Grace is one of most beautiful words of the English language, in my opinion. Of course, there are differences of definition according to the context in which the word is used. There are the Three Graces from mythology, goddesses who supposedly bring us beauty, charm and grace. To most people graceful means to be charming; to be easy to listen and talk to; to have beauty of movement and style; to be the opposite of clumsy in body or speech. To those of us who have received Jesus Christ, grace means a gift of mercy; unmerited favor from God; undeserved pardon from sin; a gift of sanctification; and a divine gift of virtues aiding the followers of Jesus in living the Christian life with integrity. Grace is not something that we “work up” within ourselves or that we obtain by our own efforts.
To the Apostle Paul, grace is the foundation of all Christian belief and experience. “…by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”[i] Paul knew the power of grace and the weakness of human effort. The power of grace redeems and transforms sinners, “of whom I am the worst,” claimed Paul.[ii]
My Grandmother was named Grace. If ever a human being showed the grace of God so as to be bestowed with that name, it was Grace. Not that she displayed what the world calls “grace.” She was not beautiful, but plain and a little overweight. She was not charming and loquacious, but quiet. She was born in 1885 and lived through some of the most fantastic and tragic years of history. Born in the horse and buggy age, she lived to watch a man set foot on the moon, live on television. She was among the first women who voted; lived through two world wars and three other wars; lived through the flu epidemic of 1919 and lost her first husband and father-in-law on the same day to that great plague; married my Grandfather, a man sixteen years her junior; and cared for her aging father, an irascible man with the given name of Napoleon Bonaparte. Yet she did all of these things with grace. She never had a bad word to say about anyone, even the politicians that she did not like. She lived without apparent fear, always exasperating me by saying, “God will take care of me.” I know that she had sins because the Bible says that everyone has sinned. I just could not figure out what they were. One could not call her a strong person, but somewhere along the line of her life, she received grace in a mighty way.
People who have received grace extend grace to others. Not with the kind of grace that can forgive sins against God, but with the grace that makes one hard to offend and quick to forgive offences. It is the grace that understands that all have sinned and knows that redemption is for everyone who has faith. It is the grace that gives “a little slack” to others and respects the boundaries of people’s life. Grace obeys Christ’s command to “do unto others as we would have them do to us” and “love our neighbor as ourselves.” I think the greatest display of grace in my Grandmother’s life was that she was completely harmless. I do not know of an instance where she hurt another human being in word or deed.
This kind of grace cannot be found, only received. Grace comes to us when we repent of our sins; turning from them to God; confessing those sins to God; believing that He will forgive; and receiving Christ. By grace, the Holy Spirit will begin infusing virtue day-by-day and lead us to that wonderful land of holiness. By grace, we will be sustained even when we stumble. By grace we find divine love that helps us to love others. By grace, when we die, He will receive our spirit for eternal happiness. By grace, we will never be as we were the day before today.
George Cargill
[i] 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NASB)
[ii] 1 Timothy 1:15
Beautifully written pastor George! I still need to buy a copy of your book. Where can I find it to buy?