As Believers in Jesus Christ, we know that we are saved only because of our Heavenly Father’s amazing grace through the atoning work of His Son on the Cross; that the Father and Son are One; and we are now one with them through the indwelling Holy Spirit which we received at the moment of belief. I like to call this our “3-in-1” faith: Once we put our trust in Jesus as our Savior, we become children of God the Father and are empowered by His Spirit to walk in His ways. Worship leader Phil Wickham calls the Christian walk, “The Jesus Way” in his newly released song by the same name. I encourage you to listen to it here. What does The Jesus Way look like IRL (“in real life”)?
When we have a choice to make and ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” the answer is to always err on the side of grace. But what does grace look like IRL for a Christian? It means always choosing to forgive an offense and never retaliating (not even passively aggressive) or holding onto a grudge. It means speaking words of encouragement rather than offering criticism (not even the constructive kind). Sometimes it means putting the needs and sensitivities of others before our own, so that we are always reflecting the love of Christ – shining Jesus’ light in an otherwise dark world or situation. It means that, because of His Spirit in us, we choose righteousness over having to prove ourselves “right” when we are in disagreement with those God has given us to love.
As you can see, grace doesn’t just happen naturally. It’s supernatural. It’s our spiritual gift. Let’s share it abundantly with others IRL. “For what the Law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4)
