Receive Grace

Pastor Ross Anderson

            I call it America's spiritual national anthem.  Everyone knows the melody and many of the words of the hymn "Amazing Grace."  But I wonder how many people understand what the grace in "Amazing Grace" is all about.

            The song itself is reflects how John Newton felt about the grace he had received from God.  Newton lived a rough and profane life as a slave trader.  But when he came to experience God's pardon for his sin, he was overwhelmed.  He knew he did not deserve God's mercy.  But God freely gave him a fresh start through Jesus Christ.

            But what is the grace Newton was so amazed about?  And why is grace so amazing?  One common definition of grace is "God's enabling power."  But as I've studied the Biblical words for "grace", I've learned that the words for grace describe the idea of undeserved favor.  The New Testament word for "grace" is closely related to words such as "freely" and "gift".  Based on that, I've come up with a practical definition of grace as "acceptance that is not based on performance." 

            For example, in Romans 3:21-26, God bestows pardon on sinners based on the righteousness of Christ.  Thus people are justified "freely" (the Greek word means "as a gift").  God's acceptance is not in response to personal merit or works ("apart from law" the text says).  Rather, God accepts us through the completed work of Christ on the cross.

            According to this passage, grace involves more than merely being given access to the ladder of good works.  Rather, salvation is actually and fully put into effect by God, as a gift of his grace. 

            Some argue that God bestows grace on us after we have done all that we can do.  But the problem is that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Thus what we can contribute to being right with God amounts to nothing.  Yet God takes our nothing and adds everything required to be right with him.  That's grace!

            The Bible also makes it clear that you can't mix grace and performance as the basis of salvation.  In Romans 4:2-4, pardon from sins is given by God as a gift to those who simply trust in him.  Abraham's example shows the incompatibility between "gift" and "obligation."  A gift of grace and a reward for work accomplished are mutually exclusive.  If salvation is conditional, it is based on the principle of reward.  But that's not grace.

            Let me give an example from everyday life.  My daughter has a birthday coming up this month.  She's outgrowing her bicycle, and would like a new one.  If I get her a new bike for her birthday, I'm not going to make her pay for part of it.  I'm going to give it to her as an unconditional gift.  If she has to pay for part of it, its not really a gift, is it?  I don't know any parents who expect their children to earn or pay for their Christmas gifts.  Is God our Father any less gracious than human parents?

            Then what is the human part in salvation?  Since God's blessings are given as gifts, our part is simply to receive them.  If a friend gives me a gift, my response is to receive it with gratitude.  If I try to pay my friend for his gift to me, that's an offense against his generosity.  The same is true with God.

            Take the gift!

Live Grace

Ross Anderson

            Not long ago in this column I wrote about "amazing grace" - not just the famous hymn, but the incredible attitude of God towards sinners.  As I explained before, the biblical words for "grace" describe the idea of undeserved favor given as a gift.  Based on that, I believe the Bible supports this practical definition of grace: "acceptance that is not based on performance."

            For example, in Romans 3:21-26, God bestows pardon on sinners based on the righteousness of Christ.  Thus people are justified "freely" (the Greek word means "as a gift").  God's acceptance is not in response to personal merit or works ("apart from law" the text says).  Rather, God accepts us through the completed work of Christ on the cross, not what we do to prove ourselves.

            Even though this is God's attitude, many churches fail live out the practical implications of grace.  Shouldn't we mirror the same grace toward others that God extends to us?  Romans 15:7 says, "Accept one another just as Christ accepted you."  Christ accepts us with unconditional grace.  Yet today's world is full of grace-less, grace-impaired churches.

            A grace-filled church is clearly seen in how people treat each other.  We others as they are, regardless of how well they measure up.  We give people the benefit of the doubt.  We consciously reach out to include others in our circle.  We are kind and warm toward others, not just our closest friends.  We bear with and forgive people's faults over and over again.

            In a grace-less church, people spend a lot of energy comparing each other and rating who measures up and who doesn't.  They assume the worst about others.  They are critical and judgmental.  They hold grudges against those who have wronged them, even if it wasn't intentional.  They accept only people who prove themselves "worthy", and make newcomers earn their way into the inner circle by living up to external standards.

            In a grace-filled church, it is okay to be less than perfect.  We give people permission to be themselves, even when they fail.  We motivate people to serve, not by guilt manipulation or heavy handed pressure, but by painting a picture of their identity and destiny in Christ.  We celebrate whatever people are able to do and give.  This gives people freedom to open up about their lives and their needs.  In an environment of grace, people feel safe to be vulnerable.  That's when real growth and genuine community begins to occur.

            In a grace-impaired church, leaders pile on the guilt and pressure to coerce more involvement or more money.  The church comes first, before the needs of its people.  People are shamed for what they are not able to do or give.  Failure is a disgrace.  As a result, people feel like they must cover up anything in their lives that doesn't look good, for fear of what others will think.  In this environment, people don't tell the truth about their inner selves, don't open up about their needs, and thus never find comfort, peace or healing within.

            If your church doesn't do well at reflecting God's grace, what can you do about it? 

            Read a book like The Grace Awakening or What's So Amazing About Grace.  Be the one who stops repeating the judgmental gossip.  Befriend that difficult person others consider to be unworthy.  Make it a point to bless others with sincere compliments and words of gratitude.  When you hear a person criticized, respond by pointing out something good about that person.  Gather a few like-minded people and start a subversive conspiracy of grace in your church!