The True Grace Of God

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 Corinthians 6:1

Apostle Paul encourages us as workers of God’s kingdom never to take the grace of God in vain. Why? Because there is often a tendency toward “grace abuse.” A third century bishop was shocked to see devout would-be martyrs of the Christian faith devote their last nights in prison to drunkenness, revelry and promiscuity. Since dying a martyr’s death would make them perfect, they reasoned, what would it matter if they spent their last hours sinning? Twentieth century theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined the term “cheap grace” as a way of summarizing grace abuse. Living in Nazi Germany, he was appalled by the cowardly way in which Christians were responding to Hitler’s threat. Lutheran pastors preached grace from the pulpit on Sundays, then kept quiet the rest of the week as the Nazis pursued their policies of racism, euthanasia and finally genocide. Bonhoeffer’s book, The Cost of Discipleship, highlights the many New Testament passages commanding Christians to attain holiness. Every call to conversion, he insists, includes a call to discipleship, to Christlikeness. God’s grace can be “abused” when we do not understand what it is and its purpose in our lives. So let’s understand what is true grace:

(1) Grace empowers you to live in God’s righteousness. It is God’s grace that enables us to live in His righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). Romans 5:17 adds, “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

(2) Grace empowers you to work hard. Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).

(3) Grace empowers you to serve God (1 Pet. 4:10). The grace of God doesn’t make you passive, complacent, lazy or apathetic. On the contrary, grace teaches you to do what is right and bear the fruit of it. True grace is the power of God that enables you to live a life that fulfi lls God’s purpose.