(2 Sam 12:24,25 NLT) Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. The LORD loved the child and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the LORD”), as the LORD had commanded.
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” Last week we took a look at the 51st psalm, David’s psalm of repentance, and yesterday we took a look at this passage where David moved-on from his sin. Uriah had been murdered, the baby had already died, and David had been broken. At his lowest point David would not allow food to pass his lips or praise to flow from his heart. But when he realized he could not change his past, David did something interesting. The first thing he did was give praise God. David broke his fast with a worship offering to the Lord his God. Did the Lord reject the worship? No. Did God say David’s worship was a stench in his nostrils, because David was not holy? Absolutely not. The Lord accepted David’s praise, He welcomed his worship and He supported the King on his road to recovery. Contrary to what legalistic religion had taught me, the Lord did not hold David’s sin against him.
When I gave my life to Christ I was mentored by a group of men who taught me about holiness and my requirement to put myself through the process of sanctification. They did not come out and say it, but the notion was that if I did not live a life that was pleasing to God, then God would not use me and the Holy Spirit would not flow through me. The God I learned about from them seems so far from the God of David. The God I learned about from my mentors would never use an adulterating murderer. Furthermore, the God I was taught about would never bless the union that resulted from adultery. Back then the only God I knew was the one I was taught about and that God seems so foreign to the one I know today; the one I have grown to love. The God I serve today is a God of Grace, Love, Peace, Mercy and Forgiveness. The God I was taught about back then was a God of a stern hand, a vicious fist, and a keen eye for lawbreakers.
My mentors back then did not have to say it, but they were teaching me that by living right I was earning my righteousness before God, that my blessing was based upon my performance, and that those who dabbled in sin were running the risk of enduring God’s wrath and quite possibly crossing the line over into eternal damnation. Simply put, I was taught legalism and under the legalistic mindset those who abide under the legalistic framework are good and those who do not are bad. But under Grace I have learned that we are all bad and that we all stand in need of a Savior. If it were not for Jesus we would all go to hell, but He died to offer us a way to eternal life IN HIM, not in our own works.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Legalism breeds self-righteousness. Those who attempt to live a legalistic Christianity are attempting to earn their right-standing with God. They may not come out and say it, but their focus is on them, and what they do, instead of on Jesus and what He already did. Their focus on their own works puts them in a position to see themselves right and everyone else wrong, instead of realizing that we are ALL wrong and we can only be right in Christ Jesus.
2. Legalism promotes condemnation. Those who attempt to live a legalistic Christianity would have clearly condemned David. They would have kicked David out of the church, as an adulterating murderer, and he would have never been welcomed back. Legalistic Christianity holds people’s sin over their heads, as if the ones doing the finger pointing are sinless. Grace doesn’t point fingers, because it knows that every finger doing the pointing is unrighteous outside of Christ.
3. Legalism puts the emphasis on you and not Jesus’ finished work. Those who attempt to live a legalistic Christianity are trying to earn their salvation by works, instead of receiving their salvation by grace and accessing it through faith. If you try to earn it, then you actually think you are doing it and you will boast in your effort. When you understand Grace you know you could never earn it, so you boast in God and not yourself.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your amazing and immeasurable Grace towards me. There was a time when I subconsciously attempted to earn my salvation. I performed works under the guise of living right in Your sight and when I lived that way I looked down on others without actually realizing it. I was self-righteous and I did not even know it. But now, as I grow closer and closer to You, I appreciate Your grace more and more. The closer I get to You, the less I think of myself. I now realize how immature I was when I was looking down on others. The longer I walk with You, the more I realize how messed up I truly am and how much I need Your Grace. You know I am not perfect and now I know it as well. I know I could never earn your righteousness, therefore I simply receive it by Grace and I access it through faith. I used to be legalistic, to where I was attempting to do everything right, so I would not go to hell. Now I know I am saved by Your grace and I am not going to hell. I now serve You out of love and not out of fear. I serve You because I am Your son/daughter and I love you, not because I am afraid of going to hell. So here I am Father. I submit myself to be used of You. Not because I am so good, but because You are. Not because I am perfect, but because Jesus was. I am righteous, because Jesus made me righteous, and I am determined to arrive at Your desired destination for my life. I shall maximize my purpose and potential while I am in the land of the living and I shall do it by Your amazing Grace! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
