I was raised Lutheran, and am sort of glad I did somedays. Lutherans get grace better than most. For no one was more bothered by their own depravity more than Martin Luther, and no one was more amazed by God’s grace — God’s Redemption Act Covering EVERYTHING — than Luther as well.
I like to downplay my own depravity, and overestimate my ability to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in living a spiritually decent life. But I am still wretched. Still prone to wander — daily, or even hourly. I desperately need God’s amazing grace. And I believe it is mine for the claiming. I stand under the wings of His grace, covered by the blood of Jesus, bought with a price, loved with an everlasting love and seated in the heavenly realms at the right hand of my savior.
My problem is when it comes to teaching and preaching the Christian life. This is when grace starts to get in my way. My focus has always majored on “making disciples” and calling Christians to a deeper, more committed walk with God. “Count the cost.” “Drop your nets and follow.” “The road that leads to life is narrow and few find it,” so keep your eyes on the road lest you fall into either the the ditch of sin or the other ditch of lukewarm half-heartedness. And so go my graceless, burdensome demands upon my weary hearers.
Looking back I realize that I don’t preach grace enough. Why? I don’t know. I don’t neglect it knowingly. I think I just assume it, and assume my readers assume it, too. It’s a given. Or maybe I don’t trust that God’s free gift of grace is enough to spur us onto good deeds and holy living. Maybe I feel like I need to add some “law” to the mix. If I do, I do it unknowingly. But I’m not alone in my inability to trust that grace is enough.
Nobody has brought this reminder home to me more powerfully than my blog friend, the late Michael Spencer, the Internet Monk, who went home to be with the Lord last year. He constantly would bring me back to my Lutheran roots, and I would again find myself standing naked at the foot of the cross, weeping as I am reminded once again that I have nothing to offer before a holy God; and the scandalous gospel that I need not bring anything, and that my nakedness is clothed eternally in the righteousness of Christ.
If you need a reminder of this bedrock truth, or you need to be jolted out of your closet Pharisaism and tendency to preach “law” instead of “grace”, then I recommend this classic iMonk article called Our Problem With Grace. You too will realize that you probably have a problem with grace as well. Grace is indeed scandalous.
Our friend Michael Spencer never tired of preaching grace while God gave him breath. I am thankful he did. I need that scandalous grace of God rubbed in my face often. Michael’s ministry will live on and continue to reach others like me through his writings such as this. Thanks Michael!
In His Grace,
Jeremy
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Jeremy L. Berg 
Good post, Jeremy! Excellent reminder that grace should be at the centre of the gospel we preach and not on the periphery as an afterthought!
One phrase is heard so often is “God loves the sinner but hates the sin”. I personally don’t think this is the gospel because “whilst we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. It is because of our sin that God acted – not out of hate and judgment, but out of love. I think the phrase is self-righteous – because it gives the impression that you can separate the sinner from their sin – which you can’t – not on this side of eternity anyway!
God loves sinners and cannot abide sin – but he has dealt with sin, in his grace, through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. Therefore, for me, a better phrase is “God loves sinners and through his grace has dealt with sin at Calvary” – so we all have the opportunity to be truly free, though his grace, and by faith in Christ alone!
Now that is good news for me – and grace is right at the centre!!!!
Thanks for the reflection, Jeremy. Also, sad news about iMonk this week – but be blessed that the next thing he will experience is the joy of meeting his Lord and Saviour, Jesus himself, face to face!!
Bless ya