A Community of Grace Part 1

posted by Sandy Garman

Jesus came to give us new life; new families, but to also give us a new way of doing community. We are to live Overwhelmed by Grace not only as individuals but in our families, churches and communities. This is not as easy as it seems. As Americans we are fiercely independent. It is part of our history and our culture. We do not like other people telling us what to do and when to do it. Our independent American spirit runs counter-culture to the Bible. Jesus came to give us life and told us to live in relationship with Him and one another. In the book of Acts we see new believers and the church coming together to care for one another, to teach, learn and grow from one another, and to hold one another accountable to walking in the way of the Lord. Believers are called to live grace-filled lives within their families, their church and their community. We often struggle as believers to know what grace looks like, what is it and what it isn’t.

I like this definition of grace: Grace is God the Father, in love doing good for ill deserving sinners through God the Son by God the Spirit. Grace is God showing His love to us, his enemies. The very nature of grace is that it works in the midst of conflict. As ill-deserving sinners we are in conflict with God. God’s grace then becomes a model for us on how to live in a grace-filled community with our family and others. Just as God in his grace does not overlook our sin, so we cannot and should not overlook our own nor the sins of others. We like to think that our sinful behavior has no effect on anyone but ourselves. But that is a lie that the world has fed us. Sin breaks relationships; first the individual’s relationship with God, and then their relationship with others.

What do we do when a brother or sister in Christ sins? How are we to live Overwhelmed by Grace in the midst of broken people living in a broken world?