Abundant Grace for the “Basically Good”
Jan 10 2025 - Eric Buresh
To maximize your joy and thankfulness in Christ, it is necessary to consider the depth of depravity from which He saved you. Jesus put this concept simply in Luke 7:47 – “He who is forgiven much loves much.” Paul writes about his own experience of self-reflection leading to Christ-praise in 1 Timothy 1:12-17. The Apostle Paul’s testimony stirs our hearts because of the sharp contrast he draws between his past rebellion and the abundant grace of Christ. Paul was a blasphemer, a persecutor, a man whose name was feared by the early church. Yet, by the mercy of God, this chief of sinners became a great apostle.
But perhaps, as you hear this, you think, “That is not my story.” You might say, “I was never a blasphemer or a persecutor. I have lived a decent life, been kind to others, and sought to do good.” Yet even the “basically good” among us must come to terms with the same humbling truth: we were rebels against God who desperately needed a massive dose of God’s grace. Our sin may not be the same acts as Paul’s, but it is just as grievous in the sight of a holy God.
What the “basically good” often struggle to recognize is that it is not the nature of their acts that matter so much as the motives for the acts. Every act done in pursuit of self-glorification or in response to the deceptions of the world, the flesh or the devil is an act of treason against the King of the universe. Treasonous acts are often innocuous – a small lie, sharing a piece of information with the enemy, giving the enemy some quarter or support, but the motives of treasonous acts carries enormous weight.
In our country, treason stands out as one of the few crimes that expressly carry a death sentence by statute. 18 U.S. Code § 2381 states, “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death. . .” That’s a powerful sentence, and it pertains to treason against only a temporal nation. Consider cosmic treason – treason against an eternal, infinite, perfect Creator. Now, reflect on your own acts that have given quarter and support to the enemies of God. The verdict: GUILTY. The sentence: DEATH. The more you embrace your past treason (like Paul did), the more you will find satisfaction and joy in Christ’s payment of your sentence (like Paul did).
The words Paul uses are perfect: “exceeding abundant.” God’s grace was not merely enough to cover Paul’s sin—it overflowed. It swept away his guilt, transformed his heart, and equipped him for service. It is not stingy or measured; it is lavish, extravagant, beyond comprehension. Think of your own life. Has not God’s grace been exceeding abundant to you? It has covered a sentence you could never satisfy, met needs you could never articulate, and poured out blessings you could never earn. All of this is yours because Christ Jesus came into the world to save treasonous rebels from the sentence they deserved and to give them an abundant life they could never have on their own.
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”