Hope and Grace

Today’s message was written by my friend, Chaplain Bob Griffiths.

In his letters, Paul writes about many things, but especially about grace. And what exactly is meant by grace, as Paul explains it?

The dictionary definition of the English word grace is:

1. “Unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.”
2. “A virtue coming from God.”
3. “A state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace.”

But as always with the Bible, there is a layer of richness in the original Hebrew and Greek that simply cannot be translated into English. In Greek, the word is charis, which means “that which bestows pleasure, delight, or causes favorable regard.”

This grace, unlike that in the Old Testament, has no strings or conditions attached. You’re a Gentile, says Paul? That’s okay—you don’t have to become a Jew and become expert in Hebrew scripture and law to achieve salvation. You can achieve it through the grace of God manifested in Christ Jesus. Just as holiness comes to God’s church on earth, so salvation comes to believers as God’s grace. Paul reminds us in Ephesians that without God’s grace, the Gentiles would have remained lost in sinfulness. The “new creation” that we become in baptism is not a static form of divine salvation. It is a living, evolving thing that should be reflected in our new lives as baptized Christians—not a precondition of receiving grace, but as a huge thank-you to God for blessing us with it! Salvation is not something we clutch to ourselves as a possession. It calls us to constant growth as Christians living out the Gospel message—to help bring about God’s kingdom now, and not expect others to do it for us, and not think that it’s something we find only when we get to heaven.

In the words of theologian Marcus Borg, “The Christian life is about a relationship with God that transforms us into more compassionate beings. The God of love and justice”—and I add Grace to that—“is the God of relationship and transformation.”

What better way to say, “Thank you, God, for this boundless gift of grace that you’ve blessed me with,” than to live a Christian life? For if we believe that the gift of grace is only about going to heaven, Jesus died for nothing. The gift of grace is about our relationship with God in this life and manifesting in this life all that God stands for in the example of His Son. As Paul wrote, “We are, after all, of His making, created in Christ Jesus for the good work that God prepared for us to give our lives to.” The gift of grace is that of always having access to God, even when we fall short of the mark through error and sin.

And from the hymn Amazing Grace:
“’Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.”

Amen.