You might be wondering why I even think it matters. Clearly, both are important, but I haven't understood the need to have a grasp on this until this year. The more I've thought and studied, the greater importance I've discovered. I was raised with an... https://twitter.com/CBKimbrell/status/1362440811850452992

... emphasis on obedience. I think this teaching was done in good faith as a Romans chapter 6 response to an errant teaching of "grace has you covered and you can do whatever you please". That emphasis on obedience, however, mislead me into thinking that my walk with God was...

... dependant upon my ability to do good and avoid sin. It was as if I was walking a tightrope just trying not to fall, and my balance depended upon MY ability. This isn't how it's supposed to be. Grace isn't something you can earn. What a foolish mindset I had that I was...

... earning God's approval by my own doing. When we put this type of expectation on ourselves (and especially others) we set ourselves up for failure. It's not up to us to impress God. For starters, we're not that good, and when we think this way, we forget that Jesus did that...

...for us. Our obedience should be a response to God's amazing grace through faith in Christ. Understanding this takes a huge weight off of us. A weight that Christ already bore. The "walking the tightrope" feeling can lead us to bitterness toward God because we're never going...

...to be able to do it on our own. We aren't without responsibility however, as we CAN refuse to accept God's grace, but upon accepting Him, know that you have an advocate in Christ telling both you and God "I got this." Grace came before our obedience.
-Romans chapters 1-8

Feel free to discuss. One of the things I gleaned from this study is that since I can't pay it back, I ought to pay it forward by having grace for you if you disagree with me. I'm still a work in progress on that.