Do You Judge God's Gift of Grace?

Written By:
Terah K. B.

God’s gift of grace is an amazing thing! It’s a mystery that we cannot fathom. Our human minds just cannot understand the concept of grace. Why would Jesus give His life for sinners that did not care? Why would our God heap blessings upon us when we least deserve them? And if we do not even understand grace, then why are we so presumptuous as to judge God’s gift of grace in other’s lives? This final question is very humbling.

According to Romans 3:23, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” We are no more worthy of grace than the person standing next to us. Why, then, do we judge what amount of grace they should be allotted? Grace cannot be earned! For instance, let us look at the following example:

If ever a man deserved something special or an easy road in this world, it was Jesus, who was the epitome of all perfection. And instead, Jesus received a crucifixion. Now, Peter, on the other hand, denied even knowing Jesus three times over. But did Jesus deny knowing him in return? No! Jesus said to him, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:32) Jesus knew that Peter would be afraid, that Peter would fail, and that Peter would deny knowing him three times. Jesus knew, but still He prayed. He prayed that Peter, even after denying him, would regain faith. And Jesus instructed Peter, “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Did Peter deserve to return after turning his back on Jesus? Did Peter deserve to even strengthen his brothers in Christ after such a denial of Christ? No. But God allowed him these privileges. The perfect Son of God received crucifixion, and the sinful Peter received redemption. Grace can definitely not be earned!

Why, then, if grace cannot be earned, do we judge who should receive God’s grace? Who are we to dictate which person should receive a blessing of grace and which person should not? “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4) We each are a servant of our master, God. What we will be allotted is dictated by God. This applies to earth and to Heaven. We do not know why God would give an undeserving person more of the very thing that he does not deserve. And we do not know why God would give less of that same thing to someone who does deserve it. We do not understand because we do not understand grace. Perhaps God does these things to draw His children to a closer walk with Him. Perhaps He uses these things as a tool to build our faith. Our God is omniscient. We humans only know what God has allowed us to know. We should not presume to know whether a person should be allotted God’s grace or not.

If grace cannot be earned and we cannot know who needs grace, then as Paul says in Romans 14:13a, “Let us therefore not judge one another anymore.” Let us not judge those who receive God’s grace, but let us instead trust God who works in ways we cannot fathom. After all, “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” (Romans 14:10b) So let us each concentrate on our own personal walk with the Lord. Let us count our own blessings, each of which we also do not deserve.