The Amazing Nature of God's Grace - Pt. 4

Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:14-18 ESV).

 

At the end of Peter’s letter to the churches located in Asia Minor, he instructs his readers to “grow in the grace and knowledge” of Jesus (v. 18). It is an interesting use of words. We know clearly that God graciously gives us faith to believe in Jesus (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10). Here the apostle desires for us to realize we must go forward in faith and not become stagnant or slide backward. The real question then becomes “how?”

 

I have seen it written that “Grace is God acting in our life” (cf. Dallas Willard, The Great Omission). It is another way of saying that God is acting generously and powerfully, to do for us what we cannot do ourselves. Practically speaking, grace is an energy source that can help us get out of bed in the morning, speak a kind word to a stranger, persevere in a difficult situation, face a fear, or offer compassion to someone who has criticized us. Now, the key is to open ourselves to God’s grace; we have to interact with it through training our body and soul to receive it, respond to, and work with it. Of course, training and working to make use of God’s grace does not mean that we could earn it. Earning has to do with an attitude of pride and self-sufficiency. Grace is opposed to earning, but it is not opposed to effort. Effort has to do with action. God gives us the ability and choice to take hold of his hand of grace or not.

 

But we have this assurance in God’s Word: just as believing faith in Jesus comes to us as a gracious gift from God through the Holy Spirit, growing in faith also comes to us through God’s grace and the Spirit’s work. So, while we can’t make ourselves grow spiritually, we can be actively engaged in the process of growth. The Spirit works in us to cultivate our faith when we listen to God’s Word, through meditating on it and hearing it proclaimed in times of worship. The Spirit works in our hearts when we turn to our Lord and Savior in prayer for our needs and for the needs of our world. The Spirit also constantly works in us to respond to opportunities to show God’s love and share our faith with others. Grow in grace! It is indeed amazing!