LESSON THREE

DOES GOD HAVE A RIGHT?

(Chapter 5)

CENTRAL IDEA

God does not owe us anything. All we have comes graciously from His hand, therefore we should be content and grateful for the lot in life He has given us. In Christ we are blessed with all spiritual riches, and in Christ all of God’s promises are fulfilled.

Warm-up

Imagine for a moment that you have worked hard for several years to save enough money to buy a car and that a close friend’s parents simply hand him money for a new car.

Does God Have a Right?

There is a very high sense of entitlement within modern society. Older people feel entitled to certain benefits from the government. Middle-aged people feel entitled to generous health and retirement benefits from their employers. Younger adults feel entitled to immediately enjoy the same standard of living their parents took years to achieve. And young people feel entitled to whatever material luxuries they desire.

Many observers of our culture are quite concerned about this pervasive sense of “rights” and expectations within our society as a whole. But for Christians, such a high sense of entitlement is especially detrimental to our spiritual lives. For one thing, God supplies all our needs and desires. Every good gift is from Him, regardless of the intermediate means through which that gift is supplied. As James said, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). However, God, through His providential workings, almost always uses some person or institution or other human instrumentality to meet our needs. Ultimately, though, He is the One who provides or withholds what we desire or think we need.

Because of the influence of our culture, we begin to be as demanding of our “rights” before God as we are toward people. It is bad enough, and certainly not very Christian, to have the attitude “The world owes me something just because I am,” but to have the attitude that God owes me something is exceedingly dangerous to spiritual health. It will ruin our relationship with God, nullify our effectiveness in ministry, and perhaps turn us bitter or resentful. Unlike our government, or school, or family, or employer, God will not “give in” to our sense of rights or respond to pressure tactics. We never win the battle of “rights” with God. He cares too much about our spiritual growth to let that happen.

Where does an emphasis on the fact that God doesn’t owe us anything leave us? In a word, it leaves us content, and “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).

Contentment with what we have —whether it is possessions, or station in life, or mental or physical abilities —is worth far, far more than all the things we don’t have.

I’m not suggesting we should always be satisfied with the status quo in every area of our lives and not pray for or seek improvement. Remember, God by His nature is graciously disposed to give us all good things (see Romans 8:32). But for all of us, there are certain things that are simply not going to change. In those areas we must learn to be content, always accepting the fact that God does not owe us something different.

The apostle Paul wrote, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1:20). What did Paul mean when he said all God’s promises are “Yes” in Christ?

First of all, Christ in His messianic mission is the personal fulfillment of all the promises in the Old Testament regarding a Savior and coming King. Beyond the actual fulfillment of all the promises made about Him, Christ is also the meritorious basis upon which all of God’s other promises depend.

As John Calvin wrote, “It is only in Christ that God the Father is graciously inclined toward us. His promises are the testimonies of His fatherly goodwill towards us.”[90] Thus it follows that they are fulfilled only in Christ.

Think just now of what you feel your greatest needs are, both spiritually and temporally. As you bring those needs to God in prayer, which would you rather present to Him as a consideration for meeting those needs: your spiritual disciplines, your obedience, and your sacrifice, imperfect as they are; or the infinite and perfect merit of Jesus? To ask the question is to answer it, is it not?

I don’t mean to disparage any spiritual discipline, commitment, or sacrifice. These all have their place in the realm of grace. But they are never to be relied on as a meritorious cause for expecting God’s blessing or answer to prayer.

If only we will learn to rest our entire case on the merits of Jesus Christ, instead of our own, and to be content with what God gives instead of demanding rights, we will learn the joy of living by grace and not by works. (Taken from chapter 5 of Transforming Grace.)

Exploring Grace

  1. Matthew 20:1-16 is the story of a generous landowner. Read this story and then answer these questions.
    1. a. Assuming the landowner represents God, what do we learn about the character of God from this story?
    2. b. What can you observe about human nature and how people tend to respond to the good fortune of others?
    3. c. With which worker do you identify?
    4. d. Why do people tend to think of the landowner as unfair instead of generous?
    5. e. What does this story tell us about what God’s grace means?
  2. Luke 7:1-10 is another helpful story. Read this story and then answer the following questions.
    1. a. On what basis did the Jewish elders appeal to Jesus to heal the centurion’s servant? (See verses 4-5.)
    2. b. What was the centurion’s perspective on what he deserved? (See verses 6-7.)
    3. c. Do you tend to operate like the elders or the centurion? Explain.
  3. a. According to Luke 17:10, what sort of attitude are we to have about the things we do for the Lord?
    1. b. How easy is it for you to feel that way?
  4. We are told in 1 Timothy 6:6 that if we stop expecting or demanding certain things, we will enjoy contentment.
    1. a. Are you failing to experience contentment in some areas of your life? If so, name some areas in which you struggle.
    2. b. In which of these areas do you need to take some action?
    3. c. In which areas do you need a change of attitude?
  5. We are not created equal, nor are we given equal opportunities throughout life. Each of us has our own unique set of circumstances. Those of some people are much more favorable than others. How do you think God wants us to respond to this fact?
  6. Read 2 Corinthians 1:20.
    1. a. What does this verse tell you about God’s promises and how they are fulfilled?
    2. b. How does this verse help you let go of your expectations and focus on what God has already done?

Closing Prayer

Search your heart. Do you base your hope for improved circumstances in your life on trust in God’s love and contentment with whatever He decides, or do you focus on what you think you deserve? Do you think your attitude expresses more humble trust or resentful demanding? On your own, take a few minutes to write out a prayer expressing your thoughts and feelings to the Lord. Those who want can pray their prayers as you pray for the needs shared during your discussion.

Going Deeper (Extra questions for further study)

  1. What do the following verses say about our right to demand anything from God?
    • Job 41:11
    • Romans 11:35
  2. Today in our society we tend to have high expectations and a strong sense of our rights. Give some examples of these attitudes.
  3. What do the following verses tell us about the source of all that we have?
    1. 1 Chronicles 29:14, 16
    2. Isaiah 26:12
    3. Acts 17:25
    4. James 1:17
  4. The world is set up on a system of rewards for achievement at school and in the workplace. Why doesn’t God use the same system when it comes to our relationship with Him?

PONDERING GRACE (FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION)

See the two groups of labourers as they severally wend their way home that evening. As to amount of money in their pockets, they are all equal: but as to amount of content in their spirits there is a great difference. The last go home each with a penny his pocket, and astonished glad gratitude in his heart: their reward accordingly is a penny, and more. The first, on the contrary, go home each with a penny in his pocket, and corroding discontent in his soul: their reward accordingly is less than a penny.

William Arnot, Parables of Our Lord

Blessings at times come to us through our labors and at times without our labors, but never because of our labors; for God always gives them because of His undeserved mercy.

Martin Luther

Grace is not sought nor bought nor wrought. It is a free gift of Almighty God to needy mankind.

Billy Graham