My Journey of Grace

The word grace is music to my ears, as it is to every human being who is shown grace. Christians and God-fearing people have played and continue to play grace’s tune to the outer limits of heaven. To them, it is a kind of special music—the kind that only God in Christ can play. No one has ever made us aware of grace as much as Jesus Christ did himself, and he commanded us to live and practice grace every day. Many think that it is ludicrous to suggest grace is limited, but this is precisely what I have experienced and endeavor to share. I believe that grace not only has limits, but grace also has conditions. Grace has both a divine and a human side that do not always see eye to eye. While you may argue that God’s grace does not have limits, humankind’s grace certainly does. Just look at what humanity has done with the grace God has given to them. Where Does Our View of Grace Come From? Let us begin by exploring where today’s prevailing view of grace comes from. Grace has been subjected to different interpretations that do not always represent it adequately. I confess that I had great difficulties in finding an adequate definition of grace. I feel like the soldier who told his chaplain about a sermon he heard on the grace of God. The soldier recalled almost every detail in the message: that the grace of God was plentiful, sufficient for all our needs, and near at hand. “But,” the soldier added, “the minister never told us what the ‘grace of God’ was. Perhaps you will be good enough to do that?” The Hebrew - “Hesed” The Hebrew word origin is vague. Hes is used to describe human behavior, like attractiveness or pleasantness, in seeking God’s favor and love. Hes did not depict all that the writers understood God was doing, so they made it hesed to give it a broader and more personal meaning. The Greek - “Charis" or “Eleos" The Greek equivalent became charis, meaning goodwill, loving kindness, and favor. The Greek also uses eleos, meaning the personification of pity, mercy, clemency, and compassion. The English - “Mercy” The Greek equivalent became charis, meaning goodwill, loving kindness, and favor. The Greek also uses eleos, meaning the personification of pity, mercy, clemency, and compassion. Paul learned about grace from his own experience, from his Hebrew religious background, and from his spiritual encounter with Christ. Paul gave grace a redemptive meaning that only Christ could fill. He claimed that he had a direct revelation from Christ, whom he had once persecuted. He and he alone lifted grace to the very throne of God, and that is where grace should be. Out of 152 references to grace in the New Testament, 101 are Paul’s; his associates wrote forty-eight, and only six directly belong to Jesus. All the other references are about Jesus and his Father. Six References to Grace How can it be that only six references actually belong to the sayings of Jesus? There is a profound reason for this. The evangelist of the fourth Gospel holds the key. The prologue of John laid down a foundation for grace. Grace came into the world through Jesus Christ. He was the source of “grace in person” (John 1:15–18). It was from Jesus that his followers have drawn “grace upon grace.” Through Jesus, God supplied an endless resource of God’s favor, love, mercy, and forgiveness to redeem humankind from sin. Grace was incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth on earth. Apart from within Jesus, true grace was not and is not available. Jesus not only defined grace in his teaching, but he also lived grace. He was grace himself. Jesus’s birth was an act of grace, and so was his childhood and his adulthood. In Luke, the account states that the child Jesus grew strong and became filled with wisdom and the grace of God (Luke 2:40). At twelve, Jesus was continuing to grow in “wisdom, stature, and grace before God and man” (Luke 2:52). When Jesus finally began his ministry, people marveled at the gracious words that proceeded from his mouth (Luke 4:22). No one ever said, “What credit [grace] do you show if you love only those that love you back or reciprocate for the good you did for them” (Luke 6:32–34). Jesus himself appreciated the gracious act when a woman anointed him with costly ointment and kissed his feet (Luke 7:47). No one thinks of thanking his servant for doing his duty (Luke 17:9), but Jesus did by taking on the role of a servant himself. These six references of the word grace, in connection with Jesus, are more than sufficient to show what kind of person he was and what grace meant to him. Now, how did Jesus intend to spread grace or himself to all men and women in the world? Jesus told his disciples that God and his Spirit would fill them with grace, and they would live it and disperse grace among their fellow men who also would become bearers of grace (Acts 1:23; Matthew 28:19–20). When the Son of God was on earth, he was a vessel of grace, and men and women could draw from him (John 1:16). When Jesus had to return to where he had come from, his followers became disciples of grace, and their fellow men drew grace from them. With the permanent arrival of the Holy Spirit, every believer became a vessel of grace to be shared in the world. Thus, grace became the content of God’s heavenly kingdom on earth. The vessels, or dispensers, of grace became the evidence that God’s Spirit was at work in the world. The Holy Spirit revealed grace in action to Jesus’s disciples and followers. All of this was set in motion by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit before the world was created.