Keeping Grace

Ok, I’m going to tackle a tough one. These are in no way the words of an expert, just some thoughts that hopefully don’t ramble too much.

Grace is our greatest God-given blessing. It is hard to imagine why it exists, except for the fact that the primary characteristic of the Father is Love.

When did grace begin? It seems that the plan of salvation was already in God’s mind when he created things. When Adam and Eve fell, it was put into motion. Israel experienced it on numerous occasions. When Jesus came, grace took on flesh. His death was the greatest expression of grace. After all, he took our place. We should have been punished, but he was punished for us. When he was resurrected, that plan of grace that existed before time began was confirmed.

We have nothing to do with the call of grace. That is all God’s doing. Even when we accept Christ, we do so at God’s calling. John 6:44 states, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (NIV) Initial grace takes place when God calls us to himself. At the age of nine, I felt that gentle tug on my heart to give myself to Christ. I wanted whatever mom and dad had, and that in itself was the beginning of the call of grace on my life.

Saving grace is what brings us to Christ. Paul stated in Ephesians 2:8 that we are saved by grace, and not by works. If we were saved by works, some would be able to achieve it, and some would not. It’s not something we have to achieve anyway. It’s a gift.

Sanctifying grace is that which constantly remakes us into the image of Christ, putting to death the old self in us. Second Corinthians 3:18 states, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (NIV) Ups and downs, successes and failures are part of this process. Bruce Demarest states, "God uses life’s painful misfortunes to drain us of self-sufficiency, and lead us to trust and depend on him.” (Seasons of the Soul) Someone else said that we grow more during times of crisis than any other time.

As many of you know, my oldest brother, Tom, died last May. Tom was a likable, generous guy who had a lot of friends but had never made a profession of faith, in spite of being raised in a Christian home. He had attended the Fairfax Church of the Nazarene some, and really liked the pastor, Jack Bimber. Jack had attended God’s Bible School in Cincinnati, and my other brother, Buddy, got in touch with Jack and asked him to check on Tom during his stay in the hospital and other facilities. Jack and Tom talked about Tom’s confessing his sins, but Tom could not see how he could possibly confess every sin he had ever committed. Jack, wisely, told him he did not have to. Just, “Roll them all up, put them in a basket, give them to God, and begin your walk with Jesus.” This made perfect sense to Tom, and from that point on, Tom enjoyed Jack’s visits, read scriptures, and prayed with him. My family is confident that grace took Tom home to heaven. This is grace that prepares you to move into eternity. It was there for Tom, and he took it.

In the broadest sense of the word, our entire lives are being sustained by grace. God’s grace calls us, saves us, makes us into his image, forgives us when we fail, keeps us from falling (Psalm 37:24), lifts us back up, warns us of potential danger, takes us through life, and then finally takes us home to be with Christ at the end of life.

Grace is ours for the accepting. It delivers us from constantly having to strive to achieve God’s favor. We are his beloved. We are his sons and daughters. He loves us with a love that is beyond comprehension, and that love is expressed in grace.

Thanks be to God.