Forgiveness Isn't Permission

Introduction

Grace is one of the more difficult concepts to get across. Some who hear about grace experience a release of guilt and shame and give their life to God. This is God’s desire. Some hear of grace and assume that God’s business is forgiveness and therefore experience life without thinking of God’s will. This is not God’s desire. Grace speaks about our salvation. It also speaks about the way we live. Grace is not once and for all, but continuous. We are in need of God’s grace daily. The alternative is to wrongly assume that once grace has come then it is left up to us to do the rest. That is like trying to jump across the Grand Canyon—we will all fall short. That illustration is true not only in terms of salvation but in terms of day to day living. If we try to earn God’s grace, then we have fallen into a work oriented life and such a fall means we have left grace (Galatians 5:4).

However, some hear that statement and then wrongly assume that it doesn’t matter how we live. Just as Paul strongly spoke against trying to earn one’s place with God in Galatians so he also speaks against a misunderstanding of grace which leads to living life sinfully with the expectation that God will forgive no matter what. Galatians 2:20—“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” That hardly sounds like grace gives freedom to live sinfully. We all sin, but we are not all given to sin. Paul will say in Romans 6 that in our baptism we move from the sphere of sin into the sphere of righteousness. We no longer are slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to righteousness or doing right things. Does this result in earning God’s favor? For some it unfortunately translates into a works oriented thinking. But God never intended that. Tonight we are going to delve into the delicate balance between living for God and living to earn God’s favor.

Absolute Truth

The Barna Research Group when measuring the lifestyles, leisure habits, behaviors, and attitudes of Christians with those who do not profess to be Christian, found no appreciable difference between the two groups except in the following areas. Christians go to church (their wording not mine), give money to church, and have more Bibles in their homes. 67% of those identified as Christians said they did not believe in absolute truth. I wonder if they believed that absolutely. In our relaxed society we have become relaxed about God’s ways and commands. We have, in fact, become relaxed about the nature of God. Gone are the days of fire and brimstone only to be replaced by casualness and sentimentality. God now wears dentures. He is old, outdated, even a bit senile. He doesn’t think about what we do and is just a casual observer to life. For the majority he no longer makes a difference.

People believe in God and Jesus, but they make decisions and live their lives as if God didn’t exist. We aren’t terrible, evil people. It’s just that we have quit asking the question “What would Jesus do?” Most live by the motto “Live and let live.” Our culture endorses tolerance and permission rather than truth and right. The existential view has become firmly entrenched in our world. This is the belief that whatever I decide to do is right for me and fulfills me. What is right for me may not be right for you. We each have to decide what is right for us. God no longer figures into the equation.

During the Clinton scandal, we were constantly being told that private actions in private lives are not intended for public judgment. We were reminded that even the president has a private life which has no bearing on his ability to carry out very public matters. No one considered what Jesus had to say about such thinking. Listen. “You have heard it said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28. Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t the phrase “in his heart” refer to a person’s private life? Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:2 that “we have renounced secret and shameful ways…” That sounds like the private life and the public life need to be in agreement. So our society says that there is no absolute truth. Our society says “live and let live.” And then to add salt to our intolerable souls, society quotes the Scripture against us “If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone.” And so we slink back and with downcast eyes say, “How can you argue with Scripture?”

Toleration

Since there is no absolute truth, then our society tells us that tolerance is the order of the day. After all, how can one say anything against someone else when there is no absolute right or wrong. What has happened is that Christians buy into this thinking. And we give it biblical words. Forgiveness has become confused with tolerance. But God doesn’t tolerate sin. Every sin must be dealt with. No sin is overlooked. God doesn’t wink at sin. Forgiveness is powerful simply because it doesn’t tolerate. Forgiveness demands change. When God forgives us, he releases us from the penalty and power of sin. But he still must deal with that sin. That is what the death of Jesus is about.

God doesn’t tolerate sin. He demands that we change. Maybe we can compare God to a good dad whose darling baby’s diaper is full of a stinking mess. Toleration says “all babies stink. Deal with it. Love the little darling anyway. Breathe through your mouth.” What God does and what most parents do is change the dirty diaper and wash and powder the baby. Then, when the proper time comes they teach the child to exercise self-restraint and refrain from making a stinking mess. Like most parents God understands the growth for self-restraint is not immediate. Babies are not potty trained. But in due time, when growth and maturity are taking place, we expect and anticipate and demand that a child learn how to use a potty. In the same way, we should expect, anticipate, and demand that sin be given up as one grows in the Lord.

“If anyone is without sin, let him throw the first stone” is a cop out. The rest of the story must be told. Jesus knows the hearts of the woman’s accusers. He knows it is a trap. But Jesus doesn’t lessen the law. He endorses the stoning, he just places a qualifier around it. The phrase “without sin” probably has to do with the fact that the accused had to be given a fair trial and the accusers had to warn the accused so that there was not excuse. Jesus is probably reminding the accusers that they are violating the law as well by staging this event. But look at the end of the story. Jesus doesn’t stop when he says to the woman “neither do I condemn you.” He instead calls her to quit putting herself in a stinking mess. “Go and sin no more.” Give up the sin. Don’t continue in it. Sin is not tolerated in scripture. God demands, expects, and anticipates that we will as we grow learn to restrain ourselves and quit being in a stinking mess.

God is kind. He is patient. He is willing to forgive. He is slow to anger. But God is not mushy and sentimental about sin. God loves us intensely. But his love is real love not some kind of sentimental love. His love has real boundaries. God isn’t infatuated with us and lets us get away with things. He loves us and wants us to grow up and mature into people who demonstrate his same kind of love. Grace doesn’t mean freedom to live sinfully. Grace means God’s favor toward us, but grace demands change morally and ethically.

Even as we discuss God’s expectations for us, let us not forget that forgiveness because of God’s grace does not mean that we no longer have consequences. We can be forgiven of our sin. God’s grace can permeate every spiritual cell in our lives, but grace does not mean that all consequences are set aside. Give yourself to sin and there are consequences. God’s grace doesn’t set those consequences aside. Forgiveness means that God sets aside his right to punish you, but it doesn’t mean that he sets aside his discipline. In the same way, when we forgive we set aside our right to retaliate but it doesn’t mean that we set aside consequences or discipline. If we did, then we would cheapen forgiveness.

Listen to Paul in Galatians 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that sinful nature will reap destruction.” This comes from the same writing in which passionately defends grace. We can’t get away from the consequences of sin nor should we expect forgiveness to relieve those consequences. So the question arises, does God forgive to the point of never allowing us to fall from him? Yes and no. We all sin. God’s forgiveness is constant and consistent. But if one gives himself over to sin, i.e., one indulges his sinful nature then there comes a time in which like Paul in 1 Corinthians 5 we turn one “over to Satan” with the hope that they will come to their senses. God’s grace is undeserved, but it is not toothless. It demands that we change so that conform more and more to the plan and intent of God. None of us fulfill God’s intent, thus grace is still needed. But grace does not give us license to do what we want to do. Let’s give Paul the last word from Galatians 5:13-18. Our freedom is to be used to serve and to live by the Spirit. That’s how one lives under grace.

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