What is Grace? part 2

In part 1 we explored the basics of grace. I recommend that you read it before continuing here.

So now that you understand how to access His grace, and are praying and asking for what it is that you want, you find that it grows stronger within you. Rather than dissipating, you feel the desire more, and it seems to be connecting you to Him in a deeper way. There's just 1 problem: the request isn't getting fulfilled.

Certainly it will require patience and perseverance to receive His grace for big things. If you are asking for things that will change other people (rekindling love in a spouse, breaking addictions, etc.), it will very likely take weeks and months, if not years. Realize that the process may be very painful for other people, and God loves them too much to change them so fast that it causes great pain. Know that you must persevere.

If you still feel like your prayers are getting nowhere, it may be time to apply some lubricant. This only works if you FULLY understand what was said about grace above. It is UNEARNED. It is UNMERITED. It is UNDESERVED, a free gift from God. If you have completely abandoned any idea that any work by you could increase His favor upon you, then you are ready to go deeper.

If your faith is sufficient for your request, you can speed the process along by "obedience." (If your faith is insufficient, then start by asking for more faith, then go back to your original request) I use the quotations because I mean obedience in the traditional definition, plus things like fasting that help to bring God to the center of your life.

Why do I think of "obedience" as lubricant? Doesn't that seem in contradiction to prior statements, that grace is not produced by works?

Consider the great patriarchs of the old testament, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham is known as the father of faith. Isaac is the obedient son, prefiguring Jesus by carrying the wood for the sacrifice and willingly offering himself as the sacrifice at the request of his father (read it here). And Jacob, whom God renames as Israel, is the demonstration of grace. Thus, the initial revelation of faith and obedience leading to grace.

God later reveals His identity to Moses at the burning bush, "God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations" (Exd 3:15).

Immediately prior to this pronouncement, God says to call Him, "I AM WHO I AM". Earlier in the bible, He is known by several other names. Why should the almighty choose a name for himself, when He already has 4 or 5 at this point, especially a series of human names? He is telling us not just His name, but how to relate to Him. Faith + Obedience = GRACE.

If you don't yet believe me, keep reading.

Let me be clear about what I mean by obedience. I mean removing the things God says do not belong in your life. See the 10 commandments for a start, specifically referring to the negative commandments (after honor your parents). Once you remove these things (stealing, adultery, murder, coveting, etc.), you cannot DO more. That is, if you don't murder anyone, you cannot not murder even more. There is a natural limit on the human action portion.

If you associate a grace from God as the result of some "works" on your part (rather than expressions of faith), and conclude that you should do more of those same "works" to produce more graces, you have fallen off the wagon and completely missed the entire point of this essay. Grace is not produced by works, it is free gift from God. If your obedience is focusing on God, moving Him closer to the center of your life, and aligning your life with His will, then you are moving in the right direction.

Notice that it is His plan that your faith and prayer to Him (on behalf of other people, or to deliver something to you) draws you closer to Him as well.

So what about the positive commandments, can you overdo those? Yes, all except loving God with your entire existence. You can NEVER overdo that.

How do I know which obedience? Do I have to do all of them before He will answer? In fact, do I have to have forgiveness before I can even ask? Does my soul have to be clean (Catholics call this the sacrament of Reconciliation [aka Confession]) before He will start answering?

These are all good questions, and a full answer is well beyond the scope of this essay. In short, let Him lead you. Pray and ask what obedience He wants for you. Know that He is exceedingly gentle, and often times may ask for nothing. Or he may ask you to stop cursing. The best obedience is what He leads you into and lays on your heart.

No, you do not need to be completely obedient before He will hear or answer you. No (current) human being can be completely obedient, so it would be pointless for God to operate this way. It is, however, a very common tactic of the enemy to distract and discourage those with sufficient faith to see real results. Don't fall for it!

No, you do not need to have a "clean soul" to come before God and ask for His grace. Some people will tell you that it is written that God is Holy, and nothing unholy can be in His presence. I refer them to Job 1.

This leads us to a deeper understanding of what grace is. God is Holy, and His holiness is unyielding and inflexible. Humankind came to understand this when God gave the Hebrews the law (10 commandments and all the rest of His specifications). God knew that we could not keep the law, and ordinarily that would have permanently separated us from Him.

But He had a greater plan. He sent His Son, begotten, Holy and perfect, to fulfill the entirety of the law for us. By his faith, Jesus performed many miracles. By his obedience, he yielded his life on the cross for us. By the faith and obedience of Jesus, God bestowed the grace of salvation, everlasting life with Him, upon all of us His creation. Jesus is the fullness of God's grace.

Grace is the mechanism by which an unyieldingly Holy God can reach His beloved, but fallen, children. That is, grace is the difference between where He is and wherever you are. Grace is the mechanism by which He relates to us, His creation that cannot keep His law.

What is Grace? part 1

Religious textbooks will tell you that grace is unearned, unmerited, undeserved favor of God. I think that's a pretty good place to start.

Grace is an expression of God's love for us, regardless of our state. Whether we are rich or poor, healthy or sick, attempting to be obedient to Him or completely belligerent, HE LOVES US. Even if we don't love ourselves, can't see why anybody else would love us, or can't imagine a creator that could possibly love us, He does.

Grace is a statement of love, freely given to all of us by God. There is nothing we can "do" to make God love us more. St. Paul talks about this in his letters, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace" (Romans 11:6). Works do not produce grace! It is free gift from God.

While we cannot increase his love for us by the works that we perform, there ARE things we can do to increase his flow of grace upon and through us. How do we access more grace? By FAITH!

How do we know this? St. Paul tells us explicitly, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Eph 2:8).  Here are some more references for you to explore about how faith is used to access God's grace: Rom 4:16, Rom 5:2, 1 Ti 1:13.

In the example above (Eph 2:8), the particular grace St. Paul is referring to is eternal salvation.There are many other graces God bestows upon us, including fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:21), wisdom, health, protection, love, joy, peace, and many more.

So how do we access His grace? By faith! But how exactly? Start by simply asking for what you want. It takes courage and faith to ask God for what you want. I encourage you to ask out loud; say the words with your voice. If you need, find a quiet and private place to do this. Speaking these requests aloud always seems to bring stronger results, although I cannot exactly say why.

Are you concerned about whether He will hear you? It is difficult to accept that He is Almighty, or that He created the entire universe, but is unable or unwilling to hear you. He has endured a lot to make a relationship with you possible. He even sent His only begotten (not made) Son to die in place for your sins. He will hear your every prayer.

Perhaps a deeper question is, What if I am asking for something that I should not have, or is against His will? What then?

PUSH! Pray Until Something Happens!
This will generally resolve itself in 1 of 2 ways. Either your prayer will grow stronger within you, and you will begin to see Him moving pieces to make it happen, or it will fall from your favor and you will lose interest. In short, pray until He answers your request (not necessarily as you intended), or until he moves your heart to let go of the request. Either way, you are expressing faith and giving glory to God!

I can't encourage you enough to pray and ask for the things you want. If I had a nickel for every time a Christian expressed that he/she wanted something, but didn't have enough faith to ask God for it, I would be IMMENSELY WEALTHY. I might even give King Solomon a run for his money!

With that, we have covered the basics of grace; what it is and how to access His grace. If you are interested, proceed to part 2.