What God’s Grace Teaches Us, Part 1

11 Dec

Throughout the Epistles, biblical writers greeted their readers with the desire that they receive grace and peace. Since Scripture is clear that salvation is an outcome of God’s grace, how would the believers who were addressed in the New Testament letters not already have grace? Like most aspects of our salvation, there are multiple meanings for the biblical term “grace” and they relate to differing tenses. In the past, the Grace of God taught us to love God by bringing salvation to all men. In the present, the Grace of God teaches us to live in obedience to God. And looking to the future, the Grace of God teaches us to long for the eternal hope of life in His presence.

Titus 2:11-14 describes all three aspects of God’s Grace: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world, [all the while] looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” When Jesus died on the cross, God’s grace was poured out on us to bring us to salvation. Faith intervened in order to accept salvation.

2 Peter 3:18 points out that, like faith, grace grows in our lives with intentional effort: “But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever.” However, we are not left to grow and work it out all by ourselves. God, by His Holy Spirit, enables our growth: “…God resist the proud, and gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5b). The growth of God’s Grace in our lives begins with an act of faith (seeking to know God better and to be a good steward of what He has given me) which becomes grace-propelled action, i.e. grace begets more grace just as faith begets more faith. And God is always glorified when His children believe, obey, and follow Him.

1 Peter 4:10-11 confirms the role of grace in our salvation going forward, teaching us to live in obedience to God: “As every man has received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. If any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God gives, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Finally, God’s Grace teaches us to long for the eternal hope of life in His presence: “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as He which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:13-15). Our future hope is expressed in the biblical metaphor of our spiritual heritage, “That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7).