What is Grace?

The following discussion resulted from my personal study in Galatians 1:3.

Most anyone you ask in the average evangelical church would respond to the question, “what is grace?” with the reply “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” Others will reply, “Grace is God’s blessings in my life.” In fact, those are the descriptions I would have used myself until a few weeks ago. My complacent understanding was shattered by a rather mundane event. In my personal Bible study, I came across an old note in the margin of my Bible that completely shattered my complacent understanding of that familiar word, “grace.”

The revolution I experienced radically changed my perspective. What I came to realize was that both of these definitions of grace focus on the recipient of grace rather than the One who gives grace. The definitions include the truth that God gives grace, but the real emphasis in the minds of most Christians is on the benefit to the person who receives that grace. In that sense, grace is seen as the blessing of God, and the objective of grace is that God is glorified by showing his love and beneficence to His children. To put that in the common idiom, people would say that “grace is all about me and what makes my life better.”

Consider the foundation of our faith as Paul detailed it in Ephesians 2:8-10. Our Lord extends His grace in two aspects of our faith. We are saved by grace in that salvation is all the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast). We are also sanctified by grace which means we are set apart to live for Him by His sovereign work. Notice how the emphasis of grace turns from salvation in verses eight and nine to effective Christian living in verse ten. We are sanctified by grace which means we are set apart to live for Him by His sovereign work (Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them). Though we are the recipient of the benefits of God’s grace in both our salvation and our daily living in Christ, we have absolutely no reason to become self-centered and fail to see God’s broader purpose in His grace.

In one of my old Bibles, I have this note written in the margin next to 2 Corinthians 9:8 which effectively gives a true definition of Grace. This note dramatically awakened my understanding of God’s grace. Here is what I had written – Grace is God’s extension of His dynamic for His work.

That statement is so profound and so powerful it demands a close examination. The pivotal concept is in the meaning of the word “dynamic.” In its noun form as used here, dynamic means “a basic or dynamic force, esp. one that motivates, affects development or stability.” In other words, God’s dynamic is His motivation and enablement. Within that understanding, God’s motivation and enablement for His cause is what constitutes grace.

I have been unable to find the source of that note, but I found that my Greek lexicon renders the same idea for the Greek word translated “grace” (χάρις / charis). Consider the following definition of grace from A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament by Joseph Henry Thayer (often simply referred to as Thayer's Lexicon). Grace is “the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.”

God’s grace in both my salvation and sanctification are expressly for the purpose of accomplishing His work and bringing Him the glory He deserves. Though I am the recipient of God’s grace and benefit from it, that grace is not primarily for my own advantage nor is my personal blessing the ultimate purpose of that grace. God’s grace is always to the purpose of His glory and accomplishing His will.

Turning the concept of grace from personal blessing to the fact that grace is to accomplish God’s glory makes the popular notion of grace as a personal blessing ring exceedingly hollow, selfish, and naive. The whole purpose of grace from my salvation by His grace to my ultimate resurrection is that I might be diligent and effective in the work He has given me to do bringing glory to God. The Grace of Jesus Christ is central to my being deliberately Christian.
2 Peter 3:18 (ESV) 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.

The clearest evidence of this definition for Grace is in 1 Corinthians 15:10 where Paul declared, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

Great Commission Resurgence - some personal thoughts and comments

I have begun to see and hear these words more often - "we need a Great Commission Resurgence." In reading many of the articles on this call, I have come to the conclusion that this is really a call for revival, especially within the Southern Baptist Convention. The fact that growth has stagnated and reaching and retaining young adults has become problematic, church leaders are looking for a solution. With regard to that solution, let me offer the following observations.

1. Talk of the need for a “Great Commission Resurgence” is basically a recognition and admission that the evangelical church in the United States, including the SBC, desperately needs an old-fashioned, Holy Spirit revival.

2. Trying to define and orchestrate a revival of the church under a banner such as the Great Commission Resurgence makes that effort just another program of the organized evangelical church. As a program, it has little hope of being any more successful in reviving the church than any of the other programs have been.

3. As a movement, the evangelical church, especially as it has found a manifestation in the “mega church” phenomenon, is becoming spiritually lifeless. Speculation about the demise of the evangelical movement may be an admission that it has become ineffective in making disciples of Jesus Christ.

4. God is much more interested in redeeming the lost souls of men that any of His disciples are or could be. The fact that many evangelical churches are not effectively reaching the lost is an indication that God is not at work among them or that His work is being hindered in their midst.

5. True revival is totally the work of God that He performs in the hearts of believers by drawing them to spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness. The Christ-likeness of believers – their deliberate Christianity – is then used of God to draw the lost to faith in Christ. The salvation of the lost is the manifestation of the true revival that has already occurred among the believers.

6. The men and women whom God chooses to REVIVE are the ones who are sold out to His will regardless of the personal cost or consequences – even if that eliminates them from any personal recognition. Reluctance to accept this renunciation of personal recognition is what keeps many believers and church leaders from experiencing God’s revival.

7. When revival comes, some of the necessary components will be:

• Revival will be the work of the Holy Spirit in such a way that no man or group of men will be able rightfully to glory in the accomplishment of the work.
• Revival will begin and grow in places and ways that will not be anticipated.
• When it comes, revival will be well established before the institutional church recognized that it has happened. The Holy Spirit comes unseen, but His work is unmistakable (John 3:8).
• The Holy Spirit will use men and women who are concerned about doing the work for which God called them seeking only the glory of Jesus Christ. They will have no thought or concern for personal name recognition since the advancement of the Kingdom is their goal.