Understanding the True Meaning of Grace

Understanding The True Meaning Of Grace

Introduction 

How many times have we heard words in church, yet if asked to define them we wouldn’t confidently be able to do so?…words like ‘grace’. What is grace? Is it a Christian word that we use as a cute baby name, or is there a deeper meaning to it? Let’s leave behind our preconceived notions of this word and let the Scripture define it for us. We will be looking at passages in the Bible from the books of Epheisans, Luke, Romans, and Corinthians. 

What is Grace? 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” -Ephesians 2:8 

Paul states that by grace, through faith, we have been saved. It is through God’s grace that He extends his favor and kindness to us. It’s the posture of a personal God, who is not afraid of the mess his people have made, but loves them enough to call them out of it. The best representation of God’s grace is in Jesus Christ leaving his heavenly throne to dwell among us here on Earth. It’s in the beauty and brutality of the cross where we see the grace of God in action. King Jesus bearing our sin and shame. There is no greater picture of God’s grace than this, yet Jesus extends even more mercy and grace by saying “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:24) while he died the most shameful, excruciating death.

What does Grace mean for a Christian? 

Now, what does God’s grace look like for a Christian, practically? As believers, we are welcome to call out to God as our Father…we are his children! And as his children, the Father pours out grace upon our weaknesses. Even after we have been saved by Christ, He continues to pour out grace upon us. We see that even the apostle Paul, a hero of our faith, needed God’s grace and reassurance that God’s grace is in fact enough. 

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” -2 Corinthians 12:9 

There is no weakness, no sin, nothing at all that God’s grace is not sufficient for. We cannot out-sin the death and resurrection of Jesus. It’s God’s love and grace through Christ that brought us salvation and it’s his grace that will keep us in right standing with God for all eternity.

His grace comes at a cost. That cost is the pride of man that keeps so many from accepting God’s grace in the first place. But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6). This passage shows us that we need humility 

to receive God’s grace. We have to take a posture of humility before God in order to even recognize that we need his mercy in the first place. The call of the Christian is to live in this position; both in victory, and in humility. 

God’s grace is a gift, but not a gift we cannot abuse. 

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death”? (Romans 6:1-3). 

One thing that can be concluded from this passage is that once we’ve tasted the grace of God we will not be able to enjoy our sinful ways because they have been put to death. Does this mean you abuse God’s grace when we sin as christians? No not entirely, it’s only considered abuse whenever you willfully sin against God and then use grace as a way of trying to excuse your sin. 

Conclusion

As it was stated earlier grace is for the humble and the humble will joyfully repent of their sins and accept God’s grace. Experiencing reconciliation with our Maker! The reality is that Christians still sin…our flesh nature, though dead in Christ, still nags at us. A beautiful aspect of our relationship with Christ is that he gives us new grace everyday, extending forgiveness with patience, offering opportunities to put our sin nature behind us, that we may have life in the spirit. 

Going back to Luke 23:24, we have to look at how Jesus extended his grace and mercy even to the people that had him ridiculed and crucified. As imitators of Christ, we have to ask the question, is this how we’re living our everyday lives? As the Father has loved us, and extended grace to us, are we doing the same to others? This is one of the reasons Youth With A Mission exists, to know God and to make him known to others. What better way to do that than to show the grace of God to others and how God’s grace has transformed us. That’s why we go into foreign lands; because we’ve tasted the grace of God! How can we not share it with the rest of the world? What a joy it is to go out into the world and testify of the saving grace the Lord has bought for us through his death and resurrection. 

If you are interested in learning more about God’s amazing gift of grace, and want to be equipped in telling the world about His love, consider joining us for a Discipleship Training School, a YWAM DTS! During the DTS Lecture Phase, you will be given world class training, receive intentional discipleship, live in a loving community, and be empowered to chase after God’s call on your life. And during the Outreach Phase, you’ll be able to put all that you’ve learned to practice in the nations! After DTS, you are welcome to sign up for YWAM secondary schools around the world, at many different Youth With A Mission locations. There is really no limit to the types of training Youth With A Mission offers, all for the common purpose of “Knowing God, and Making God Known.” If you’re ready to get your missions journey started, apply for a DTS today!