Galatians 6:1 “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
Cheap grace says, “I don’t care if you drink that poison, I love you anyway.” True grace says, “I love you enough to tell you the truth—that poison is going to kill you. Don’t drink it!” Costly grace, the kind Jesus offers to each one of us sinners says, “I drank the poison so you don’t have to.”
Cheap grace lacks the power to save. Oh it makes us feel good about our nonjudgmental selves, but does nothing to rescue the ones we say we love. Far be it for us to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Or heaven forbid, offend someone. We muddle the truth and become misguided soothsayers.
In John 13 when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he told them although they were all clean (except the one who would betray him), they would still need to have their feet washed. These disciples believed in Jesus. They had been cleansed from sin. Saved. But they still lived in a world covered with the grime and dust of sin. Everyday living put them in the midst of it. Their feet were bound to get dirty. So Jesus told them to help one another by washing each other’s feet (verse 14).
Enter true grace….
True grace doesn’t ignore the dirt. Hey brother, I think you stepped in a little pride along the way. Let me help you get rid of it. Sister, that rejection is poisoning you with bitterness. Let me help you shake off the dust. Being the Body of Christ means helping one another get rid of any sin that sullies us. It requires a readiness to both give and receive correction. But we won’t have much success at it unless we first experience the grace of Christ.
The costly grace…
Jesus drank the poison intended for us. When Satan said, “She’s mine!” “I got him!” Jesus said, “Not so fast.” His victory on the Cross authorized him to come to our rescue. In return, we want to be a part of Him. And we want others to be as well. So with gentleness and consciousness of our own dirty feet, we offer grace—
True grace—not the cheap substitute.