Our Denial and His Grace

John 13:38:

Jesus answered him, will you lay down your life for my sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied me three times.

Lately I have been studying in John for the past month or so. I came across the verse above. A verse I have read and heard many times over the years. This time I felt compelled to share on it. I feel we have all come to this point in our lives as christians. A point where we live for Christ and follow after him as Peter did and still manage to deny our relationship with our one true friend. Our Lord and saviour.

The thing is sometimes we deny Christ in the smallest of ways. It isn’t always a big situation like the one Peter was confronted with. Sometimes its not praying over our food in public because it isn’t the social norm. Sometimes its deciding not to talk to a co-worker or friend about Christ and his love for them because the fear of rejection or making them uncomfortable despite the call to do so. Sometimes its denying the ones we share this life and planet with. (Matthew 25:40-And the king will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my bretheren, you did it to me.)

Now you might be reading this and feeling convicted and terrible because you have done the things above in the past. I have and still do from time to time… but now time for the good news. I’m gonna chase a rabbit for a second.

To start with Christ himself is considered the word of God, and has been since the beginning. (Read John 1:1 and John 1:14) We have heard the word or scripture called the “Gospel” which many say means the Good news. I recently read that the actual Greek translation is reward for bringing good news. Which I find the word “reward” interesting. If Christ himself is the word and we share the word (Christ) we then gain the reward of Christ and Christ is the good news. That being said we can move on to my point.

Yes we feel convicted and terrible but the good news is Christ and his unfailing grace. Later on after Peter denied Christ three times he came to Peter and called him by name. That being said the same happens to us. No matter how many times we fail Christ or turn away and deny, he will always call us back by name. His grace and love covers all of our sins. The point of this isn’t to just tell you a story from the Bible. Its about what Peter did after grace covered him. After the denial was all over and the ultimate act of grace was shown, Peter continued to follow after Christ and spread the Good news and reap the reward (Christ) for doing so. And with that, so should we. Grace already covers us so we should accept that and all the holy spirit to change us and spread the word, spread Christ and gain him as our reward. Christ and his kingdom is the only reward worth obtaining afterall.