Speaking Grace

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29 ESV)

We usually think of God as the One who dispenses grace. But Scripture tells us that we can have a part in giving grace to others. This happens when we refrain from harmful speech and direct beneficial speech toward others so that they grow in Christ.

The purpose which motivates such edifying speech is that those who hear will be blessed by grace. In one sense, when God’s people use Christ-honoring speech their words become vessels carrying God’s grace to the ears of others. As our words reflect that which is good, true, wholesome and biblical, they serve to encourage those who hear with the grace of God. Ultimately, it is God who gives the grace; but we can be channels whereby God’s grace flows to others in the streams of spiritual-strengthening speech.

The Bible says much about the devastating effect of harmful speech. A perverse tongue “breaks the spirit” (Prov. 15:3). The tongue is “a fire, a world of unrighteousness… a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:6, 8). If the pen is mightier than the sword, then the tongue is mightier than the gun. It can kill a person in areas that reach much deeper than the physical body.

In contrast, grace-filled speech has an opposite effect that is just as powerful. “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Prov. 16:24). “A gentle tongue is a tree of life” (Prov. 15:4). Uplifting words can also penetrate deeply, dispensing healing far beyond the reaches of modern medicine.

While graceless words can crush another’s spirit, grace-filled words can provide life and health to a needy spirit. The receiver of degrading speech tastes that which is sour, but the hearer of encouraging speech delights in that which is sweet to the soul.

Words matter. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). Speak grace and bring life to those who hear.

 

Free Exercise of Religion in Matters of Conscience

In an opinion piece in today’s Wall Street Journal, the authors make the case for the illegality of the new birth-control mandate upon religious employers. They summarize the problem this way:

The Department of Health and Human Services would still require employers with religious objections to select an insurance company to provide contraceptives and drugs that induce abortions to its employees. The employers would pay for the drugs through higher premiums.

This mandate would require people who oppose abortion as a matter of religious conscience to be indirect participants in providing for the very act that violates their conscience. The authors demonstrate how this mandate violates both the First Amendment to the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.

The free exercise of religion is not limited to what happens in a church building or religious service. Americans have the right to follow matters of religious conscience in their everyday life. The authors state:

The refusal, for religious reasons, to provide birth-control coverage is clearly an exercise of religious freedom under the Constitution. The “exercise of religion” extends to performing, or refusing to perform, actions on religious grounds—and it is definitely not confined to religious institutions or acts of worship.

Freedom of religion is an American right that we, as Christian citizens, should cherish and defend. It is a freedom that even precedes the First Amendment. When Roger Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island, he laid the foundation for complete religious freedom. In 1663, he obtained a charter from the king of England which became an important document in American history. This document read:

No person… shall be in any wise molested, punished, disquieted, or called in question, for any difference in opinion in matters of religion… but that all, may freely and fully have and enjoy his and their own judgments and consciences in matters of religious concernments.” (quoted by Paul Johnson in A History of the American People, p. 50)

Practicing our beliefs regarding abortion in areas of life like health care coverage is part of our free exercise of religion. The Bible shows us that abortion violates God’s moral standard against taking another person’s life, including the lives of unborn children who are made in the image of God from conception. (For a biblical understanding of abortion, see Dr. Robert McCabe’s excellent work here.) On biblical grounds, we do not want to participate or associate with abortion in any way.

Let us pray that the holocaust of abortion will end in our land. And let us be steadfast in following the dictates of Scripture upon our conscience so that we will have no association, whether direct or indirect, with the darkness of the murder of unborn children.

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
(Ephesians 5:11 ESV)

 

Practicing the Christ-Centered Life, Part 2: Persevering in Life’s Responsibilities

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 ESV

Note: This is the second post in a series seeking to apply the truths of the above verse to practical Christian living. Please understand that this is not intended to be formulaic. We encounter many different scenarios in which we must incorporate biblical principles with great discernment. Following a rigid formula does not guarantee success. Hopefully, the general biblical truths applied below will be a helpful encouragement to living a Christ-centered life.

Scripture: Galatians 2:20 tells Christians four important truths. 1) I am a new person in Christ. My old self was crucified with Him when I was united to Him by faith. 2) Christ now lives in me. I have the power and presence of God in my life. 3) I live my life now by faith in Christ. I keep trusting in His past work and future promises and keep applying His Word to my life. 4) Christ loved me and died for me. What motivates me to live for Jesus is the great love and grace He showed me.

Scenario: A Christian is overwhelmed by troubles, busy schedules, family matters, and work pressures. It feels like life is too much to handle, but this believer knows that quitting is not an option. How can the truth of Gal. 2:20 help a Christian persevere in life’s responsibilities?

1) I am a new person in Christ. If I am this Christian, I must remember again the change that Christ has brought in my life. My old self has been crucified with Christ. This means that the power of old, sinful responses to life’s circumstances has been broken. Sinful responses to difficult situations include: 1) escape – running away from troubles or just simply giving up; 2) neglect – ignoring some problems or people because involvement takes too much effort; or 3) releasing pressure – turning to addictions or blowing off steam at the expense of others. A new person in Christ does not have to respond in any of these ways.

2) Christ now lives in me. Since the old master (self) is gone, a new Master now controls me. Christ’s presence in my life provides practical power for practical problems. His Spirit is producing fruit in my life like peace, patience, and faithfulness. Therefore, Christ gives me a peace which prevails under pressures, a patience which endures troubles, and a faithfulness which remains trustworthy in life’s responsibilities. God is faithful to carry me through any temptation and provide proper escape so that I can endure (1 Cor. 10:13).

3) I live by faith in Christ. As a new person who knows Christ is living in me, I can walk by faith through life’s troubles and pressures. I trust in God’s purposes for me and His promises to me. I pray for His will to be done, and I believe that He is working all things for my good. I hold firm to His promise to never leave me nor forsake me, and I depend upon His grace which is always sufficient for any situation.

4) Christ loved me and died for me. Ultimately, the greatest way to persevere in life’s responsibilities is to focus on what Jesus did for me in the gospel. His loving death for me paid for my sins, won my acceptance with God, and guaranteed my final deliverance from all the difficulties of this life. I can look to Jesus and see the way to persevere with joy to the very end: “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross… Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:2-3 ESV).

Don’t give up. Don’t give in to doubt or despair. Jesus provides the power to endure in life’s responsibilities and the promise to bring you through them and all the way home. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10 ESV).