Rabbi’s Reflections – Sunday, February 23, 2025
Shavuah Tov *|FNAME|*,
Grace and Obedience
By Jerry Miller
“And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that by always having enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
This is one of my favorite verses, as Sha’ul highlights the abundance of grace available to us as Yeshua followers. God makes this overflowing grace available to us for a simple reason. Every one of us has a glorious calling that is beyond our ability to fulfill apart from Him—apart from the empowerment that comes from the Lord Himself. In essence, He calls us to live an “impossible” life, but for that impossible life, He provides what I like to call unreasonable grace. God’s calling on our lives includes both unique assignments He has for us as individuals, but we also share aspects of a universal calling and destiny to be conformed into the image of Yeshua (see Romans 8:29 & 2 Corinthians 3:18) and to represent Him to others. For these aspects of life and calling, we need grace. Receiving and walking in grace is key to every aspect of a fruitful life in Yeshua. No wonder satan has sought to bring about such confusion concerning grace!
In citing the “confusion” about grace, what I’m referring to is the false grace message that is taught among some in the Body of Messiah. Sadly, many folks are being misled to think that grace “frees” us from the need to walk in obedience to God’s commands. Many believe that God does not require anything of us in terms of obedience and how we live. Now, just to clarify, I am not suggesting obedience as a form of earning our salvation or a “merit system” for entering into a relationship with God. What I’m saying is, the Bible is clear that, from the place of our life-giving relationship with God, there is to flow from our lives a walk of obedience that honors Yeshua and honors the work He has done, and continues to do, in our lives. In the verse above, there is a simple statement that attests to this expectation God has for our life of obedience. To paraphrase Sha’ul’s words, we could say that one of the purposes of the overflowing grace given to us, is to enable you and me to overflow in good works. Grace is key to a life of good works. Are you hearing this? Grace and works do go together. Good works do not represent a contrast to grace. Rather, good works represent the overflow of grace in our lives.
Now again, our relationship with God is not secured through the merit of good works But our relationship with the Lord is to result in a life in which good works are a testimony to the power of His grace to change us and bring ongoing transformation. The “false” grace message highlights a so-called freedom from having to be accountable to standards of God’s Word. With such teaching, key issues such as the fear of the Lord, conviction of sin, confession of sin and repentance are downplayed and even seen as irrelevant to the believer who is now “under grace.” Such thinking is deception, as it misrepresents the nature and goal of grace. In its most extreme forms, it can lead folks to think that grace provides us with an excuse or a cover for disobedience or rebellion. But nothing could be further from the truth.
The truth is, as we learn of God’s goodness and grace, and we grow in our revelation of these aspects of His nature, we will actually be led to embrace God’s highest ways for our lives. Think about it. Yeshua Himself taught His disciples (and us) that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (See John 14:15). Grace does not relieve us of the responsibility to aim for high standards. Rather, grace is what takes away our excuses for settling in compromise or disobedience. To use slightly different wording, grace does not provide us with a way out from obedience and holiness. Rather, grace gives us a pathway into a life in which holiness becomes truly possible as we walk in the life and power of His Spirit, looking to Him for the empowerment we need. Grace brings a divine empowerment to our lives, so that the high standards of God’s Word don’t have to frustrate us or remain beyond our reach. That does not mean we will never struggle or sin. The reality is, in this present age, we do still find ourselves dealing with the influence of sin, but the glorious truth is that we do not have to live under the dominion of sin. Thus, if we do stumble, we have access to unlimited forgiveness and cleansing when we repent and turn back to the Lord. We don’t have to remain in the place of guilt or condemnation, as we draw near to God.
Because of God’s grace overflowing in our lives, sin never has to have the “last word” in us. Every one of us, as Yeshua followers, can be empowered by His grace for a life that demonstrates our loyalty and allegiance to the One who has saved us and given us eternal life. I pray that His grace would encourage you today to live fully for Him.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sun 23-Feb-2025 25th of Sh’vat, 5785
Ex 25:1-16 2 Ki 10 Ps 136 Jn 11:1-27 (2 Ti 2)