“For the law was given through Moses;
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17
What is grace? It is difficult to define grace and all that it encompasses. It is a theological term for how God views us and treats us. In its simplest form it means “unmerited favour”; in other words, receiving something we never earned and quite frankly don’t deserve. The 19th century writer, Andrew Murray, defined grace this way:
“The redeeming work of Christ and the righteousness He won for us, equally with the work of the Spirit in us and the power of the new life He brings, are spoken of as “grace”.
However, to get from a head knowledge of grace to a heart knowledge of this unique and beautiful concept can take years - if it happens at all. Oh but the journey is worth it. God’s grace is the most unexpected, breath taking thing I have ever experienced.
Grace, She Travels Outside of Karma
Like him or not, Bono, the leader singer of Irish band U2, seems to have an uncanny understanding of grace. He shows this in the gentle but profound song aptly named “Grace”. Here is one sample of the lyrics:
While grace is something humans find perplexing, karma is all too relatable. People are eager for someone who has wronged them to get their karma or “payback”. Karma is an ancient belief in the spiritual form of “Cause and Effect”, that there are consequences for your actions. And, of course, there is truth in this idea. Even the Bible talks about the concept:
However, when one inspects Karma further, we realize how brutal it can be - even to the point of believing people were born into certain societal “castes” because of a misguided previous life. But the Gospel of Christ interrupts this whole cycle of cause and effect with a radically different idea – Grace.
What Grace Is Not
It often helps us to understand something by examining what it is not. For example, many people, Christians included, fear that grace will only lead to lawlessness. If we do not receive punishment for bad behavior how will we ever learn? How will the world keep on spinning? But grace is not the lack of law or justice (sometimes referred to as antinomianism). If anything God’s grace motivates and empowers us to keep law and seek justice. God’s grace is meant to enable us to obey God. If we’re not obeying God then something has gone wrong. Either we have failed to fully embrace and rely on God’s grace or we are simply abusing it.
Others will undoubtedly bristle at the thought of “receiving something we never earned” – especially in this day and age of participation trophies and the like. But what we have to understand about God’s grace is that although we did not earn it, Jesus did. Grace is a lot like a gift card. We did not earn the money on the card but the giver of that card did and they want to bless us with it because they love and appreciate us.
In the same way, Jesus paid the penalty of sin on the cross and now the redemption of our souls is offered to each and every one as a free gift of grace by faith as we turn towards God in repentance. It’s not simply that we are too lazy to earn God’s grace, it is that we are simply incapable of it. It must be a gift or we could never obtain it and in order to enjoy it we must personally receive it. As Philip Yancey put it: “Guilt exposes our longing for grace.”
Just a reminder though - Our initial salvation (Justification) is by grace alone. However, relying on grace to become more holy (Sanctification) does not mean that we never make an effort. As Dallas Willard reminds us – “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.”
Grace Is Unique
In his book “What’s So Amazing about Grace?” Philip Yancey describes the following:
“During a British conference on comparative religions, experts debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith… the debate went on for some time until C.S. Lewis wandered into the room. “What’s the rumpus about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among the world religions. Lewis replied, “Oh, That’s easy. It’s grace.” After some discussion, the conferees had to agree.”
Most people, if they believe in God, have the notion that when they die their good deeds will be weighed against their bad deeds. Depending on the life they lived (and their own version of events) they will be admitted entrance into Heaven or they won’t. The vast majority of world religions boil down to this formula but Christ preached grace – a novel idea if there ever was one. Now not all Christ’s follower’s exhibit that grace but, nonetheless, Him whom they profess to follow did.
Imperatives and Indicatives
Not long ago I read about the difference between an indicative and an imperative and how it applies to the Christian life (and life in general).
An imperative means “Authority or command; urgent, necessary” (Webster’s). An imperative is a statement of what one must do (like a commandment).
An indicative on the other hand is defined as “Designating that mood of a verb used to express an act” (Webster’s). An indicative is not a command but expresses the rationale behind the command. In other words, it provides an explanation of why it’s true and, in the case of grace, it also provides the motivation and empowerment to keep the commandment. At Church, we often hear about the imperatives (what we must do) but we do not always hear about the indicatives (why and how we do it).
Grace, She Travels Outside of Karma
Like him or not, Bono, the leader singer of Irish band U2, seems to have an uncanny understanding of grace. He shows this in the gentle but profound song aptly named “Grace”. Here is one sample of the lyrics:
“She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty
In everything”
While grace is something humans find perplexing, karma is all too relatable. People are eager for someone who has wronged them to get their karma or “payback”. Karma is an ancient belief in the spiritual form of “Cause and Effect”, that there are consequences for your actions. And, of course, there is truth in this idea. Even the Bible talks about the concept:
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows,
that will he also reap.” Galatians 6:7
However, when one inspects Karma further, we realize how brutal it can be - even to the point of believing people were born into certain societal “castes” because of a misguided previous life. But the Gospel of Christ interrupts this whole cycle of cause and effect with a radically different idea – Grace.
