What Does It Mean To Live In Grace? 1. It means serving GOD because HE has fully and permanently accepted us through JESUS CHRIST, not because we want to gain HIS acceptance or become more pleasing to HIM through our works 2. It means motivating CHRISTians to live for GOD out of love and thankfulness rather than guilt or duty 3. It means believing firmly in the Biblical absolutes, but rejecting attempts to legislate the CHRISTian life through human rules, especially rules that apply to gray areas 4, It means accepting people at their current level of spiritual growth and development, just as GOD does, then encouraging them to grow in an atmosphere of grace 5. It means creating an environment of honest and transparency beginning with the leadership, which models GOD's love and acceptance 6. It means placing the primary emphasis of the CHRISTian life on inner motivations rather than outward behavior 7. It means refusing to deny or minimize the pain that comes into our lives because of our own sins and failures of the sins and failures of others; rather, it means viewing pain as a means of experiencing GOD's grace and help 8. It means following the relational style of JESUS, WHO accepted and forgave sinful, lost people, even though they may have failed miserably 9. It means interpreting the Biblical commands as describing a mode of life befitting someone who has already been accepted by GOD, not as laws that bring us more merit with GOD 10. It means being humble enough to acknowledge the "insufficiency of your own self-sufficiency" and to ask for and accept CHRIST's sufficiency for the problems GOD has permitted in your life |