At Redeemer we talk a lot about how we are saved by grace, not by our good works or obedience to the law. Indeed, Paul says we are not ‘under law’ but ‘under grace’ (Romans 6:15.) But what does that mean as far as having an obligation to submit to God’s will as written in his Word? Do we still have to obey the law? Absolutely.
 

Stewardship and generous giving is one of the most important ways we know that the grace of God has taken hold of us. Paul says this repeatedly in 2 Corinthians 8-9. In 9:13 he writes, “Through this service, which proves who you are, you will glorify God by your obedience in acknowledging the gospel of Christ, and by the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others; while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God in you.” This is a theologically rich and dense statement! Paul speaks of ‘acknowledging’ the gospel of Christ, a word that means to constantly seek to bring your actual life practices into accord with it. It means to ask, “If Jesus sacrificed everything for me, if I am now loved and secure in him, if I am saved by grace—how should that affect the way I live?”