Indicatives, Imperatives and our Victory in Christ

“The irony of gospel-based sanctification is that those who end up obeying more are those who increasingly realize that their standing with God is not based on their obedience, but Christ’s.

My cousin Ben and I were recently having a conversion about how as we grow older we realize more and more how our victory as a Christian is already won for us in Christ.

That is not to say that we have any grandiose ideas about leading sinless lives but rather that we are understanding the concept of grace and of all the power that is available to us in the finished work of Christ on the cross and through His resurrection.

As Jabe Nicholson once said "The price of our re-training was paid at the cross."

We may call this concept of victory in Christ by different names and terms but one thing is sure - when we begin to understand it and tap into it -  it is life-changing and gloriously beautiful.

 Below I try to explain a bit of what I mean by looking the the Biblical definition of grace and Gospel sanctification  - that is to say, not just salvation,  but also personal holiness, obedience and a vibrant life of ministry to God and others....


I recently read a quote from a book called “Surprised by Grace” that has perhaps put the idea of Grace ( not just being saved by grace but also living by it)  more concisely than I’ve heard it anywhere else:

“People need to hear less about what we need to do for God and more about all that God has already done for us, because:

Imperatives minus Indicatives equal Impossibilities.

 If you’re a preacher and you’re assuming that people understand the radical nature of gospel indicatives, so your ministry is focused primarily on gospel imperatives, you’re making a huge mistake.”

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Because I didn't know what those terms really meant , I looked into them further -

Imperative – “Indicating authority or command; urgent, necessary” (Webster’s). An imperative is a statement of what one must do.  


A Statement of what is true and what one must do. A Commandment.


Indicative – “Designating that mood of a verb used to express an act” (Webster’s). An indicative explains what is true. It is not a command but expresses the rationale behind the command. 

An Explanation of why its true. Also the Motivation ( love) and Empowerment ( The Holy Spirit and grace) to keep the Commandment. 

One more quote from that book that really sums it up for me:


“The irony of gospel-based sanctification is that those who end up obeying more are those who increasingly realize that their standing with God is not based on their obedience, but Christ’s.


 The people who actually end up performing better are those who understand that their relationship with God doesn’t depend on their performance for Jesus, but Jesus’ performance for us.”


Adapted from Tullian Tchividjian's book “Surprised By Grace”.

To understand a bit more of the Biblical reasoning for the above statement you may want to read Position and Practice - the Biblical Distinction

To read more about my personal story with this concept of "grace"  read When I Understood Grace...or at least began to

At the end of the day , to truly understand the concept of God’s grace – we need to experience it, not just read about it. The Holy Spirit has to reveal it to us.


 Start praying for that!