Grace. Such a beautiful word. It is also a beautiful gift.
Grace is...
“The very center and core of the whole Bible is the doctrine of the grace of God.”
–J. Gresham Machen
“Grace” is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ.
Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the unmerited favor of God.
What are some ways people have defined grace?
“Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving.”(B.B. Warfield)
“Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.”(John Stott)
“[Grace] is God reaching downward to people who are in rebellion against Him.”(Jerry Bridges)
“Grace is unconditional love toward a person who does not deserve it.” (Paul Zahl)
Grace is most needed and best understood in the midst of sin, suffering, and brokenness. We live in a world of earning, deserving, and merit, and these result in judgment. That is why everyone wants and needs grace. Judgment kills. Only grace makes alive.
A shorthand for grace is “mercy, not merit.” Grace is the opposite of karma, which is all about getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve, and not getting what you do deserve.
While everyone desperately needs it, grace is not about us. Grace is fundamentally a word about God: his un-coerced initiative and pervasive, extravagant demonstrations of care and favor. Michael Horton writes, “In grace, God gives nothing less than Himself. Grace, then, is not a third thing or substance mediating between God and sinners, but is Jesus Christ in redeeming action.”
Christians live every day by the grace of God. We receive forgiveness according to the riches of God’s grace, and grace drives our sanctification. Paul tells us, “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” (Titus 2:11). Spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight; we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 2:18). Grace transforms our desires, motivations, and behavior.
In fact, God’s grace grounds and empowers everything in the Christian life.
grace is the basis for:
· Our Christian identity: “By the grace of God I am what I am.” (1 Corinthians 1:10) (1)
Christians live every day by the grace of God. We receive forgiveness according to the riches of God’s grace, and grace drives our sanctification. Paul tells us, “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” (Titus 2:11). Spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight; we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 2:18). Grace transforms our desires, motivations, and behavior.
In fact, God’s grace grounds and empowers everything in the Christian life.
grace is the basis for:
· Our Christian identity: “By the grace of God I am what I am.” (1 Corinthians 1:10) (1)
I am truly saved by Grace. As I wrote in my earlier blog post, "It Was Then that I Carried You", it was by the Lord's Grace that I have been Redeemed. I find it truly astounding that the Lord showers us with with blessings of Grace and Redeeming Love.
God's Love...
God loves us with Atoning love.
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
God’s love for us is what motivated Him to send Christ into the world to save us. Christ paid for our sins, which had separated us from Him. This sacrifice not only brings us peace with God, it also brings us into a personal, loving relationship with Him. (Romans 5:1-5)
God’s atoning love through Christ is the source of all our spiritual blessings.
God loves us with Calling love.
“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
Another way God shows His love for us is by calling us out of the darkness of sin and into the light of relationship with Him.
Even more, because God has called us to Himself, He promises to protect that relationship (John 10:28) and never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5)
“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
Another way God shows His love for us is by calling us out of the darkness of sin and into the light of relationship with Him.
Even more, because God has called us to Himself, He promises to protect that relationship (John 10:28) and never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5)
God’s calling love is a promise to always be with us.
God loves us with Redeeming love.
“God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Rom 8:3-4)
Because of our sinful nature, we have no power to fulfill God’s law. But God’s love is shown through Christ who redeemed, or paid, the price we owed for our rebellion.
God’s redeeming love frees us from guilt and fear.
“God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Rom 8:3-4)
Because of our sinful nature, we have no power to fulfill God’s law. But God’s love is shown through Christ who redeemed, or paid, the price we owed for our rebellion.
God’s redeeming love frees us from guilt and fear.
God loves us with Justifying love.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” (Rom 3:23-25)
God’s love is shown by justifying us (or declaring us innocent) by grace through faith in Christ. Christ is treated as if he were the sinner, and the sinner is treated as if he were the righteous one. God now sees us through Christ’s righteousness instead of through our sin.
God’s justifying love allows us to stand accepted before Him.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” (Rom 3:23-25)
God’s love is shown by justifying us (or declaring us innocent) by grace through faith in Christ. Christ is treated as if he were the sinner, and the sinner is treated as if he were the righteous one. God now sees us through Christ’s righteousness instead of through our sin.
God’s justifying love allows us to stand accepted before Him.
God loves us with Adopting love.
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”” (Romans 8:15)
God shows His love for us by not only forgiving us of our sins, but by going even further and bringing us into His family. He has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. (Col 1:12) This inheritance includes salvation, strength, hope, peace, comfort, providence,
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”” (Romans 8:15)
God shows His love for us by not only forgiving us of our sins, but by going even further and bringing us into His family. He has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. (Col 1:12) This inheritance includes salvation, strength, hope, peace, comfort, providence,
relationship and so much more!
