The heartfelt cry among many people is “How can I experience a life of fulfillment?” A life of fulfillment is actually a life of grace. Those who know grace will show grace. You can live a fulfilling life by understanding the purpose of grace in your life.

We tend to view grace as favor when we’ve messed up, but grace also keeps us from sin. Grace does not offer freedom to sin, it offers freedom from sin. Grace is not an excuse to do as we please, but the power to do as we should. We see in the Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus that God’s grace offers you salvation,

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. (Titus 2:11)

Salvation is an all-encompassing word that means to save, heal, or to make whole. It is used to refer to the past, the present, and the future of the Christian life:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8)

This passage in Ephesians is in the past tense and it refers to justification whereby God declares you righteous. You are free from the penalty of sin.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Paul now uses the present tense and he refers to sanctification which is the process of becoming more like Christ. God enables you to be free from the power of sin. Salvation also has a future aspect for believers,

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

Paul’s reference to salvation in his letter to the Thessalonians is in the future tense and it refers to our glorification as one day we will be free from the the presence of sin. Without God’s grace there is no pardon for the past, no power for the present, and no prospect for the future.

God’s grace also teaches you how to live and to say no to sin,

It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, (Titus 2:12-13)

In typical Pauline fashion, we see a putting off and a putting on. Grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions. Four common worldly passions that can hinder our spiritual life involve what I have, what I do, what others think of me, and what I desire.

Possessions – We spend money that we do not have, on things we do not need, to impress people who do not care. It’s not wrong to own possessions but it becomes a problem when our possessions own us. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)

Performance – We pursue titles and accomplishment but we miss what’s really important in life.

Popularity – When we’re unclear about our identity in Christ we seek external validation and we compare ourselves with others.

Pleasure – From the world’s perspective some of our pleasures may not be bad, but they don’t draw us closer to God. Television for example, is not sinful but much of the content is. Why is it that people know the time and channel of their favorite programs but they don’t know the chapter and verse of Scriptures that can give them a fulfilling life? Men don’t want to see what’s on TV, they want to see what else is on TV. Neil Postman’s prescient warning from his book Amusing Ourselves to Death has come true.

Worldly passions bring a living person to death, whereas grace brings a dead person to life. Regardless of what you’ve done, God’s grace can redeem your past. You may be thinking that God can’t use me – I’ve screwed up too much. It’s comforting to know that I am not what I might be, I am not what I ought to be, I am not even what I want to be, but thank God I’m not what I used to be.

You may be thinking, “I want a life of fulfillment.” The authors of The Cure describe two rooms. One room is called the room of good intentions. We try in our own efforts and we work on our sin to achieve an intimate relationship with God . We try and fail over and over again so we cover up, we position and posture. We feel we must keep up a facade of having it all together – we become a Pharisee. Our fear is that if you really knew me you would reject me and so we cut ourselves off from the love of others and we live in frustration. We work at gaining God’s acceptance, whereas grace teaches that God accepts me because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. The law sentences a living man to death, but grace brings a dead man to life.

The authors describe another room – the room of grace that is entered by humility. I realize I can’t overcome sin in my power and I need a Savior. In this room I’m standing with God, and rather than trying in my own strength, I’m trusting Him to enable me to overcome sin in my life. I realize my dependence upon Him,

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

How do I know I’m in the room of grace? I not only accept myself but I accept others. Grace is an outward expression of an inward harmony of the soul. God’s grace is not only amazing grace, it is abounding grace!

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

My prayer is that you will understand and experience the life-changing message of God’s grace. Don’t underestimate your capacity to minister for God.

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

Follow me on twitter:  rickhiggins5