In today’s Christian culture, the word grace is often tossed around like a warm blanket that covers every sin—past, present, and future—with no further accountability. While God’s grace is powerful, undeserved, and immeasurably loving, it was never intended to be a loophole for willful disobedience.
What Grace Is
- Grace is God’s unearned favor that gives us access to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- Grace is the power to turn away from sin, not an excuse to remain in it (Titus 2:11-12).
- Grace is what invites us back when we fall short, leading us to repentance and restoration.
- Grace is God meeting us in our weakness and empowering us to obey His commands through the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 12:9).
What Grace Is Not
- Grace is not a license to sin (Romans 6:1-2).
- It is not permission to ignore God’s laws or pick and choose which commandments we like.
- It does not replace the need for obedience—it empowers it.
- Grace is not a loophole for rebellion—it’s the lifeline that brings us back to alignment.
Contrite Hearts, Not Covered Tracks
God’s grace flows where there is true repentance—a turning of the heart, not just a confession of the mouth. The psalmist writes, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
Repentance is more than saying “I’m sorry”—it’s a reorientation. It’s when we stop justifying our actions and instead align with God’s truth. Grace meets us there.
His Commands Are Steadfast
From the Ten Commandments to the dietary instructions in Leviticus, God’s commands were not written in pencil. Jesus didn’t come to erase them—He came to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). The “New Covenant” isn’t about throwing away the old—it’s about writing it on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 10:16).
Jesus is the Word made flesh. That Word includes every instruction spoken by the Father. When He lived on earth, He kept the Father’s commands—including eating clean, observing Sabbath, and living set apart. Why? Because He was sinless, and sin is defined in 1 John 3:4 as lawlessness.
If we are to walk as Jesus walked, we are not exempt from obedience—we are invited into it.
Grace and the Kosher Conversation
One of the most misunderstood applications of grace today involves biblical dietary laws. Many believe grace nullifies the need to eat according to God’s instructions. But let’s pause: Why would a loving God give health-preserving instructions to His people and later reverse them? He didn’t.
Yahweh’s dietary laws were never about legalism—they were about holiness, health, and covenant alignment. Choosing to honor those instructions today is not “rejecting grace”—it’s responding to it with gratitude and reverence.
Grace Doesn’t Remove Obedience—It Deepens It
Paul wrote in Romans 6:15, “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” Grace doesn’t erase God’s standard—it raises it. Because of grace, we don’t just avoid adultery—we guard our hearts against lust. We don’t just avoid murder—we choose love over hatred.
In other words, grace transforms us so we WANT to obey.
Closing Thought:
Grace is not a blanket that covers up our sin so we can keep living the same way. It’s a fire that burns away everything not aligned with God’s truth—if we let it. If your heart is truly His, you won’t ask how little you can obey and still get by. You’ll ask: “Lord, how can I please You more?”
