Turn to Galatians 2, where we begin our study with verse 20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Interestingly, that phrase can be translated: I live by faith in the Son of God, and I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God. The text lends itself to either rendering. When you read them together like that, both readings complement and strengthen each other.

Now verse 21: I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. Paul says, I do not nullify, or as the King James version translates it, I do not frustrate the grace of God. That is my subject. What does it mean to frustrate the grace of God?

There was a woman who commissioned a photographer to take her picture. She looked at the proofs and said, “I’m really not satisfied. These pictures don’t do me justice.” “Ma’am,” he replied, “You do not want justice. You need mercy.” [laughter]

That is us, is it not? We want justice when what we really need is mercy. Fortunately, when it comes to our relationship with the LORD God, he does not accept us on our terms. He accepts us on Yeshua’s terms. And our Father in Heaven, who abounds in grace, does indeed give us mercy, both in our salvation and in our sanctification. But we, being the stubborn people we are, continually find ways to frustrate, block, hinder, and stifle it.

What does it mean to frustrate the grace of God?

Let us start by diagnosing symptoms of the condition. Here are some subtle yet significant markers that, once identified by the Spirit of that gracious God, can be dealt with decisively. Are you with me?

The first characteristic of frustrating the grace of God is being under the tyranny of the oughts.

What is that? The nagging feeling of never doing well enough for God. It is a persistent, prevailing sense of not being good enough and not doing enough for God. “I ought to be,” and “I ought to have done” shape the way you talk to yourself. That is the tyranny of the oughts.

The three favorite phrases of people who are burdened by this false perfectionism are could have, should have, and would have. Can anybody relate to this? Persistent feelings of unworthiness result in a tendency towards morbid introspection, questioning, and self-accusation.

The second characteristic of frustrating the grace of God follows the first. It is constant self-deprecation, berating, and putting oneself down.

Interestingly, these two characteristics are primarily identified in the way you talk to yourself. You have a continuous sense of low self-esteem in relation to God, so you criticize yourself. You carry an unhealthy weight, evidenced by a vague, nagging feeling that God is never really pleased with you.

“Oh, He accepts me,” you say. “I understand that theologically.” But psychologically, you have the feeling that He does not like you. He really does not find you acceptable or pleasing in his sight. All of this is related to the image of God we hold deep in our souls. Is that image biblical? That is an important question; one we will get to in this study.

In our efforts to win God’s approval and to elevate our self-esteem, we get on a spiritual treadmill, running faster and faster and faster. We try harder and harder, but we never quite achieve what we believe we should achieve. The result is we do not come into a real sense of God’s peace, His shalom. We remain in a condition of restlessness and discontent.

I remember the words of a wise preacher, a man whose life was devoted to the kingdom. He said, “If I had my life to live over again, I think I would try to do less for God and let God do more through me.” His honesty shines a light on the fact that these characteristics that frustrate grace often come from high motives.

The third characteristic of frustrating the grace of God is an overactive conscience leading to a kind of ongoing, undefinable anxiety.

It is like a dark cloud of guilt hovering over you. It is not, brothers and sisters, the cloud of God’s glory, His Shekinah. No, it is a shadowy sort of turbulent guilt and anxiety accompanied by a sense of foreboding, of condemnation.

Praise the Living God that His Spirit breaks in like the sun through dark and rainy clouds, maybe by attending a special gathering or hearing an anointed teaching. We experience a wonderful sense of freedom. We go to the altar, we pray, and people pray with us. There is an emotional catharsis, a release of our anxiety. And for a while, we have a wonderful sense of God’s presence and approval in our lives. But then, slowly but surely, those clouds begin to creep back over again, attempting to block out the light.

If any of this bears witness with you, here is an important principle. Is the anxiety at work in you a general feeling or a specific thought? Can you pinpoint the source of guilt and condemnation, or is it vague and hazy?

When the Holy Spirit brings a sense of conviction, it is specific.

He makes it clear what you have or have not said or done. Why? Because God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. His grace offers you specific mercy for specific sins. You can come before Him and repent, in Messiah Jesus our Lord. You can go to another, confess, and seek restitution. This is the way of the Holy God.

In contrast, if you suffer from a sense of inadequacy, guilt, and condemnation, that is not the voice of your Savior. It is the Adversary, the way of the one who accuses. Do not walk in it. That is your own doing and the undoing of your witness.

James reminds us that it is God who gives more grace. He continues in 4:7, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Stand in solidarity with the scriptural testimony: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). Hallelujah!

Before identifying a couple more of the characteristics that frustrate the grace of God, let me offer some personal, even pastoral reflections. I rarely encounter these things at work in the proud, the haughty. They are those who believe they have God figured out and are not open to Jesus’ call to discipleship as he intended. That too frustrates the grace of God.

Also, it seems certain personality types are more susceptible to giving in to these temptations. However, from my experience, these things tend to plague each of us whenever we make an effort to press forward in our discipleship, when we seek to have a tender heart before our great Creator. When we intentionally set out to be faithful every day to God’s call on our lives, that is when we are confronted by the wolf in sheep’s clothing. By Satan himself, disguised as an angel of light.

The good news is that when we see the symptoms, we can apply the cure. And we can help others do the same, in Jesus’ Name. As we proceed in this study, we will see that God’s desire for us is to live in the freedom of grace exemplified in the life and words of Jesus: “Do not be anxious about your life.” Paul, echoing the Master, exhorts us: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God (Phil 4:6). What is the result? The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.