I find Paul’s letters amazing. They are full of grace, grace and more grace. It is quite clear when reading them that the work for salvation has already been done through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is quite clear that God had it all planned from the very beginning and now this marvelous salvation is ours by God’s wonderful grace trough faith. We can do nothing to earn it (by keeping the law), and we certainly don’t deserve it. Paul is adamant about that in his letters.
But then he goes on and admonishes us how to live … and so often those words sound like commands. “Do this. Don’t do that.” How can it be about grace, and about “do this, don’t do that?”
Paul gives us commands, yes, but the commands have nothing to do with earning salvation. Paul is giving principles to live by now that we are already saved, already God’s children. He is telling us how to live that we might bring joy to our Father God. “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God.” [1 Thessalonians 4:1 NIV]
Pleasing God. What an overwhelming thought. That I, a sinner and once an enemy of the Holy God, might now be pleasing to Him. Savor that thought for a moment.
Let me close today with a prayer from Hebrews 13:20-21: “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” [NIV]
