Narrative Themes: The Grace Of God Lesson 1

                                               What is Grace?

Ephesians 2: 8, 9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. 

Grace. How do you possibly define it? It is so beautiful there are no human words in any language that can begin to capture its loveliness. 

However, like many Christians, when I was first 'saved' grace was just a word in my Christian vocabulary. I knew it was a precious Word full of priceless meaning, but as a new Christian it was merely a Word that I heard used in church a lot. However, over the years as I walked with God, the more I experienced it and understood it in my own life, the more precious grace became to me. It is no longer just a word in my Christian vocabulary, it is a word I have come to treasure with all my heart.

So, what is grace? There are a few thoughts on the matter I would like to share, but here is where I have to start. In the Greek language in which the New Testament was written, grace is defined as unmerited favor. To be honest with you, I really used to struggle with that definition. Grace is much more than that! Grace does so much more than that! I know there isn't anything you can do to merit grace, but just saying it is 'unmerited favor,' that just falls so short in capturing the essence and power of grace. 

In Christianity today so many define grace as divine enablement. They declare grace is God's power in our life working miraculously in and through our life. And it is true: grace performs so many amazing things in ordinary, flawed, feeble people. "So how can grace simply be defined as 'unmerited favor'"?!

Then one day a Pastor helped me to see and understand. He said, "We are not asking the question, 'What does grace do?' We are asking the question, 'What is grace?' Yes, grace powerfully accomplishes amazing things in our life, but again, we are not asking, 'What does grace do?' We are asking, 'What is grace?'

For example, let's use electricity. If you were a 6th grade Science teacher and one day you asked your students, 'What is electricity?' no doubt many of them would say, 'Electricity is the power that turns on my lights and radio.' Then you would respond, "No. That's what electricity does. I didn't ask you what it does, I asked you, 'What is electricity?'" At that point their sweet little faces would turn clueless. Then you would smile sweetly back at them and say, "Electricity is energy resulting from the existence of charged electrons and protons. That's what it is." 

What?!

My point: do you see the difference between 'what electricity is' and 'what electricity does'? 

It is the same thing with grace. We are not asking, 'What does grace do?' We are asking, 'What is grace?' 

So, what is grace? Grace is the unmerited, undeserved, unearned kindness and favor of God. 

I cannot help but think about Ephesians 2:8: For by grace are you saved by faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

When we get to heaven, if there is the smallest thing in our hearts that believes, "I did something to get here," that's boasting. Yet, the very first time we stand before Jesus and He opens His hands and shows us the scars, everything within us is going to proclaim, 'That's why I am here...I don't deserve to be here; there is nothing I did to earn the right to be here. I am here because of God's fathomless, unmerited kindness and favor. I am saved by grace."