The Irresistible Attractiveness of Grace in Christianity
Summary
In reflecting on the essence of Christianity, I find myself pondering why anyone wouldn't want the original version of Christianity to be true. Not the distorted versions that have emerged over time, but the pure, irresistible version that Jesus embodied. There's a significant difference between not believing something is true and not wanting it to be true. When confronted with the life and claims of Jesus, I wonder why people wouldn't at least desire it to be true, even if they struggle to believe it intellectually.
Blaise Pascal once noted that people often form beliefs based on what they find attractive rather than on proof. This is not to say that attractiveness equates to truth, but rather to highlight that the original form of Christianity was extraordinarily attractive. It was so compelling that it became the predominant worldview of the Roman Empire and shaped Western culture. The core of this attractiveness is grace—a concept that is both refreshing and unsettling.
Grace is what we crave most when our guilt is exposed, yet it is what we are most hesitant to extend to others. It is undeserved, unearned favor, and it is purely relational. Grace can only be experienced in the context of a relationship where there is an imbalance, and you are on the negative side. This is what makes Christianity unique and why God had to show up in person. Without the presence of God, we would never have known the grace of God.
John, one of Jesus' closest disciples, witnessed firsthand the embodiment of grace and truth in Jesus. Jesus was full of grace and truth, never compromising one for the other. He called sin what it was, yet He laid down His life for sinners. This grace is unsettling because it is disturbingly better than fair. It is the reason why, even if you never get there intellectually, you should want it to be true.
Grace is an invitation to follow Jesus, knowing that He is aware of all our flaws and loves us anyway. It is an invitation to be led away from sin, not because our past is forgotten, but because we are loved despite it. This is the good news of the kingdom of God, and it is why people throughout history have leaned in, hoping it is true.
Key Takeaways:
- The original version of Christianity, centered on Jesus, is irresistibly attractive because of its embodiment of grace. This grace is undeserved and purely relational, making it unique and compelling. [06:40]
- Grace is what we crave when we are guilty, yet it is what we hesitate to extend to others. It is unsettling because it is better than fair, offering us what we do not deserve. [04:16]
- Jesus embodied full grace and full truth, never compromising one for the other. This balance is what makes His message so powerful and transformative. [11:28]
- Grace is an invitation to follow Jesus, knowing that He loves us despite our flaws. It is an invitation to be led away from sin, not because our past is forgotten, but because we are loved despite it. [36:16]
- The good news of the kingdom of God is embodied in Jesus and summarized in the word grace. It is an invitation to experience a relationship with God that is based on grace and truth. [35:59]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:11] - The Irresistible Truth of Christianity
[01:00] - The Desire for Truth
[01:39] - Blaise Pascal's Insight
[02:27] - The Attractiveness of Early Christianity
[03:13] - The Power of Grace
[04:16] - The Tension of Grace
[05:05] - Defining Grace
[06:14] - Grace in Relationships
[07:10] - The Necessity of God's Presence
[09:06] - The Word Became Flesh
[10:29] - Full of Grace and Truth
[13:11] - Jesus' Invitation to Matthew
[17:12] - The Unsettling Nature of Grace
[20:29] - The Woman Caught in Adultery
[24:07] - The Ultimate Expression of Grace
[30:10] - Grace is Better Than Fair
[35:59] - The Good News of Grace
[36:16] - An Invitation to Follow Jesus
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. John 1:14 - "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
2. Luke 16:16 - "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it."
3. Matthew 9:9-13 - The calling of Matthew and Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners.
Observation Questions:
1. What does John 1:14 reveal about the nature of Jesus and His mission on earth?
2. How does the story of Jesus calling Matthew illustrate the concept of grace as described in the sermon? [13:11]
3. In Luke 16:16, what does Jesus mean by "the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached"? How does this relate to the concept of grace?