God’s adopting love allows us to call Him “Father”.
6) God loves us with Sanctifying love.
“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)
Still another way God also shows His love is by sanctifying, or setting us apart, for His purpose. We’re sanctified in two ways: positionally and progressively.
We’re sanctified “positionally” when we come to Christ. In the Old Testament the priests would continually make sacrifices because they never permanently paid for sin. But Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice and has paid for our sins once and for all. So we’ve sanctified, or set apart, to obtain salvation through Christ Jesus.
We’re also sanctified “progressively” throughout our Christian lives. Progressive sanctification isn’t about our salvation — we’re saved by grace and not by works (Eph 2:8-9) — it’s about how we live after we’ve been saved.
Progressive sanctification is the process of dying to sin and living for Christ by becoming more like Him. It’s about producing the fruits of the Spirit as opposed to producing the fruits of the flesh. (Gal 5:19-23)
God’s sanctifying love sets us apart for His special plans.
God loves us with Glorifying love.
“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:1-2)
Finally, God shows His love by glorifying us. Throughout our lives we’ll wrestle with sin, but we’re promised that the good work God begins in us will be completed. (Phil 1:6) When we go to be with the Lord our sinful nature will be left behind and we’ll like Him, and with Him, forever.
God’s glorifying love is the ultimate destination for Christians. (2)
“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:1-2)
Finally, God shows His love by glorifying us. Throughout our lives we’ll wrestle with sin, but we’re promised that the good work God begins in us will be completed. (Phil 1:6) When we go to be with the Lord our sinful nature will be left behind and we’ll like Him, and with Him, forever.
God’s glorifying love is the ultimate destination for Christians. (2)
I truly felt like I "wrestled with God" for years...well most of my life. Until I accepted his several types of love, and learned to rest in his Grace.
Relaxing in God's Grace...
Five Ways to Relax in God’s Grace
BY RICK WARREN — MARCH 25, 2014
“Be careful that no one fails to receive God’s grace.” (I love this verse because it shows that He is dying to give you Grace, which is so humble and astounding. -S&S) (Hebrews 12:15)
How do you learn to “R.E.L.A.X.” in the liberating grace of God?
Realize nobody’s perfect.
Psalm 119:96 says, “Nothing is perfect except your words” (LB). What society tells you isn’t perfect. What popular opinion tells you isn’t perfect. What you learned growing up isn’t perfect. But God’s Word is perfect. When you get in the Bible and build your life on it, you will have a perfect foundation.
Enjoy God’s unconditional love.
The Bible says, “See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children — think of it — and we really are!” (1 John 3:1) When you become a follower of Christ, you’re not just a servant of God anymore. You are a child of the King. A servant is accepted on the basis of what he does; a child is accepted on the basis of who he is. A servant starts the day anxious and worried that his work will please his master; a child rests in the secure love of his family. A servant is accepted because of his workmanship; a child is accepted because of his relationship.
Let God handle things.
What do you do about the uncontrollable things in life? “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). When you cast a line, there comes a point where you have to take your finger off the button and let it go. Just like the essence of casting is letting go, to overcome perfectionism, you have to let go and let God do his work.
Act in faith, not fear.
Remember how you got into God’s family in the first place. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.” There’s no other way to get into Heaven except by grace. You’ll never be good enough, and you can’t buy your way in. It’s a free gift from God.
Exchange your perfectionism for God’s peace.
Perfectionism destroys peace. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-29, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.... Learn the unforced rhythms of grace” (MSG). What a deal!
You’re going to fail a lot in life. But you don’t have to worry about it if you’ve received God’s grace. In fact, there’s only one failure you ever need to worry about: “Be careful that no one fails to receive God’s grace” (Hebrews 12:15a NCV). Receive it right now, and then relax!
Talk It Over
What troubles or grudges or guilt can you let go of when you understand that nobody’s perfect?
What are some other aspects of God’s love that can help you relax?
How do you need to respond today to God’s offer of grace?
(2) 7 Ways God Loves Us. (2014, January 1). Retrieved January 1, 2014.
ReplyDeleteKayla, finally got a chance to catch up on your blog. Loved your analysis and information on GRACE, aren't we so blessed to have and know of that gift in our lives?! Love you friend! Hope you are happy and well!! Thanks for sharing such a deep piece of you on here!