Walking In Grace

Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. Colossians 2:26 NASB

Most Christians have an understanding of grace, as it applies to their salvation. What is less understood, is how grace is applied in our everyday life. Grace operates in the Christians life to help them grow and fulfil God’s purposes for their lives, in very much the same way as it did to bring about their salvation.

Before we were saved we heard of God’s promise of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ. When we believed God’s promise (what you believe is called your ‘faith’ - faith is in itself a gift from God that is freely available to everyone) we then acted on that faith by receiving forgiveness and making Jesus the Lord of our lives.

By receiving Jesus as the Lord of our life, we were making a deliberate decision to trust him for our salvation - as opposed to putting our faith in our own works. We are saved by grace, through faith.

Then, because we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, we were immediately Born Again, by the Holy Spirit. God saved us, gave us eternal life and recreated our innermost being- our spirit was made new so we could fellowship with God, through the Holy Spirit.

Are you saved? Have you turned from trying to impress God and people with good works and received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour?

Now, the Holy Spirit, through Paul, told the church that to grow up in Christ, we need to believe, receive and act, in the same manner, we did when we got saved. On the other hand, if we continue in our Christian walk, in the manner in which we walked before we were saved, we won’t experience the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and mature us.

Notice how, in the table below, the scripture contrast Grace, Faith and the Holy Spirit, with Works, Law and the Flesh.

In Romans 8:1-5, the scripture talks about the Law, sin and flesh (the word ‘flesh’ in this instance represents our own will and efforts), in contrast to the ‘Spirit of Life’. This same contrast is made in numerous other passages. When we live our Christian life the same way as we received Jesus, we are ‘walking in the Spirit’. In a practical sense, that means we find God’s promises, we believe them and we act upon them. When we do that, there is no condemnation and the Holy Spirit becomes our sponsor, willing and able to empower us to live life. Below is a simple diagram the illustrates the two types of life from which we have to choose..

To give you an example of how this has worked in our lives; many years ago our young family was living in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma while I went to Bible College. I got a job selling furniture at a large store in Tulsa. In Tulsa, most people go to church on Sunday mornings. As my employer explained, “In Tulsa most people look for furniture on Saturday, go home and think about it. Then on Sunday morning, straight after church, they go straight to the store and buy the furniture.” Around a third of the whole weeks sale were done between the end of church and Sunday lunch.

I had a decision to make. I could go to church with my family, or I could go to work and get most of my return customers. Linda and I had believed it was God’s will for us to go to Church as a family. I could have gone to church Sunday evening, but then our children wouldn’t be going to church with their father.

We made a faith decision. We knew that we could only make it through that year by the grace of God, but to walk in his grace we had to be in faith- faith in God’s promises, not in my own hard work. For the Spirit of Life In Christ to be at work in my life, I had to live in Christ, the same way that I had received him.

So, I went to my boss and told him I couldn’t work Sunday morning. He was shocked, but I told him what I believed and that I believed God would honour me. We stepped out in faith. Linda enrolled our eldest in a private Christian school, we knew God would have to supply the school fees because we certainly didn’t have it.

Over the next twelve months, I got over $50,000 US in straight commission. That was in the 90’s. $50,000 would have bought a nice house in cash. God is faithful. Other salespeople saw what I was doing and were writing up tickets in my name. Even salespeople who were renowned for stealing your customers were telling me, “I sold your customer this morning and split the commission with you”. People were giving me tips for carrying lamps to their car- $50 tips. 

We are to walk out our Christian life in the same manner and by the same grace that saved us! That is how we live in his blessings, that is how we grow in Christ.