Friday, November 27, 2009

What Is Grace

It is by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, less any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV).





This Thing Called Grace



What is Grace? Who can define it? Who can fathom it? Who can measure its depth? Grace is one of those words we banter around as if we know what it means; and yet we have only a glimpse of its true worth. Like Moses, we stand in the cleft of the rock and see only the hinder part of God. Our understanding of this Heavenly gift is muted by our humanity that wants to analyze, define, and compare every form of experience. Unless we can articulate it, we feel we cannot own it. If we cannot feel it, we don’t believe it exists. If it is not better than what we have, we will reject it altogether. Perhaps that is why Grace, freely given, is easily ignored. How can we as finite expect to define the infinite? We are foolish to try. God’s full disclosure would overwhelm our puniness. Still, we cry out, “Show us Grace.” And, so He hides us in the crevices and lets us experience a portion of His wonder. This to me is Grace: the indefinable Grace that God can only give. He who is all sufficient finds His pleasure in us.

1 comment:

Keli Rugenstein, PhD said...

I think we see grace all around us in the relationships and people we encounter. Even more than that, we have opportunities to extend grace to those around us. In both cases, I believe we miss many opportunities to witness God and reflect God to those around us.