Overwhelmed by grace
Overwhelmed By Grace
This has been a very appropriate topic for me, the last few weeks have been filled with challenges at work, additional projects, home-schooling the kids and the usual busyness of life, I’ve been so grateful to be able to lean into the ever-present grace of God!
A good place to begin… What is grace?
This is a word used commonly in Christian circles, in songs, sermons and prayers, however for that reason there’s a risk of missing the real meaning and power of what grace is. For those of us who are believers we also want to communicate the life giving grace of God to those around us without using jargon, what some might call ‘Christianese’!
It’s helpful here to consider some definitions. The greek word for grace in the New Testament is Charis, which is where we get the English words charisma and charismatic from. A few definitions that I found helpful are listed below.1
Grace is…
A gift or blessing from Jesus Christ to humanity
That which affords joy, pleasure or delight
Goodwill; loving-kindness; favour; to be inclined favourably towards someone
God’s favour, freely extended to give Himself away to people (because He’s always leaning towards them). (https://biblehub.com/greek/5485.htm)
Grace is a Person
Grace is not a commodity or a thing that can be earnt in a transactional manner, nor is it a concept or an idea… Grace is a person!
Titus 2:11 tells us, ‘For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all people.’
Jesus is the favour of God, grace is God leaning towards us.
So grace is the substantial, transforming, loving presence of God Himself. The Eastern Orthodox tradition would describe grace as the uncreated energies of God and also as partaking of the Divine nature.2
A helpful image from scripture is the River of God (as we see in the book of Ezekiel for example), the divine life that flows naturally and eternally both within and from the Father, Son and Spirit towards us and all of creation.3
How can we respond to grace like this?
Well, we can choose to love back, to engage in the relationship… leaning back in to the God who is already leaning in to us. Maybe this looks like finding a community who are already doing this, faith was always designed as a journey with friends.
A transformation begins
The Father, Son and Spirit have always been in loving relationship, and through Christ we’re now included in this. When we lean in to God a wonderful transformation starts to happen as we become more like the One we love. Like iron put into the furnace takes on the properties of the fire itself, the heat, the energy, even starting to glow; in a similar way, we become more Christ-like, where the way of our being starts to match the truth of our being.4
The woman caught in adultery
Our scripture this week is from John chapter 8, the story of the woman caught in adultery. You can read this from verses 1 – 11. This story is shocking but also a beautiful picture of God’s grace.
This woman has made a mistake and slept with a man who is not her husband, however her treatment is disgraceful, humiliated, dragged probably half-clad before a crowd including Jesus. The religious leaders, with no real care for justice have decided to use her as a test to catch Jesus out.
We might ask, where is the man in this story? He was at least as responsible for the adultery as the woman yet there is no mention of him, perhaps he was part of the set up too or maybe this simply reveals the ingrained sexism and misogyny of the time, something that sadly continues to this day.
The Pharisees use the Law of Moses like a weapon against Jesus, if he condones the stoning he could be accused of lacking mercy however if he goes against the law he could be condemned to death as a blasphemer. But Jesus in his genius, makes the statement,
“let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”,
…cutting right to the self-righteous heart of the matter, His words prompt an inward examination and pricking of the crowd’s consciences. The crowd leaves one by one, maybe having to lay down the stones already in their hands to effect a grisly execution. Perhaps they glimpse themselves for a moment in the woman’s position, sinners in need of forgiveness.
As the crowd leaves, Jesus and the woman he has defended are left alone. Jesus the only one without sin and able to justly judge her, does not condemn but forgives her saying,
“go and sin no more”
Is he saying “…or else..! [I will condemn and punish you]” or could Jesus be doing something altogether more powerful?
I believe Jesus was leaning in to her, extending his favour, giving of Himself and inviting her into freedom from sin and relationship with God. Whatever happened to this lady afterwards, it’s certain that her life was changed that day, literally saved from mob justice. Though I’m sure moral perfection escaped her as it does us all, it’s hard to imagine her going back into the shadowlands of sin and shame, most likely she followed Jesus from that day on, walking in the light of Grace Himself.
Jesus is perfect theology
So is this story just an example of a situation where Jesus extended mercy? Or perhaps it is revealing something deeper about the character of our God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Romans 8, tells us, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus5”, and we learn in that famous third chapter of John that, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him6”. Jesus is the only way to the Father7, they are One in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the image (or the photograph if you like!) of the invisible God8, the ‘exact expression of His substance’9.
“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself…”
Colossians 1:19-20
As the famous theologian T.F. Torrance said, there is no God hiding behind the back of Jesus10. He’s the whole deal; Jesus is perfect theology11 and perfect grace.
If you’re interested in finding out more we’d love for you to connect with us and continue the journey!
References:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2047&version=NLV
Romans 8:1 (NIV)
John 3:17 (NLV)
John 14:6
Colossians 1:15
Hebrews 1:3 (Berean Literal Bible; https://biblehub.com/blb/hebrews/1.htm)
Thomas F. Torrance, The Christian Doctrine of God, pp. 243-244
Credit to Bill Johnson https://bjm.org/
