I find that on a street level most Christians think of Grace as a gift or force that at one time God bestowed on them. It was an event more than a process, a divine choice rather than something we arranged. We stenciled "GRACE" on our front walk one Christmas, people stopped, read, commented, looked toward our house as to wonder, " What kind of people live there?" We discussed it with many who stopped while we were out front. Most of them thought of Grace as being nice, as in gracious, or giving people a break who deserve something worse.
Christian Theologians teach Grace as God's unmerited favor toward Christians highlighted by the moment one was "saved." I would not argue against such a belief, what I would resist with vigor is that Grace's greatest moment is the "Salvation Event." I would want to say Grace is God's Spirit at work in us beginning with his intention to lead us to Salvation, then also the life long process of living in this life and in the next life. It is all about God treating us better than we deserve to be treated. We use up a lot of Grace every day. That won't end, ever! God's Grace motivates me to respond to God with my life, my answer to his interest in me is to love Him back with all I've got.
The trouble with our understanding of Grace has been put well by Dallas Willard, " We have not only been saved by Grace, we have been paralyzed by it." Too many of us think of it as passive, that we can't activate Grace by means of faith in our every day life. To activate God's Grace I believe we must act, that act is what scripture calls faith, for faith is only real in obedience. Grace then is necessary for daily life in Christ, it flows freely via faith. We need it to create an environment of Grace in our homes, churches and relationships. That would be where we treat one another better than we deserve to be treated. It really does change people when Grace is more than a memory of an glorious event that took place a long time ago. We start to be affirmed by others, we develop an identity in this world shaped by those around us who support and encourage us.
Rethink Grace, its dimensions are greater than the limits that so often are placed on it.
This is so true, there are countless time we see in the Bible, throughout the OT & NT that God's Grace was shown. Why does it seem that many people limit Grace to just Salvation, where we presently see it today? I have often thought one of the greatest showings of God's Grace is highlighted in Romans 1:24-25, "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to the sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen."
This is just one showing of grace, but it is ever present. In the context of this verse, God knew man would rebell from Him, yet God still allowed man to live and continue to live even though he rebelled from his intended purpose. This grace is shown to us each day as we continue to sin. Amazing blog...thank you