On The Subject of Grace and Conviction

We operate our churches (and our lives) today with the idea that there must be a balance between grace and conviction, intended to accommodate the desires of the church body (and ourselves). When grace becomes too prevalent, when we've taken too much advantage, we emphasize conviction, usually in the form of self-defeat or legalistic response (more discipline is the answer!).

The opposite is true as well. When we find ourselves and our church becoming too dependent upon our rules and regulations, we fight back with "grace." Typically "cheap grace," (to cite Dietrich Bonhoeffer) that disregards truth for the sake of acceptance.

We must understand that grace and conviction do not counter-act each other. We cannot be misled into believing that the answer is balance. If we truly believe in the mystery and sovereignty of our Lord and Creator, we should see that both must be fully present at all times, existing coequally and concurrently.

I pray that we would not continue to make the detrimental mistake of attacking truth with truth, and instead remember that truth is a confirmation, not a weapon.