Nowadays, we hear so much about the grace of God and what it actually brings into our lives. True faith in God's grace will, through the power of Jesus, lead to a life cleansed of past sin and blessed with the ability to do good works for others. God's grace does not provide just one or the other but gives both as a package deal.
I have a friend who was once obsessed with becoming taller. He tried all kinds of methods and medication to increase his height. When he would try something new, he would tell us about how effective it was even though none of us saw the results. Upon realising that the method or treatment had no effect, he would sadly just give it up and move on to the next.
As human beings, we are drawn to results. If we don't see results in a class, training, product or relationship, we give it up. Why? Because everything must result to something. The same is true for our faith. It must result to something, but what does it result to?
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus commands the believers, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." It's been said that as God commands, He provides us with the resources and skills necessary to carry His will out, and nothing could be more true.
When God created man in the beginning, He declared that we were created originally to be very good, meaning we were meant to be empowered to do good works, be fruitful and to multiply in goodness. Man was not meant to be selfish, to be a burden or to do evil. However, somewhere along the line, sin drove man away from God's original purpose for us.
To restore us back to our original state of being very good, Jesus came to redeem us of our sinful behaviour and empower us once more to do God's works. As Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
A believer who follows Christ will naturally lead a life of good works. We become more selfless, more generous, more gifted and more skilled as a result of Christ in our lives. Jesus did not come for nothing. In Jesus there is transformation, and the transformation that happens in us leads us to be a blessing to God's name and to other people.
When we are exposed to the fullness of Christ, we not only receive beautiful redemption and cleansing from our past sins. We are also progressively trained to change our old ways and do good things. It doesn't happen overnight, but it happens and we will see the results.