4. How did the Pharisees react to Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners, and what does this reveal about their understanding of grace? [15:29]
Interpretation Questions:
1. Why might the original version of Christianity, centered on grace, be considered irresistibly attractive, even if intellectually challenging to believe? [06:40]
2. How does the balance of grace and truth in Jesus' life challenge common perceptions of fairness and justice? [11:28]
3. What does the interaction between Jesus and the woman caught in adultery teach about the relationship between grace and truth? [22:00]
4. How does the sermon suggest that grace is both unsettling and transformative in personal relationships? [04:44]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you craved grace in a moment of guilt. How did that experience shape your understanding of grace? [03:13]
2. Consider a relationship where you find it difficult to extend grace. What steps can you take to offer grace in that situation this week? [04:27]
3. How can you embody both grace and truth in your interactions with others, especially those who may not share your beliefs? [11:28]
4. Jesus invited Matthew to follow Him despite his flaws. Who in your life might you be called to invite into a deeper relationship, despite their imperfections? [13:11]
5. The sermon suggests that grace is better than fair. How can you practice this unsettling grace in your daily life, especially when it feels unfair? [31:13]
6. How does the concept of grace challenge your current understanding of justice and consequences in your personal life? [32:53]
7. Identify one area in your life where you struggle to believe in the truth of grace. What practical steps can you take to open yourself to the possibility of its truth? [34:03]
Devotional
Day 1: The Irresistible Grace of Original Christianity
The original version of Christianity, as embodied by Jesus, is profoundly attractive due to its core principle of grace. This grace is not something that can be earned or deserved; it is a gift that is purely relational. It is this grace that made early Christianity so compelling that it transformed the Roman Empire and shaped Western culture. The essence of this grace is that it is offered to us despite our flaws and failures, inviting us into a relationship with God that is based on love and acceptance. [06:40]
"For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:16-17, ESV)
Reflection: Consider a time when you received grace from someone unexpectedly. How did it change your perspective or actions? How can you extend similar grace to someone in your life today?
Day 2: The Tension and Beauty of Grace
Grace is what we deeply desire when we are aware of our guilt, yet it is often what we are most reluctant to offer to others. This tension arises because grace is disturbingly better than fair; it offers us what we do not deserve. It challenges our notions of justice and fairness, inviting us to embrace a love that transcends human understanding. This unsettling nature of grace is what makes it so transformative and powerful. [04:16]
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a situation where you have withheld grace from someone. What would it look like to extend grace in that situation today, and how might it impact your relationship with that person?
Day 3: The Balance of Grace and Truth in Jesus
Jesus embodied both grace and truth, never compromising one for the other. This balance is what makes His message so powerful and transformative. He called out sin for what it was, yet He laid down His life for sinners, demonstrating the ultimate act of grace. This duality is what draws people to Jesus, as it offers a path to redemption that acknowledges our flaws while offering unconditional love and acceptance. [11:28]
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." (Titus 2:11-12, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on an area of your life where you struggle to balance grace and truth. How can you seek to embody both in your interactions with others this week?
Day 4: An Invitation to Follow Jesus Despite Our Flaws
Grace is an invitation to follow Jesus, knowing that He loves us despite our flaws. It is not about forgetting our past but about being loved despite it. This invitation is a call to be led away from sin and into a life of purpose and fulfillment. It is the good news of the kingdom of God, offering a relationship with God that is based on grace and truth. [36:16]
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
Reflection: Identify one flaw or past mistake that you struggle to let go of. How can you embrace the grace of Jesus today and allow it to lead you into a new way of living?
Day 5: The Good News of Grace in the Kingdom of God
The good news of the kingdom of God is embodied in Jesus and summarized in the word grace. This grace is an invitation to experience a relationship with God that is based on love, acceptance, and truth. It is a call to live in a way that reflects the grace we have received, extending it to others and transforming the world around us. [35:59]
"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16, ESV)
Reflection: How can you actively participate in sharing the good news of grace with those around you this week? What practical steps can you take to embody this grace in your daily interactions?
