“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”
~Titus 2:11-12
Grace is much more than forgiveness for our sin. It is what teaches us not to sin in the first place. I have struggled with letting go of my incredibly legalistic way of living (my brand of flesh) because I’m afraid that if I don’t follow the rules, my life will begin to spin out of control. I think this may be a common fear that keeps many people trapped in legalism. We’re afraid that if we focus too much on grace, we’ll end up sinning more. But the Truth is actually the opposite of what we think. It’s the law that urges us to sin (Romans 7) and grace that teaches us not to. Living by grace gets our self-effort in doing the right thing out of the way so that the Holy Spirit can produce His fruit in us–love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Rebecca 🙂