Costly Grace

"Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. . . . It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life." - D. Bonhoeffer

I came across this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Facebook. Ironically, the pastor who posted this for his status is a distant cousin of mine.  If my Facebook research is correct (not sure how credible this would be in academia), Frederick Eaton is a cousin to my Uncle Nate… who knew, I have a relative in Canada, and he loves Jesus. 

While I have never met or spoken with my distant cousin, I am grateful for these powerful words.  How great the price that was paid for my sins.  This statement helps put into perspective the conviction that I pray this grace holds in all of our lives: It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. 

Friends, this grace is a gift; and as Bonhoeffer reminds us, it must be sought again and again.  We will never reach a point in which we no longer need grace.  Yes, Jesus promises us to put sin to death (Romans 8:13-14), but we can only do this when the Spirit lives in us, when we seek the truth of the gospel again and again, and when we let God’s word reign true in all parts of our lives… not just the little bit we take with us to Church on Sundays. 

I have yet to meet someone who reflects the humility and authority of the Spirit who is not constantly in the Word pursuing God’s will for their lives, or who is not seeking the gospel again and again.  It will not happen.  The grace we so desperately want does come through faith in God, but it does not stop there.  Faith should not stop in our home, it must change the way we look at, and live, the callings in our lives.  Let this cost of grace, that cost a man his life (the Son of God), send you in a passionate pursuit of an unimaginable adventure with our God.  When we just begin to understand the cost of grace and the power of God that is exactly what faith becomes… an adventure! 

Believe me, this adventure will not be confined to your church building or home…  this faith will take you places to seek out people you never thought you would.  It may not be to another country, but it will be to where there are lost people.  Brothers and sisters, may we never forget the cost of grace. 

I John 3:23-24

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.  Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.  And this is how we know that he lives in us:  We know it by the Spirit he gave us.