What Grace Is Not
It often helps us to understand something by examining what it is not. For example, many people, Christians included, fear that grace will only lead to lawlessness. If we do not receive punishment for bad behavior how will we ever learn? How will the world keep on spinning? But grace is not the lack of law or justice (sometimes referred to as antinomianism). If anything God’s grace motivates and empowers us to keep law and seek justice. God’s grace is meant to enable us to obey God. If we’re not obeying God then something has gone wrong. Either we have failed to fully embrace and rely on God’s grace or we are simply abusing it.
Others will undoubtedly bristle at the thought of “receiving something we never earned” – especially in this day and age of participation trophies and the like. But what we have to understand about God’s grace is that although we did not earn it, Jesus did. Grace is a lot like a gift card. We did not earn the money on the card but the giver of that card did and they want to bless us with it because they love and appreciate us.
In the same way, Jesus paid the penalty of sin on the cross and now the redemption of our souls is offered to each and every one as a free gift of grace by faith as we turn towards God in repentance. It’s not simply that we are too lazy to earn God’s grace, it is that we are simply incapable of it. It must be a gift or we could never obtain it and in order to enjoy it we must personally receive it. As Philip Yancey put it: “Guilt exposes our longing for grace.”
Just a reminder though - Our initial salvation (Justification) is by grace alone. However, relying on grace to become more holy (Sanctification) does not mean that we never make an effort. As Dallas Willard reminds us – “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.”
Grace Is Unique
In his book “What’s So Amazing about Grace?” Philip Yancey describes the following:
“During a British conference on comparative religions, experts debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith… the debate went on for some time until C.S. Lewis wandered into the room. “What’s the rumpus about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among the world religions. Lewis replied, “Oh, That’s easy. It’s grace.” After some discussion, the conferees had to agree.”
Most people, if they believe in God, have the notion that when they die their good deeds will be weighed against their bad deeds. Depending on the life they lived (and their own version of events) they will be admitted entrance into Heaven or they won’t. The vast majority of world religions boil down to this formula but Christ preached grace – a novel idea if there ever was one. Now not all Christ’s follower’s exhibit that grace but, nonetheless, Him whom they profess to follow did.
Imperatives and Indicatives
Not long ago I read about the difference between an indicative and an imperative and how it applies to the Christian life (and life in general).
An imperative means “Authority or command; urgent, necessary” (Webster’s). An imperative is a statement of what one must do (like a commandment).
An indicative on the other hand is defined as “Designating that mood of a verb used to express an act” (Webster’s). An indicative is not a command but expresses the rationale behind the command. In other words, it provides an explanation of why it’s true and, in the case of grace, it also provides the motivation and empowerment to keep the commandment. At Church, we often hear about the imperatives (what we must do) but we do not always hear about the indicatives (why and how we do it).
To quote Murray again: "It is not only at conversion… but throughout all our life,
at each step of the way, and amidst the highest attainments of the most
advanced saint; we owe everything to grace and grace alone.”
As John 1:17 states, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. If we look at truth as an imperative and grace as an indicative, it soon begins to makes sense. We can only live up to the “truth” because we have understood and received the “grace”. Too often Christians view grace and truth as two competing ideas and only one can win. In reality, they are meant to be blended together in a beautiful mixture that should be irresistible to both the believer and the unbeliever. Jesus Christ is the perfect embodiment of this blend.
My Story of Grace
Now let’s make all of this personal. I was blessed to have become a Christian at a very young age. I seemed to understand that I was saved or forgiven by grace as an initial entrance into Christianity (what some call Justification) but somehow I had no idea that the same grace applied to me trying to live out my Christian life (what some call Sanctification). It took me a very long time to understand at the heart level that grace was not only the vehicle by which I came through the gate but also the vehicle by which I would navigate the road ahead of me.
After a very ugly mental and spiritual breakdown, the details of which I will not get into here, a profound and spiritually powerful thing happened to me. I remember, very clearly, sitting on my bed in my apartment on Spruce Street in Prince George, BC struggling to understand God. I was reading a book by Andrew Murray, the same beloved Christian author I quoted earlier. I don’t even remember which book it was or the chapter –but he was talking about the difference between the “Old Covenant” (i.e. the Law of Moses) and the New Covenant (i.e. the Gospel of Grace) and how important it was for the believer to understand the difference.
The concept of grace slowly began to sink into my heart. Not just for my justification but also for my sanctification (i.e. becoming more like Jesus, striving for holiness, evangelism and living the Christian life more and more effectively). I kid you not, as this truth slowly saturated into my heart and mind, I felt a powerful force was lifted off of me… chains of bondage were shattered and I was free. I understood (or at least began to understand) grace.
Although I continue to struggle in daily grasping the concept of grace, that day changed my life forever. Someone once described what I call legalism as “The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” That may sound a bit harsh but it certainly described me. When I did not allow God’s grace to penetrate my life I became bitter and proud. I was not just hard on myself but on those I loved as well. Grace changed everything for me…
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18
