How amazing is grace? Here is a great word from Michael Horton.
There's always been a suspicion that grace is a little too comforting.
That the news is too good, it's a little dangerous to tell people that
it's all of God, all of grace. Unleashed in its full force such
preaching would surely undermine all sense of moral earnestness. The
fear of punishment and hope of rewards is the only thing that can
really get us off the dime, even though on our deathbed we may be told
that Christ is enough after all. A lot of Christians today can tell
similar stories, when they became a Christian they were told that
Christ died for their sins past, present, and future, and promised
eternal life to all who believe. But then, after their conversion, they
were gradually buried under a weight of conditions. If you follow these
steps you can live the victorious Christian life. If you do this God
will smile upon you. What, you're not living in victory? Perhaps you're
not following the steps. Start over. Rededicate yourself, try harder.
It's actually pretty easy, you know, especially with the help of the
Holy Spirit. Eventually, having begun in the Spirit, they're trying to
be perfected in the flesh, because that's the message they're getting,
or at least thinking they're getting, in church.