What Grace is Not

May 29th, 2026
by Bruce Smith

February 22, 2019 – I am really enjoying the book of Jude today. I cannot explain why, other than a change in my heart, but this trip through the letters of the New Testament has really called me out. I have been compelled to harden my resolve to live apart from sin and not indulge upon the grace of God. Too much depends on whether or not I live out my faith. I am not content to be caught up in wasting my days. Intentionality is the key to unlocking a life worth living. That life is not something I make for myself, but rather one I find in Christ. I want to be a sheep that hears, recognizes, and obeys the voice of the shepherd.

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Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must writeabout something else, urging you todefend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives.
-Jude v. 3-4 (NLT)

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In the day and age in which we live, and apparently in the first century as well, many so-called Christ-followers emphasized grace over and above all else. That wouldn’t be such a bad thing except it typically results in living lives of self-indulgence and presumes that somehow, we’re entitled God’s favor.

Jesus did not set us free to sin, but from sin. More than that, Jesus desires for us to know what real freedom is—all the peace, all the joy, all the…life! Why experience only part of God’s amazing grace? Make a commitment to live in true freedom and be a conduit through which God can reshape the future of all those within your circle of influence.