sinning against grace..

"Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye

should be ignorant, how that all our fathers

were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea.

And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud

and in the sea...." - (1 Corinthians 10:1-2)

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As we read Old Testament books such as Exodus and Numbers, we can see over and over that the Jews had experienced the goodness and the faithfulness of God. Yet they didn't heed the warnings of the law. They had been the recipients of many miracles from God in their lives, but they still failed miserably when they were tested in the wilderness. 

In First Corinthians chapter 10, Paul is pointing out to us that the New Testament Church in Corinth was just as guilty of the same sins that plagued the Israelites in the Old Testament. Lust, immorality and idolatry - just to name a few. The same can be said of us today. We, too, are just as guilty, if not more, as they were.

We are so blessed to have the example before us in the Holy written Word of God. But we still fail daily. We can look at the tragic mistakes made by the Israelites but we don't seem to learn from them. We should be using those lessons set before us in the scriptures to align ourselves more carefully with the Truth. But we don't. We are guilty of tempting God and ignoring the instruction set forth in the bible. Instead of allowing the Old Testament to be a warning in our spirits, we tend to ignore it because 'they were under the law' back then.

Oh, my friends, that line of thought is tragic in the lives of Christians. Certainly, they were under the law, but we, too, must obey the Law of Christ. They weren't blessed with the awesome privilege of grace as we are today.  It is a fact that we who are believers are 'under grace', but so many in today's world seem to misinterpret what that really means in our lives. We can't wear our grace like a robe. It isn't something we can pull out and use when we need it. Grace is a blessing. It is a privilege. It is an unearned gift bestowed upon very unworthy people. 

It is to be reverenced and it should find us in awe of its beauty. Grace does cover, but it is not a cover-up. We still have the responsibility to live like Christ. We still must do what the Word says. We have to align ourselves diligently with the Truth of who He is and obey what He has commanded, even from the very beginning of time.

Warren Wiersbe said that he heard someone once say, "Sin in the life of a Christian is different than sin in the life of an unsaved person". Oh, yes it is! It is by far worse! When we who call ourselves believers, or Christians, sin against our Lord, we are sinning against grace. We are in essence trampling on the precious grace of God and that is a huge tragedy. Oh, sweet Lord, help us all!

We need to look back at the lives of the Israelites and see the seriousness of their sin as well as the very real consequences of it. And then we need to take that example and allow it to speak to our hearts and cause it to change our behavior. 

I don't want to be guilty of demeaning what Christ did for me on the Cross. I don't want to use grace like a 'get out of jail free' card. I don't want to keep sinning against the grace of God.

I desire to keep the Law of Christ as it was set forth in the Holy Scriptures. And I want to allow the Truth to saturate deep down and flow through me that I might live my life sanctified in Him by His Word. 

I am thankful for the grace of God in my life. May I be more determined than ever to reverence it and hold myself more accountable to it.  The sweet riches of God so generously dispensed to an unworthy but willing vessel. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound...