Grace not work
This week's goodness is on Romans 11:2-6:
These verses woke me up when I was reading them. Paul is talking about how God's grace has invited not just Israel to a personal relationship with him, but all of mankind. He debunks the "OMG Israel! God has a special connection with Israel so we should look to them" thing by talking about the failure of the nation of Israel to accept him. But then because people might think that he rejected Israel by extending his connection to the Gentiles, he writes this paragraph to sort those folks out. It's beautiful.
Paul uses Elijah's experience with God as an example of how this all works. Like Israel, Elijah had a special relationship with God. To the Jews in Roman Palestine at the time, Elijah was a kind of spiritual rock star. But he wasn't the only one to have that relationship with God, so God puts him in his place. Did that mean that God had rejected Elijah and no longer wanted a relationship with him? Not at all! And so it was the same with Israel claiming their special connection.
The real beauty is what it says about grace. There are so many conversations we could have about grace, but this one is more of just a statement about God's glory. God is more powerful and more intelligent than we give him credit for, while we are less important and less needed than we might think.
Elijah was trying to use his service to God as a kind of bargaining chip. "I've put in X number of years of service to you, God, so that pretty much scores me the right to get airlifted out of here because you need me." God's answer was basically "I'm at least seven thousand times bigger than you. You exist and are alive because of my grace. You, and the other seven thousand are the work of my hands, not the other way around." In other words, Elijah didn't somehow earn a better position with God by being awesome. He was awesome because God made him that way, just like he made seven thousand others to be awesome in their own way.
But don't we find ourselves in the same position when we've been in ministry for awhile? We begin to look at what we've done with our lives and expect to have earned some kind of VIP status. Some people even go a step further and begin to make compromises and cut corners because they expect to have banked a certain amount of goodwill with God. But that's not how God works! Grace is not about our efforts and accomplishments. If it was, it wouldn't be grace. It would be nothing!
To whatever extent that we have greatness, it is because of God's design. It is God's grace. We can affect our lives and should certainly try to do so, but we are God's creation when all is said and done, not our own. Our salvation comes from his offer extended to us, not from some decision to say some prayer. Our ministry bears fruit because he designed it that way, not because of any special innovative insight on our part. Even if we were to live perfect lives, it would only be a testament to how well his design works when implemented correctly. Most of the time our attempts at greatness are nothing but delusional filth.
So while it is admirable to be self-disciplined, devout, good, and faithful, and people should strive to improve themselves, the glory ultimately is God's. It is his grace that allows us to be what we are, and to inherit eternal life. It all stems from his will, and his kindness, and his love. There is no person or culture or ethnicity that holds the title of being more special than the others. God's favor is available to all of mankind now, if they will have it. It is a free gift, not a badge of honor.
God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
These verses woke me up when I was reading them. Paul is talking about how God's grace has invited not just Israel to a personal relationship with him, but all of mankind. He debunks the "OMG Israel! God has a special connection with Israel so we should look to them" thing by talking about the failure of the nation of Israel to accept him. But then because people might think that he rejected Israel by extending his connection to the Gentiles, he writes this paragraph to sort those folks out. It's beautiful.
Paul uses Elijah's experience with God as an example of how this all works. Like Israel, Elijah had a special relationship with God. To the Jews in Roman Palestine at the time, Elijah was a kind of spiritual rock star. But he wasn't the only one to have that relationship with God, so God puts him in his place. Did that mean that God had rejected Elijah and no longer wanted a relationship with him? Not at all! And so it was the same with Israel claiming their special connection.
The real beauty is what it says about grace. There are so many conversations we could have about grace, but this one is more of just a statement about God's glory. God is more powerful and more intelligent than we give him credit for, while we are less important and less needed than we might think.
Elijah was trying to use his service to God as a kind of bargaining chip. "I've put in X number of years of service to you, God, so that pretty much scores me the right to get airlifted out of here because you need me." God's answer was basically "I'm at least seven thousand times bigger than you. You exist and are alive because of my grace. You, and the other seven thousand are the work of my hands, not the other way around." In other words, Elijah didn't somehow earn a better position with God by being awesome. He was awesome because God made him that way, just like he made seven thousand others to be awesome in their own way.
But don't we find ourselves in the same position when we've been in ministry for awhile? We begin to look at what we've done with our lives and expect to have earned some kind of VIP status. Some people even go a step further and begin to make compromises and cut corners because they expect to have banked a certain amount of goodwill with God. But that's not how God works! Grace is not about our efforts and accomplishments. If it was, it wouldn't be grace. It would be nothing!
To whatever extent that we have greatness, it is because of God's design. It is God's grace. We can affect our lives and should certainly try to do so, but we are God's creation when all is said and done, not our own. Our salvation comes from his offer extended to us, not from some decision to say some prayer. Our ministry bears fruit because he designed it that way, not because of any special innovative insight on our part. Even if we were to live perfect lives, it would only be a testament to how well his design works when implemented correctly. Most of the time our attempts at greatness are nothing but delusional filth.
So while it is admirable to be self-disciplined, devout, good, and faithful, and people should strive to improve themselves, the glory ultimately is God's. It is his grace that allows us to be what we are, and to inherit eternal life. It all stems from his will, and his kindness, and his love. There is no person or culture or ethnicity that holds the title of being more special than the others. God's favor is available to all of mankind now, if they will have it. It is a free gift, not a badge of honor.
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