Grace: Know It or Live It, There is a Difference

,A lot of people may or may not know the technical or theologically appropriate definition of grace; but simply put it is unmerited or unwarranted favor. And while most of us may be able to recite this definition with ease, it is an entirely different matter to comprehend what it means and how it applies to us. That is what the pastor shared about this last Sunday (6-31-17), and he used one of the most effective methods to demonstrate what grace is and how it works: he told a story.
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The story he shared was about a man named Steve Bartman. This was a normal guy, and an avid Chicago Cubs fan who because of his failed attempt to catch a foul ball during a post season championship game in 2003, prevented a Cubs left-fielder from making the catch. This led to the Florida Marlins being able to score several runs to win the game and keep the Cubs from entering the 2003 World Series.

Bartman became infamously connected with the “curse” of the Cubs that seemed to keep them from a World Series trophy. But after the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, this regular guy was recently given a World Series championship ring by the team. Not only did Bartman not work for it by participating in any of the workouts, the spring training, or by playing in any of the games, he was reviled by other Cubs fans who held him responsible for the Cubs loss to the Marlins and their failure to go to the 2003 World Series. He even received death threats and required police protection for a while.Yet he was given the same reward as the 2016 team that played the game and did everything they needed to do to win the World Series: a diamond encrusted ring with his name on it.
"He was embraced by the team he disgraced" was one particular phrase the pastor said that stuck out.

It tells me regardless of what rules we try to keep or how many we think we can break in a set amount of time; or what rituals we try to either adhere to or desperately attempt to escape from, only God can save us from our trespasses.The best portraits of grace seem to be of the ones concerning the least deserving. God shows this to all of us in the passage Pastor Ellery shared from the Book of Colossians

“And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:13-15‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Because the first Adam interfered and “dropped the ball” back in the garden, all of us were spiritually separated from God. We bore the disgrace of the human race.
None of us could ever hope to alleviate our shame and judgment. But because of God’s love for us, He chose to embrace us, forgive us, and restore us back to Himself. The gift of Jesus' perfect life, the act of Him taking our place in death, and His victorious resurrection, elevated all of humanity to the same family status as Jesus: a son or daughter of God. A status we simply receive by faith. We who deserved ridicule and eternal damnation have been presented with the gift of righteousness and eternal life through Jesus Christ our one and only Savior. That is the picture of grace we all need to see.

John Clark

John Clark is a husband to Julie, a father of one son living in Valrico, Florida. He has an Associate Degree of Theology from Life Christian University, and serves at Life Center of Brandon where he is a teacher and writer