Quotes
Grace is what we crave most when our guilt is exposed, right? You come home late. Your parents are sitting there. They've got the stuff on the table. They know it's yours. There's no excuses, there's no loopholes. There's no point in saying, It's my sister's. I don't know, you know that. We found it in your room. I mean, you are just, you are so busted and in that moment, you're thinking about all the things they could take away and should take away. And in that moment, what you crave is you don't know, you didn't know the word maybe in high school or middle school or college but it was grace. [00:03:13]
Grace is what we're hesitant to extend when confronted with the guilt of other people, especially when they've hurt me or even more so, when they've hurt someone I love. And therein lies the tension. That grace, when we're on the receiving end, is extraordinarily refreshing. But grace, when it's required of us, is extraordinarily disturbing. It is in fact, as we're gonna see, as you think about how this settles in on your relationships, your good ones and your bad ones and the ones that you're trying to repair or the relationship that someone's trying to repair with you, that grace really is the unsettling solution for just about everything. [00:04:16]
It's simply undeserved, unearned, unearnable favor. It's someone leaning in your direction when they should lean away. It's someone that you know you should pursue because you've hurt them and they actually initiate the conversation. But grace is strange. You can no more deserve grace than you can plan your own surprise party, right? I mean, if you plan your own surprise party, the fact that you planned it voids the surprise. And the moment you think you deserve grace, you've actually voided the grace. [00:05:05]
We can't recognize or receive grace for what it actually is until we're convinced we don't deserve it. You can't even recognize or experience grace for what it is until you come to the place and I come to the place that I actually don't deserve it. It can only be experienced within the context of a relationship. Grace is purely relational. It's always tied to a relationship. It can only be experienced in the context of a relationship, ready for this? Where there is an imbalance and you are on the negative side of the ledger because of your behavior. [00:06:14]
This is what makes Christianity so unique. This is what makes the story and the narrative of Christianity and the arc of the story of Christianity so unique and so attractive. This is the reason that even if you never get to the place intellectually where you can believe it's true, this is why everybody should want it to be true. And this is why God had to show up. Because grace is 100% relational and you can't experience or understand grace apart from a relationship. [00:07:10]
Jesus was full on grace and full on truth. Jesus brought, Jesus brought a full dose of grace and truth. This is so powerful because you're on one side or the other of the ledger. Some of you who are truth people, some of you who are grace people, this is why two people have to get married because we need some grace and truth or our kids will be crazy. This is why some of you are crazy 'cause both of your parents were grace or both of them were truth. We need a little grace. We need a little truth. [00:10:29]
He called sin sin. He called sinners sinners and then He laid down His life for the sinners and paid for their sin. He was all grace, all truth all the time and John saw this and he saw this with people. And it's what led John, as an old man, to finally pen these words or dictate these words that would change Western civilization. That would shape the way that just about everybody in the world views God. [00:11:28]
Over and over, Jesus leaned in toward pre-repentant, guilty people and invited them to follow Him. Over and over, He leaned into people who had not acknowledged their sin and initiated relationship and said, Follow Me. And then John was there at the very end. We know he was there at the very end because at the very end of Jesus' life He says to John who brought us so much of this. He said, John, My mother, Mary, is like your mother. [00:22:57]
The good news that Jesus referred to is embodied in a person, Jesus. And the good news is summarized in a word and it's our word. It's the word grace. And grace is an invitation. It's an invitation very much like the invitation that Jesus extended to Matthew. It's an invitation that goes like this. I know all about you, the good and the bad and I want you to follow Me. But be warned. If you follow Me, I will lead you away from your sin. [00:35:59]
I remember all of it and I love you anyway. Now come, follow Me. [00:36:16]
Because like life, grace is not fair. Like life, grace is not fair. It is better than fair. It is disturbingly better than fair. It is unsettlingly better than fair. I mean, Jesus will continue this. After His resurrection, this is unbelievable if you know the narrative. After the resurrection, Jesus pulls Peter aside and Peter is overcome with shame and guilt. I mean, when Jesus was arrested, Peter fled. [00:30:10]
This was Jesus' way of saying over and over and over that I am the person who brings grace and truth, not in half measure. Not the mix of, not the blend of. Full on grace, full on truth. I'm all grace and all truth all the time because that's what love is and I am love personified. [00:32:57]
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