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Grace vs. Licence
by
Jaime Reifer
Last night I participated in a small group Bible study in
which the focus was the idea of grace versus license. To
begin, we had to identify what these two different ideas
meant. License was easy, we decided that it is the notion that
one has the ability and privilege to do whatever they wish.
Grace, however, was a much more complicated matter to settle.
After a discussion that went on for about thirty minutes—one
that involved the use of the book of Romans, a concordance,
and my Zondervan All-In-One concordance, dictionary, topical
bible we came to the consensus that we still had a very
slippery hold of what this ‘thing’ called “grace” is.
A few different ideas we came up with included getting things
you do not deserve, being blessed beyond what you should be,
salvation, and one girl pointed out that in her opinion grace
is not just an idea or a nice fluffy thought but an action—so
we decided grace is a verb.
Our discussion guide then led us to ponder and discuss the
difference between grace and license. At first many group
members failed to see the connection (that is until the idea
that grace brings freedom was presented and explained to
them). From there I learned two things:
1. People do not have much of an idea what grace is and
2. There is no difference.
Having talked about defining grace for a good half hour or so
I was shocked that we were still unsure of what grace is. The
articulation of what God has done for us is so far from the
norms for some of us that it was almost impossible for people
to be able to come up with a time in their lives where they
were shown God’s grace. What I saw to be even worse than that
was the fact that when we really began to look at and examine
these two ideas of grace and license (or what our book also
referred to as “lawlessness”) I began to see less and less of
a difference.
That is when the real question hit me. Is the only true
difference between the grace that came through Christ Jesus’
death on a cross that brings with it freedom from the chains
of sin and death as well as freedom to “kill and eat” and what
is seen as license to do and behave as we wish word choice?
As I began to scrutinize that possibility it became more
evident to me that: yes, that is the world I currently live in
one where God’s grace is equal to the perception that “you
don’t know me! I do what I want!”
The good news, however, is that this could possibly be an
isolated incident. Perhaps it is just the group I run with and
the crowds I happen to see that behave and believe this way.
One can always hope.
So what do we do now? Are we content with this idea that grace
maybe is not only the same is, but perhaps is what gives us
license to do what we want? Was that really God’s true and
perfect plan? Was His sons life in exchange for ours
everlasting supposed to be our justification?
In Romans 14:20, and again in 1 Corinthians 10:32 to not allow
our freedom in Christ to cause another to stumble. In both
cases Paul was talking specifically about food—something so
simple as what we eat and drink can cause others to fall into
temptation and sin. Perhaps this new license you have is
causing you to fall into sin.
The idea of using grace as license is a very slippery slope.
If we depend wholly on God’s grace to be our only redemption
and we refuse to take any sort of responsibility for our
actions are we really living a life worthy of His call? If we
are commanded to be Holy—as our Lord, God is holy how do we
attain that? If grace is our excuse, if it is our way out,
then how can it be the one thing that holds us up and presents
us blameless before our Father and Judge?
In this scenario of “grace is license” what then, is sin? If
always we are simply forgiven for any wrongdoings then what
does it matter what we do? I remember becoming quite indignant
at a young age because of some friends I had who maintained
this flippant idea of what grace is. They seemed to honestly
believe that they could do what they please and part of their
excuse was that they were teenagers and their justification
was that God would forgive them. I will not argue that He will
not, but I will firmly stand by my opinion that that is not
God’s intentions for how we should live.
We are not asked to make excuses for why we cannot be perfect.
We are not expected to be perfect on our own, either. We,
however, told to be holy. We are expected to live up to what
we have already attained, and what we have attained is really
just something we were given freely: grace. Grace to not have
to live in a tangled-up web of sin. Grace to be able to walk
about and find others who are lost and invite them to take
part in this incredible journey. Grace to have the knowledge
and understanding that this world, this place that drives you
absolutely crazy, is not the culmination of what life is
about, that it is not even close for the glories which God has
in store for you and me.
So why do we sit idly by while others cheapen that grace? Why
do we allow our brothers and sisters to sit in the mud rather
than walk as if they are going someplace?
I love words. I love to go into my concordance and look things
up and then go and see what the same word could also mean, and
then I go to my
all-in-one-dictionary-concordance-topical-bible and I find my
word and see what the good people at Zondervan have to say
about it. (My friends who come to my cell do not seem to share
my opinion in this matter; they find the dictionary a bit
dry.) Tonight, this is what I learned: “Grace, therefore, is
that unmerited favor of God toward fallen humanity whereby,
for the sake of Christ—the only begotten of the Father, full
of grace and truth—he has provided for people’s redemption.”
From there it is mentioned that the relationship between law
and grace are thoroughly explained in Paul’s writings. It does
not stop there. In the book of Acts (11:23, 20:32) and 2
Corinthians 9:14 “grace is also regarded as the sustaining
influence enabling the believer to persevere in the Christian
life.” Grace is not our excuse, it is not our crutch. Grace is
not what gives us license that leads to the idea that
“everything is permissible but not beneficial.” Grace is what
gives us the strength to carry on through the day-to-day.
Grace is our protection. Grace is God’s outpouring of love on
each of us. Grace is our capability to accept that which God
is giving us.
“Thus, grace is not merely the initiatory act of God that
secures the believer’s eternal salvation, but also that which
maintains it throughout all of the Christian’s life.”
We are not called to be holy so we can fail, but I also do not
think we are given the option to remain stagnant. God’s plan
is to reconcile everyone to Himself again, through the grace
brought by Christ’s death and resurrection. Therefore we
cannot allow ourselves to view God’s grace as something to be
thrown about however we wish. We do not like to think of God
as a fire-and-brimstone type of God much these days, but I am
reminded of the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”
by Jonathan Edwards. His picture he painted was that we are
all in this giant set of hands being held over the gaping
mouth of Hell and it is only by the grace of these hands we
are not slipping through His fingers. Maybe it would behoove
some of us to think on that a bit.
It is for freedom that we have been set free, so be free. Do
not let the snares of sin trap you or trip you up. Do not
allow the enemy to gain a foothold, especially not because of
freedom. Instead, be free. Do not think you have license to do
as you please, instead, pray that what you please to do is
that which God’s wants you to do. Abide. That is the key.
That, I feel like, is always the answer. Abide in Christ and
you will know His grace—he true, redemptive, beautiful,
cleansing grace.
Amen.
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