What is So Amazing About Grace?

The Apostle Paul says in Ephesian 1:7, ”In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

I am going to state what I believe is an incontrovertible truth – there is nothing that has the power to change us from within like the freedom that comes through God's grace. It's so amazing it will change not only our hearts but also our faces. And goodness knows, many of us are overdue for a face change! Were you reared by parents whose faces said "No"? Are you working with a boss that has a "No" face? If that is true, you envy those who had "Yes"–face parents or are working with "Yes"–faced bosses. All of us are drawn to those whose faces invite us in and urge us on. 

During his days as president, Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were traveling across the country on horseback. They came to a river which had left its banks because of a recent downpour. The swollen river had washed the bridge away. Each rider was forced to ford the river on horseback, fighting for his life against the rapid currents. The very real possibility of death threatened each rider, which caused a traveler who was not part of their group to step aside and watch. After several had plunged in and made it to the other side, the stranger asked President Jefferson if he would ferry him across the river. The president agreed without hesitation. The man climbed on, and shortly thereafter the two of them made it safely to the other side. As the stranger slid off the back of the saddle onto dry ground, one in the group asked him, "Tell me, why did you select the president to ask this favor of?" The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the president who had helped him. "All I know," he said, "is that on some of your faces was written the answer 'No,' and on some of them was the answer 'Yes.' His was a 'Yes' face." 

Freedom gives people a "Yes" face. I am confident Jesus had a "Yes" face. I have never seen Him, but I've determined from what I've read about Him that this was true.

What a refreshing contrast He must have been! He was surrounded by the religious elite, the robed righteous, and the law-quoting experts whose very demeanor announced, "No!" They were virtuous on the outside but murderers within . . . yet none of their poison tainted His life. On the contrary, He revolutionized the entire direction of religion because He announced "Yes" while all His professional peers were frowning "No." What was it that kept Him from getting caught in their grip? In one word, it was grace. He was so full of truth and grace, He left no inner space for their legalistic poison.

The Apostle John opens his gospel with the following descriptive words about Jesus, “The Word became a human and lived among us. We saw his glory—the glory that belongs to the only Son of the Father—and he was full of grace and truth.”

Jesus was full of grace. So, what exactly is grace? And is it limited to Jesus' life and ministry? You may be surprised to know that Jesus never used the word itself. He just taught it, and equally important, He lived it. Furthermore, the Bible never gives us a one-statement definition, though grace appears throughout its pages . . . not only the word itself but numerous demonstrations of it. Understanding what grace means requires going back to an old Hebrew term that meant "to bend, to stoop." By and by, it came to include the idea of "condescending favor." 

If you have traveled to London, you have perhaps seen royalty. If so, you may have noticed sophistication, aloofness, distance. On occasion, royalty in England will make the news because someone in the ranks of nobility will stop, kneel, and touch or bless a commoner. That is grace. There is nothing in the commoner that deserves being noticed or touched or blessed by the royal family. But because of grace in the heart of the queen or king, there is the desire at that moment to pause, to stoop, to touch, even to bless. 

The late pastor and Bible scholar Donald Barnhouse perhaps said it best: "Love that goes upward is worship; love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace." 

To show grace is to extend favor or kindness to one who doesn't deserve it and can never earn it. Receiving God's acceptance by grace always stands in sharp contrast to earning it based on works. Every time the thought of grace appears, there is the idea of its being undeserved. In no way is the recipient getting what he or she deserves. Favor is being extended simply out of the goodness of the heart of the giver.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 130:3-4, “Lord if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.” The fact that God doesn’t give us what we deserve is grace on full display.

We use grace to describe many things in life: A well-coordinated athlete or dancer; when some displays good manners; or when consideration and care for other people is expressed; or when people are shown kindness and mercy when they don’t deserve it.

These situations remind me of Jesus. He was all these things and a perfect illustration of grace! Think of several examples with me. He stood alongside a woman caught in adultery. The Law clearly stated, "Stone her." The grace killers who set her up demanded the same. Yet He said to those self-righteous Pharisees, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." What grace! Under the Law they had every legal right to bury her beneath the rocks in their hands . . . and they were ready. There they stood with self-righteous fire in their eyes, but He stooped and intervened in grace. 

