Guilt, Grace, Gratitude

"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." – Hebrews 12:28–29

There are some verses in the Bible that stop us in our tracks. These two verses are worthy of much meditation. They invite us to a deeper kind of worship—one that burns with gratitude, reverence, and awe before a holy God.

The gospel and its transforming power can be summarized by three G’s: Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude. The Christian life begins with the convicting work of the Spirit, where we recognize the miserable condition of our souls. We are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory. Our natural state is spiritual guilt, and we are under God’s wrath and judgment.

However, God did not leave us to our own destruction. He extends grace to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is freely offered to us through the gospel. When we receive and rest upon Christ for salvation, we stand before God as justified. The proper response to such grace is a heart that burns with gratitude. That is what these verses from Hebrews 12 demonstrate.

A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

Though we live in a world that feels like it’s falling apart, the author of Hebrews tells us that if we are in Christ, we belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken. This is not just a future promise—it is a present reality.

It is a kingdom that no political power can topple. It is a kingdom that cannot be overtaken. No storm or war can destroy it. This is the kingdom to which we belong. And that should lead us to one response—worship.

Acceptable Worship

It has always struck me that the author doesn’t say, “Worship however you feel like.” Instead, he says, “offer to God acceptable worship.” This goes to the heart of the second commandment. If the first commandment teaches us to worship the one true God, the second commandment teaches us to worship the one true God in the way He has prescribed.

In Hebrews 12:28–29, we see three characteristics of “acceptable worship.” It is:

• Grateful – because grace has given us what we didn’t deserve.

• Reverent – because God is holy and infinitely beyond us.

• Awe-filled – because we’re standing before a consuming fire.

  
  

True worship isn’t about style. It’s about a heart posture before God. It is not a performance to earn God’s approval. It is a response to His majesty.

God is a consuming fire.

Consuming Fire

Hebrews 12:29 tells us that “God is a consuming fire.” This phrase reaches back to Deuteronomy 4:24: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” In Deuteronomy, God warns Israel not to worship idols. If they do, they will face judgment—the God who is a consuming fire.

God is not just a grandfatherly figure, nor is He simply our buddy. He is not a God to be trifled with. Apart from grace, God is unapproachable. Apart from grace, His holiness is a consuming fire.

But the same God who judges sin is the God who gave Himself for sinners. Jesus absorbed the fire of God’s justice so that we could stand before Him in mercy. The very God who once threatened death to sinners now invites the redeemed to draw near with boldness. In Christ, we are adopted as God’s sons. He is our Father.

In light of this glorious reality, our lives must reflect the weight and wonder of the God we worship. Acceptable worship is not confined to a moment on Sunday—it is the continual offering of ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).

When we understand the unshakable kingdom we’ve received…When we see the grace that has rescued us from the fire…When we behold the holiness of the God who now calls us His children...our only fitting response is a life of worship marked by gratitude.