Being under grace and not under the law does not mean that we can do whatever we want to do. It does not mean that we can have an expectation that there are no consequences for sinful behavior.

The liberty (freedom) that we have when we become born-again Christians and are no longer subject to the Old Testament Law with all of its 613 rules and regulations does not mean that we can now go wild and engage in sinful behavior with impunity.

Grace makes it possible that there are no consequences with you WITH GOD for your sinful behavior. But it doesn’t remove the consequences of sinful behavior in the world. Or with other people.

If you are rude and selfish with people, then people will get offended with you. If you engage in habitual overeating (the sin of gluttony or intemperance), then you will get fat and ruin your health.

And God still loves a rude, selfish, glutton who is hurting themselves and other people through their sinful actions. These offenses do not separate you from the love of God when you are in Jesus. There are no consequences for them FROM GOD because Jesus has already paid the price for all the consequences.

But the freedom of grace DOES NOT mean you have the freedom to sin. The rude, selfish, fat person will still suffer terrible consequences. Just not with God.

Rather, the freedom that we have through grace sets us free to operate in love! And this is super radical!!

Obeying all of the Old Testament Laws could never motivate you to operate in love. In fact, in most people who are trying to operate their relationship with God through obedience to the Law (or some other list) are judgmental and harsh toward others.

But a true encounter with God’s grace produces love toward others.

And this is why, under grace, you can no longer be motivated by sin. Being motivated by love and being motivated by sin are complete opposites!

I cannot be operating under God’s grace if I am hurting other people. I cannot be operating under God’s grace if I am hurting myself. Why? Because I show the evidence of God’s grace by operating in faith.

And faith ONLY works through love (v.6).

And so an encounter with God’s grace doesn’t set us free TO sin. Rather, it sets us free FROM sin TO love!

What would happen if every Christian suddenly got this revelation? What would happen if every Christian suddenly had this revelation that they had been set free in Christ so that they could operate in the love of God? It would radically transform how business was conducted in most churches!

There is an enormous population of Americans that self-identify as de-churched because they have been offended/hurt/insulted by someone in the church. Statistics vary on this, but it could be as high as 2 or 3 people out of every 10. It’s a very big number for sure.

But how many Christians have been trained that faith works through love and that selfishness, rudeness, and meanness are not found in the realm of grace? These are only found in people who are still living under the Law. They are not truly free.

And people who are not free will hurt other people. It is why there are so many people who have been hurt by churches.

Churches as a whole are still teaching Law and they are not teaching grace. So love ends up missing. And people get hurt.

It’s sad. But if you are one of those people who were hurt in a church and now you find yourself isolated, it wasn’t God that was responsible for your hurt. It happened because the people you were interacting with did not understand God’s grace.

Grace will heal you. Law will kill you. So go find a place where grace is present, because God wants you healed. Not hurt. And staying isolated will keep you hurt.