The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
Last week we explored the idea that God’s Grace teaches us to love God by bringing salvation to all mankind, teaches us to live in obedience to God, and teaches us to long for our eternal hope in God’s presence. In Scripture we are metaphorically referred to as the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, and the Bond-Servant of Christ. God’s Grace also teaches us the expression of love for him is the “acceptable sacrifices” of Hebrews 12:28-13:17, including brotherly love, hospitality, serving the needy, marital fidelity, contentment, et al, and “the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15). In the metaphor of Romans 12:1, we are also instructed to “…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” which is the key to living in obedience to God and to the expression of our love for God.
The result of grace poured out on God’s people is demonstrated in Ephesians 3:7-12, where Paul humbly describes his calling in terms of a privilege and a gift of God’s grace given to him (“who am less than the least of all saints,” vs 8) to “preach the unsearchable riches of God” to the Gentiles and to show both Jews and Gentiles “the fellowship of the mystery” (vss 7-9). What is this mystery? It is God’s manifold wisdom (vs. 10). The God-ordained time, “according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (vs. 11), had come in Paul’s day for the mystery to be revealed to the angels using the church as the object lesson (vs. 10). The Church, i.e. all believers, continues to be an object lesson for the “principalities and powers in heavenly places” that are described in this passage. Paul recognizes that it is only in Christ Jesus our Lord “…in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (vs 12).
God poured His grace on us and His grace reflects back so that He sees His own reflection when He looks at us; hence, the call for holiness in the lives of all Christians. Do not besmirch the reflection of God with sin. We often say that there is nothing God cannot do and Scripture tells us there is nothing impossible with God. However, He does not tolerate sin, in fact turned His face from Jesus when He became sin on the cross. How much more will He turn His face from us when we muddy His image with the sin, doubt, and fear that He already washed away. Whether we really are saved is questionable if we practice the sin, both of commission and of omission, that separates us from the Savior.
Instead, our higher calling is to “…go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. Do good and share what you have, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb. 13:13-16). It is only by God’s grace that we are enabled to follow His biblical calling to holiness.
