The fabric of everyday life is alive with the grace of God. Grace forgives, but it also guides. If we wait until we’ve sinned to call upon the grace of God, we’ve squandered the greater part of grace. Grace restores, but it can also guard us from a life of continual sin. It instructs us to deny ungodly ways and teaches us the how-to of life: how to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in this present age. Scripture teaches we are saved by grace. The good news is we can experience part of that salvation here-and-now. The Kingdom of Heaven glides on wings of grace. The Kingdom of God brings righteousness, peace, and joy—and, best of all, the gracious Holy Spirit leads us to these three blessings in everyday life.
How Does Grace Grow?
Simply put, grace grows in discipleship. Students of Jesus do not earn more grace; they discover new vistas of God’s grace as they follow the way of Christ. Some might say, “God loves me just the way I am.” This is true! And we are comfortable with this cozy statement; but we are less comfortable with the second half of the sentence, “He loves me so much he won’t let me stay just the way I am.” Churchgoing Christians can be forgiven if they are confused at this point. Week after week, they are told of the complete work of Jesus on the cross. They are told that there is nothing they can do to earn God’s approval or salvation. Yet they are also encouraged to live holy lives and keep the commandments as if it were a matter of willpower. In most pulpits there is a disconnect between the good news of Jesus’ sacrifice and our calling to become just like Jesus.
Dallas Willard, who wrote extensively on spiritual formation, points out that the substance of most evangelical preaching is sin management, by which Christians find forgiveness but seldom hear the call to come and follow the way of Jesus. Since forgiveness is all they hear, their expectation of the Christian life is a continuing cycle of sin and forgiveness, followed by more sin. Perhaps most dangerously, the presence of sin is considered “normal” in the life of a believer. Forgiveness is God’s emergency triage, but what if there were a cure, a real cure that could go deeper and turn us into the kind of creatures for whom sin is abnormal? So many people consider any real attempt at imitating Jesus presumption upon God’s grace because we cannot save ourselves through “works.” Willard explains that God’s grace is not opposed to effort, but it is opposed to earning. Two pretty different things, aren’t they?
In liturgical churches, the act of receiving the Eucharist is the cleansing moment week by week. Parishioners leave the church in a state of grace, fully expecting to fall from that state in the coming days. In evangelical churches the “salvation message” is the staple of preaching week by week, coupled with an invitation for believers to come clean with Jesus again and start the week off having received a fresh dose of grace. Whether the grace is administered via the sacrament or through preaching, the call to discipleship is not considered a part of that grace. But discipleship promises a path forward into Christian maturity, and discipleship is not possible apart from the grace of God. A close reading of James 4:1-7 reveals that God’s “greater grace” can cause us to grow and mature in Christ.
The Grace of Discipline
The best lies always use a bit of the truth. That’s certainly true of spiritual formation: After we understand the importance responding to God’s grace and learning a new way to live, we might think God has done everything he’s going to do. “The rest is up to me,” we think. “I must meditate, pray, serve, study, contemplate, isolate, and even celebrate on my own. Jesus showed me how it’s done. He died on the cross, paid the price, and now it’s up to me.” And of course we should do these things, but that’s where the lie takes hold: These activities are important, not because of our effort, but because the Father is willing to do still more on our behalf.
Self-discipline has great power, but it comes at the risk of locating the source of that power in us instead of the grace of God. If willpower alone brings spiritual growth, we have no need for his daily presence. The distinguishing mark between grace-empowerment and the pride of self-discipline is that self-discipline says to others, “If I can do it, why can’t you?”
James 4:6 reminds us: “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” More grace. Greater grace. When we humble ourselves, we position ourselves for greater grace. So it is with all the spiritual disciplines. His zealous love is the engine of his grace. He always wants to give more because he loves so deeply.
The spiritual disciplines are not hurdles to be cleared by the “serious” student of Jesus; the disciplines are practices that put us into position to receive more of his grace. The startling truth is that those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus need more of God’s grace than others who have no interest in spiritual transformation.
Richard Foster sets us straight: “Grace is not a ticket to heaven, but the earth under our feet on the road with Christ.” The grace-empowered disciple realizes the daily, moment-by-moment need for God’s gracious presence. And with that presence amazing things are possible. The grace-empowered disciple says, along with the Apostle Paul, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Our sanctification is his work, accomplished as we present ourselves to “greater grace” again and again. If we limit God’s grace to the work of forgiveness, then forgiveness is all we will know. If we open ourselves up to his infinite grace then our destiny is to become “conformed to the image of Christ” (Romans 8:29).
The Enemies of Grace
God’s grace is abundant and free. It’s the deal of a lifetime—no, it’s the deal of eternity! When we understand God’s grace for what it is, we all want in. And yet there are enemies of grace. Even more startling, we ourselves are sometimes the opponents to grace by the attitudes we have. Our conflicts with grace are like storm fronts in our hearts. I’ve seen a few such storms in my own heart. I wonder if any of the following three enemies have taken root in your heart.
