Distorted Viewpoint: Grace is Based on My Performance

This is the view that grace is conditional, and this looks like these statements:

“I’m not good at being a Christian, so God doesn’t give me as much grace.”
“God is only going to bless me if I spend enough time in prayer and at church.”
“I can’t do faith stuff like my Pastor or DCE – and if I can’t do it as good as them, I won’t receive God’s favor.”
“If I keep messing up, God will stop giving me his favor and forgiveness.”

Better Viewpoint: God’s love & grace are unconditional, free gifts through faith in Christ and God’s promises

Grace is not earned by performance; it is given because of who God is and what Christ has done. Grace is not God’s response to our effort—it is God’s loving response to our need. Here are some important verses to remember:

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Talking Points and Questions for Discussion

Our students often live in a culture of performance. They might feel the need to do well academically to get a good enough GPA to have a chance at the college they want. Or that they need to earn their place on the varsity sports team or the 1st chair in band. Some even approach their relationships with others this way. Even more so, some can develop panic/anxiety attacks centered around FOMU (Fear of messing up).

Remind your students:

The GRACE acronym. God’s.Riches.At.Christ’s.Expense.
that they are God’s child and God (and you as parents) will never stop loving them and forgiving them.
that If grace were based on how good we are, no one would receive it.
that while we should strive for spiritual maturity in our knowledge, practice, and habits -God’s grace for us isn’t based on our performance in those areas.
At the same time, remind them that God’s word is “alive and active” and that God has promised forgiveness through the Lord’s Supper. Participating in these activities is a means that God established for us to receive His grace/forgiveness, but it isn’t dependent upon our performance and how well we do them – just that we show up in faith and with open hands to receive.

Questions you might ask:

What messages does our culture send about worth, success, and failure?
Are your friendships easy or hard? Do you feel that you have to work hard to maintain your relationships with friends, family, or even God?
How are you blessed by God? Why do you receive those blessings from Him?
Do you ever think God would bless you more if you were a better Christian?
When you think about God, do you picture Him more as a coach keeping score of sins and good deeds, or more as a loving parent who doesn’t walk away even when you mess up? Why?

God’s grace to you today!
~Nathan