Saving Grace
First of all,
let’s look at saving grace. First, know that it is God who initiates salvation,
not us. God is the author of our salvation and thus he is the author of grace.
In Ephesians 2: 4-9, we see that grace works in our salvation. It is through
grace, God’s gift to us, that salvation begins.
1 And you He made
alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now
works in the sons of disobedience, 3
among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature
children of wrath, just as the others. 4
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved
us, 5 even when we were dead
in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved), 6 and raised us up together,
and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He
might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus. 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.
At risk of
sounding like an elementary Sunday School lesson or Basic Christianity 101, we
need to say first of all that we are saved not by ourselves, but by God’s
blessing, God’s favor, His undeserved kindness and gift to us. As I mentioned
earlier, we know the word grace not only from the Bible but from the most
beloved hymn ever written, “Amazing Grace”. Let’s read the lines (okay, you can
hum the tune too).
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!
Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
Grace in Greek
is charis. That’s right, the same
word used in the word charismatic. It’s also used in the word charm. It
literally means gift or gifted. Those who have some inbred charisma are naturally
gifted and people are naturally drawn to them.
So why would the
Apostle Paul in every letter impart a blessing of grace to those who are the
church, to those who are already believers? I believe it is in part because
Paul wants to convey saving grace to those who in the church may not yet be
saved.
But even more, I
think it is because within the vastness and the limitlessness and the infinite
grace of God, there is more than simply salvation and a gift of eternal life in
the word we call grace.
You see, God’s
grace, His riches, His blessings do not end at the Sinner’s prayer, oh no.
That’s just the beginning. His Amazing Grace does not cease or even diminish once
salvation is imparted. God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense is not culminated at
our regeneration. Grace is initialized at our salvation, but it is also
realized in our sanctification.
