Daily Grace

Last night I talked about the situations we find ourselves in as believers who know God's grace, and yet still daily struggle with sins. We are at war within ourselves as Galatians 5 makes clear. The flesh wars against the spirit. What I taught last night was a big reminder to me, and I have already has a few others say it was a needed reminder, so I thought I'd share the main points here. It is not a definitive list, but it is a start.

The idea is that whenever we fall into sin, we often find ourselves in difficult situations, but those situations are antithetical to the Gospel. So here are 7 situations we find ourselves in when we fall, and how the Cross overcomes them.

Situation: Pride sets in (and we don't want to need grace or seek it again)
The Cross: Reminds us that we were never good enough, but Christ overcame
- Romans 5:6-9

Situation: Taken by Shame and Condemnation
The Cross: Offers redemption when we feel shame.
- Romans 7:18-8:2

Situation: Guilt takes lasting hold
The Cross: Offers forgives
- Acts 13:38-39

Situation: The enemy uses our sin to hold us back.
The Cross: Urges us to press on
- Philippians 3:12-14

Situation: Legalism takes hold (in an attempt to discipline ourselves)
The Cross: Leads us to a relationship (where Christ sanctifies us)
- Ephesians 2:8-10
- Romans 8:3-4

Situation: We become hardened towards others
The Cross: Offers us grace that we may show grace to others
- Luke 17:3-4 (The disciples are told to have God's character)

Situation: We hide from God in fear
The Cross: Pushes us TO Christ, not away.
- Hebrews 10:21-23