The Grace of God's Will

Paul starts out with his theory of everything—the fundamental presupposition behind who he is and what he is doing in the world. From this core belief he moves to a one-word description for daily living, something every one of us needs to hear.

The apostle closes his salutation with the bestowal of a blessing: grace and peace to you. This is his wish and desire and prayer for every one of his readers.

We do similar things in our emails. “Hello, Joe. This is Pastor Crosby. I hope you are having a great day.” I mean by this comment, “I wish for you joy and fulfillment today.” I am acknowledging Joe as a person who needs to know that he matters, who needs to know that he is getting something done that makes a difference, and who needs to know that he is cared for.

Our Eternal Position--Holy People

The Greek word is hagiois which means “separated ones.” Just as instruments in the tabernacle, tables and utensils, were set apart for use only in the worship of God, so you have been set apart for a similar exclusive purpose.

• This word is about God choosing you. You have been selected by the Almighty One to serve his exclusive purpose here on this earth. That is why you are called a “saint” or “holy one.”
• This word is about your separation from the rest of humans for God’s specific purpose. You are still part of the human family, and you must live in the world as such. But more importantly, you are part of the family of God, and this is your true identity and assignment in the world.

Holiness here is not about your daily condition or obedience but about your eternal purpose.

• On a daily basis you stumble and fall. You fail to measure up. You disappoint yourself and others. You do what is wrong instead of what is right. You act in selfishness or jealousy instead of love and kindness. This is true of all of us.
• Being a saint does not imply perfection in your behavior. You are not yet fully developed into the image and character of Christ.

Holiness is fundamentally about your self-perception, your standing in the world.

• You are holy people. This is so important. You must nail this down. This is the anchor of the inner you.
• You define yourself, not by your recent failures or past failures, but by your relationship with God.
• This is the only way to maintain your courage and spirit in the world. You have got to see yourself as belonging to the company of heaven, the family of God. Then you will get up when you fall down. You will know that these wrong choices are not the essential you. You will not define yourself by failures but by the Father’s choice of you and love for you.

Our Temporal Condition--The Faithful

I know that I am going to mess up sometimes. I am not omniscient or all-powerful. My very limitations as a human in the world suggest that I will not be able to get everything right every time, even if my heart is in the right place. Sometimes I will have to ask for forgiveness from those I love and say, “I was trying to do the right thing, but I got it wrong.”

• I don’t want anyone present today to leave this building under the illusion that you will be morally perfect from this moment forward.

My holiness is not dependent on my day-by-day performance in the world. I am holy, not because of my choices, but because of God’s gracious choice of me. God is the one who has set me apart for his purposes. He is the one who maintains and secures that relationship.

I had a father ask me about raising girls. He knew I had two daughters. He described a difficult situation to me and asked me what he should do. This is what I said, “Make sure that your daughter knows that you love her unconditionally. This will be your greatest gift to her. If she knows this—that your love is not predicated on her behavior—it will stabilize her in her choices and decisions. One day she will thank you for loving her through good and bad.

God’s love for me is not predicated on my goodness but one his goodness.

My assignment in the world—be faithful.

• This is different than being successful. The word successful is usually seen in the business context of accumulating assets and cash. We need to be careful that we do not measure ourselves as the world measures us. We know that our lives do not consist of the things which we possess. This is a clear teaching of Jesus.
• This is different that being perfect. We are called to be perfect. We mess that up perpetually, failing in word and deed to be all that God called us to be.
• Faithful is a word built from trust. Our call to be faithful is about God’s faithfulness toward us. God is always there for us. He never leaves us or forsakes us. Our Faithfulness is akin to his faithfulness.

Many missionaries work in hard places. The people they are trying to reach are not responsive to the gospel. I counseled with a missionary who returned from Eastern Europe very discouraged because he had seen no conversions in his four-year term in a hard, atheistic population. I asked him if he had been faithful. Maybe by humanistic measures he had not been successful, but God looks on the heart.

Our Preferred Connection--Grace and Peace

You are connected to others within a spiritual framework of attitude and disposition.

• You know this truth intuitively even though you may not have described it this way before.
• Every relationship has such a spiritual framework. Every people-place has its own distinct framework.

You develop this spiritual framework as an outgrowth of your relationship to God through Christ.

• The relationship with God—your spiritual orientation in the world—is fundamental to all other relationships. 
  • That is why you do not want to be “unequally yoked” with unbelievers. The “unequal yoking” is not a condemnation of anyone but a recognition of this great, indisputable truth about your spiritual framework for living.
• Your spiritual framework—the truth of the gospel and the Lordship of Christ—shapes every other relationship.

You have to choose your spiritual framework.

• No one can impose this upon you. This is a common mistake we make concerning our attitude and disposition—that it is imposed upon us by others. Not so. No matter who your family is or your companions, you are actually free to choose your spiritual framework.
• And you are responsible for it as well. Your circumstances cannot dictate it for you. You are not the victim spiritually of your surroundings. You can actually change your surroundings by choosing a spiritual framework that affects and infects individuals and communities in a positive way.

Wouldn’t you love for grace and peace to be how you are connected to others?

• Grace is what God has given you to help you live each day with courage and joy. You can give this grace to others as you forgive them for any offenses and shortcomings and maintain your own equilibrium despite these difficulties.
• Peace is what God gives to you for the stabilizing of your inner being and the overcoming of barriers. Peace is the ability to achieve your purpose despite resistance and hardship. Frustration comes into your life because of closed doors and failed expectations. Peace is the ability to encounter those same closed doors and failed expectations with the security of knowing God’s will for your life cannot be frustrated.