Responding to Grace

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse said, “Love that gives upward is worship; love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace.”

I’ve heard all sorts of definitions for grace. Some say what it is not: “Grace is not a blue-eyed blond.” Some are misnomers, such as using the term “saying grace” for the giving of thanks at mealtime. Most define biblical grace as God giving us love that we do not deserve, or God’s unmerited favor toward sinners. Some use the acronym “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”

My favored definition is that grace is a revelation from God about Jesus Christ that changes our lives. We are blind to the spiritual realm and to the nature and work of Christ unless God opens our eyes. Grace is seeing who He is and becoming like Him because God reveals Him. This is a gracious work of God in otherwise unsaveable human lives.

However it is defined, God is not stingy with grace. In a section of Romans, Paul emphasizes that sin entered the human race with Adam and the law of God was given to reveal how much sin has affected us.

Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

One of my commentaries points out that throughout all this section “the offense” (four times repeated besides here) has one definite meaning, namely, “the one first offense of Adam.” The writer of this commentary says this is its meaning in these verses also. He says, “All our multitudinous breaches of the law are nothing but that one first offense, lodged mysteriously in the bosom of every child of Adam as an offending principal, and multiplying itself into myriads of particular offenses in the life of each.”

In other words, Adam’s disobedience (Eve too) put the tendency to sin and that desire to disobey God and do our own thing into the entire human race. That one act of disobedience in the first couple was converted into a “vital and virulent principle of disobedience” in every member of the human family. This result is clearly seen in the fact there is not one person who never sins. We all fall short of God’s intention for us.

But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more! No matter how terrible and how often someone sins, their lives are not beyond the reach of grace. God is able to save anyone. Moses was a murderer. David was both an adulterer and murderer. Paul was on his way to Damascus to order the death of Christians when the grace of God stopped him. I was reading a book about false religion when grace stopped me.

Barnhouse makes a good definition. Grace certainly is the love of God stooping to meet the need of sinners. It is humbling and good for my heart to be reminded that I do not deserve this grace wherein I stand — so firmly assured of my salvation. Of course my response must be love sent back to Him in worship, and love sent out to others with affection and service, even stooping if need be, so that my life might demonstrate the wonder and reality of His grace.