"Worthing together with [Christ], then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain." 2 Corinthians 6:1
I read this today, and it hit me from a hard and unexpected direction. I think the way I have always taken this verse would be the "don't use grace as a license to sin." And that certainly is one point made by the verse, since Paul has been exhorting the Corinthians to be obedient -
"So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." 2 Corinthians 5:9-10
But I don't think that's the main point however. The balance of Chapter 5, and the beginning of Chapter 6, describe the glory of belonging to Christ -
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." [5:17]
"For our sake [God] made him [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin that in him we might become the righteousness of God." [5:21]
"Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." [6:2b]
In other words, the way in which we can receive the grace of God in vain, is to receive it as a slave, but not as a son. I do this left right and center. How many days have I tried to start from my own obedience instead of Christs?!?! How many days have I feared death, and worried about my health, because I convinced myself that I was no son of His because of my sin?!?! In the blackness of my depression this scripture shone like a beacon.
Shall we grieve over our sin? Yes! But with a Godly grief - and what is a Godly grief? Paul tells us later on -
"For Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."
So yes! Let me grieve for my sin; but also let me repent - let me turn my back on it, let me see God nail it to the cross (Colossians 2:14), let me rise with eagerness and joy and zeal to become what I already am in Christ - a son of the living God. To anyone reading this, I plead with you - repent, don't regret. Every minute we allow regret and un-godly sorrow to control us is a minute yielded to the lies of Satan. If we fail to repent and then move on as sons and daughters, we spit on the cross and behave as if the holy and perfect sacrifice of our Lord and Savior just wasn't quite enough to cover what happened yesterday. Don't receive grace in vain - don't spit on the cross. Weep, then repent, and then start rejoicing and get on with it!
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We spit on the cross also if we let ourselves be taken in by the lie that we are not worth saving - that's my cross.
Hence, ch 4 also talks about daily renewal, about death before life, about a treasure in jars of clay - that is Christ. The weight of our mortal bodies ultimately brings us to our knees.
So take heart. We will thank Him yet.
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