Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about grace . . . you know, as in “God’s grace is sufficient” . . . but what exactly is grace? I know it when I see it. I have definitely received grace. But how do you describe it?
GRACE
Even though it isn’t always the best theological resource, my first thought was to go to the dictionary to see how “grace” was defined there. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. It said that grace was unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification. “Unmerited divine assistance.” That’s an interesting idea. It seems like we could all use some divine assistance from time to time.
REGENERATION
The dictionary takes a more scientific bent when it talks about regeneration. It describes it as the process of renewal, restoration and growth that makes cells, organs, organisms, and species resilient to natural fluctuations or events that cause disturbance or damage. In other words, it is a rebirth or renewal that helps us stand firm and strong. Sanctification, on the other hand, means “to make holy”—it’s the process of becoming more Christ-like.
IT’S FREE!
The key to this whole idea is that this divine help to renew, restore, grow and help us become more Christ-like is completely unmerited—no matter who we are. NO one can be good enough or productive enough to earn it, yet it is available to all of us as we surrender to God’s direction and provision in that process. If we choose to allow God to take us on that journey, he will, little by little, lift us out of the mire of our lives and take us to places of freedom, satisfaction and joy that we can hardly even imagine.
Sounds like unconditional love and acceptance to me!
“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. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” —2 Corinthians 12:9-10
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