth that is all about making me feel a whole lot better when things get rough in life! But this is a shallow response. God’s grace needs be such that no matter what happens in life, its truth and eternal benefits should drive us to honor Him. I like how Jerry Bridges said in his book, Transforming Grace, “God’s grace is not given to make us feel better, but to glorify Him… Good feelings may come, or they may not, but that is not the issue. The issue is whether or not we honor God by the way we respond to our circumstances.”