When His friend Lazarus died, Martha met Him on the road and Mary later faced Him in the house. Both blamed Him for not coming earlier: "If You had been here, my brother would not have died!" There is strong accusation in those words. He took them in grace. With the turn of His hand, He could have sent them to eternity; but He refused to answer them back in argument. That is grace. 

When He told stories, grace was a favorite theme. He employed a gracious style in handling children. He spoke of the prodigal son in grace. As He told stories of people who were caught in helpless situations, grace abounded . . . as with the good Samaritan. And instead of extolling the religious official who spoke of how proud God must be to have him in His family, Christ smiled with favor on the unnamed sinner who said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner."(Luke 18:9-14).

Even from the cross, He refused to be angry toward His enemies. Remember His prayer? "Father, forgive them . . . " No resentment, no bitterness. Amazing, this grace! Remarkable, the freedom and release it brought. And it came in full force from the only One on earth who had unlimited power, the Son of God.

If I choose not to promote either salvation by grace or a lifestyle of grace, what are the alternatives? Four possibilities come to mind, all of which are popular these days:

1. I can emphasize works over grace. I can tell you that as a sinner you need to have a stronger commitment to Christ, demonstrated by the work you do in His behalf, before you can say that you truly believe. My problem in doing this is: A sinner cannot commit to anything. He or she is spiritually dead, remember? There is no capacity for commitment in an unregenerate heart. Becoming an obedient, submissive disciple of Christ follows believing in Christ. Works follow faith. Behavior follows belief.

Martin Luther stressed this point well. “No one can be good and do good unless God's grace first makes him good; and no one becomes good by works, but good works are done only by him who is good.”

2. I can opt for giving you a list of dos and don'ts. The list comes from my personal and/or traditional preferences. It becomes my responsibility to tell you what to do or not to do and why. I then set up the conditions by which you begin to earn God's acceptance through me. You do what I tell you to do . . . you don't do what I tell you not to do, and you're "in." You fail to keep the list, you're "out." This legalistic style of strong-arm teaching is one of the most prevalent methods employed by legalists. Grace is strangled in such a context. To make matters worse, those in authority are so intimidating, their authority is unquestioned. Rare are those with sufficient strength to confront the list-makers.

3. I can leave no room for any gray areas. Everything is either black or white, right or wrong. And as a result, the leader maintains strict control over the followers. Fellowship is based on whether there is full agreement. Herein lies the tragedy. This self-righteous, rigid standard becomes more important than relationships with individuals. We first check out where people stand on the issues, and then we determine whether we will spend much time with them. The bottom line is this: We want to be right (as we see it, of course) more than we want to love our neighbors as ourselves. At that point our personal preferences eclipse any evidence of love. I am of the firm conviction that where grace exists, so must various areas of gray. 

4. I can cultivate a judgmental attitude toward those who may not agree or cooperate with my plan. Grace killers are notorious for a judgmental attitude. It is perhaps the single most un-Christlike characteristic some people exhibit. 

Jesus found Himself standing before a battalion of legalism – the Pharisees. Listening to Him were also many who believed in Him. He had been presenting His message to the crowd; it was a message of hope, of forgiveness, of freedom. "As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. So, Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32-33)

He spoke of the liberating power of the truth. Even though the official grace killers rejected His message, He assured them it could make them free. All who embrace grace become "free indeed." 

Free from what? Free from oneself. Free from guilt and shame. Free from the damnable impulses that I couldn't stop when I was in bondage to sin. Free from the tyranny of others' opinions, expectations, demands. And free to do what? Free to obey. Free to love. Free to forgive others as well as myself. Free to allow others to be who they are—different from me! Free to live beyond the limitations of human effort. Free to serve and glorify Christ.

In no uncertain terms, Jesus Christ assured His own that His truth was able to liberate them from every needless restriction: "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed"(John 8:36). I love that. The possibilities are unlimited. Grace is liberating.

Dietrich Boenhoeffer reminded us though of something we must never forget. God’s grace is not cheap. He said, “Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” What makes grace so amazing and liberating?  It can only be fully appreciated when we accept and trust in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s trusting in Jesus that makes grace so amazing.