Reaction, Relief, or Renewal?

It is quite common for people who are rediscovering grace to react against the habits of their previous legalism. To be more accurate, they commonly overreact into other forms of error. It is like when your are driving and you lose control of the car, there is overcorrection. If you are overreaction you will associate all busyness or stress with legalism. If before you overemphasized the role of human effort or choices, you may swing to the opposite extreme of underemphasizing your choices, underemphasizing your role in spiritual growth. If before, you suffering from overextending and mindless activism, you might swing in reaction to passivity or inwardness.
One of the truest tests of spiritual renewal is active, enthusiastic love for people. I am talking a about a “want to” love for others. Perhaps some people, at least some of the time, want relief more than renewal. That is, they want a vacation more than renovation. I know that has been true of me many times. We know enough about the deceitfulness of sin from scripture that it should not surprise us that our sin nature, with the help of the devil would twist and pervert the teaching of grace into these extremes.
People touched by grace are eager to do deeds of love, to work hard and even suffer. It is not only that grace motivates active love, the practice of active love strengthens the impact of grace in your heart. I think this is because when you do something, or talk about something, that something is reinforced and driven deeper. When grace moves from an abstract idea to an activity—especially an interpersonal activity, grace is experienced as more real. It also works the other way. If grace is not acted on in practical ways, it has limited impact and feels “unreal.” This seems to be the idea behind passages like 1 John 4:12; John 4:34; and Acts 20:35.