God of Grace
(based on Colossians 1:1-14, drawing parallels and understanding
Ephesians 2:8,9 and Philippians 2:12,13)
As Paul begins this letter, in the first few
verses he introduces himself, explains the world-wide scope of the Christian
movement that has been going on over the past few years, and then tells the
Colossians how he is praying for them. Though
Paul had never visited the Colossian church in person, you can sense his love and
concern for them in the first few verses of this letter.
It's likely that Paul had passed by Colossae on
his way to the "big city" of Ephesus, but he had never been to the
church in Colossae. In fact, it hadn't
existed when he had gone past it on the great Royal Highway from the East that
ended in Sardis and Ephesus, 100 miles west.
Paul spent nearly three years in Ephesus, preaching first in the
synagogue, then later, when he had been kicked out, he rented the lecture hall
of Tyrannus, where he taught the new disciples.
Epaphras was one of these new disciples. While in Ephesus, he heard of Paul, sat under
his teaching, and became a Christian. Then
he went back to Colossae and started a church. Now Epaphras has come to Rome, sought Paul
out, and has asked him to write a letter to encourage the members of his church.
In Paul’s letter back to the Colossian church,
that’s exactly what Paul does; encouraging them from the moment they fully
comprehended the Grace of God. But, what
is the Grace of God? Is it a gift,
freely given? Is it something that we earn
or work towards? What exactly is it that
defines this God that we believe in – this God of Grace?
The word “grace” or Chanan only appears
4 times in the Old Testament. This word
can be translated as favor. As in Samuel,
who found chanan or “favor in the eyes of the Lord” – which fully means
to bend or stoop in kindness to another.
The comparable word in Greek from the New Testament translated as grace
is charis, a manner or act of gratification due to the divine influence
upon the heart. Although it’s comparable
companion in the Old Testament only occurs 4 times, this word occurs 118 times
in the New Testament.
The classic scripture passage on grace in the
New Testament is found in Ephesians 2:8,9:
"For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by
works, so that no one can boast."
The wonderful truth of God's grace is that it’s
a gift, granted to us by God, through his son, Jesus Christ. All we have to do is to believe it -- that is,
embrace the truth for ourselves. As Paul
wrote it to the members of the Colossian Church, when they fully comprehended
the grace of God, they set themselves on a new path of living.
If God’s grace is about God’s gift of salvation
to us, then another great passage on grace can be found in Philippians 2:12,
13, “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is
at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
In German there is a wonderful play on words
for Grace and Works. In German, grace is
translated as Gabe or “gift”, and the word for works is translated as Aufgabe
or “to gift.” So, in German these two words gift and works become part of
the same understanding of grace which becomes both a noun and a verb; gift and
to gift. So, even though the passage
from Ephesians says that grace is a gift and that it is not something that you
can work towards, in German grace is both noun; a gift and something that you do,
“to gift”.
During Christianity’s early days in Rome a monk
named Pelagius taught that we must earn God’s grace; that our salvation is our
responsibility. It is all “task.” Church father Augustine opposed Pelagius and
taught that God’s grace is all God’s doing; we really don’t contribute
anything. God chooses whom he will offer
favor and grants them grace. God saves
them without any cooperation or contribution on their parts.
During the Protestant Reformation Martin Luther
and the Catholic Church fell into bitter dispute over this.
During the Great Awakening in Britain and
America John Wesley and revivalist George Whitefield fell into disagreement
and, for a while, ended their friendship over this issue of God’s role and ours
in salvation.
And on and on the argument has gone.
What many don’t see is that Philippians 2:12-13
isn’t about initial salvation—conversion. It’s about the Christian life after
conversion—about maintaining a healthy relationship with God as a converted
believer. The first part of grace is
about a gift. The second part of grace
is about gifting to others.
This is what Paul was writing about in his letter
to the believers in Colossae. Now that
they have fully comprehended that gift that God has given them, they are to be
at work. Their lives should show
it. Paul writes in the end of the
introduction how they should be living lives that are worthy of the Lord, fully
pleasing to God, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
becoming strong in the Lord, being patient through endurance, all while
joyfully giving thanks.
Charles Spurgeon, born in 1834 became an English
Baptist Preacher. He was a great author
of many types of works including sermons, an autobiography, commentaries, books
on prayer, devotionals, magazines, poetry, and hymns. Spurgeon’s sermons and writings are still held
in high regard among some of the most powerful sermons of penetrating thought
and precise exposition.
In one of his stories, he told of an evening
when he was riding home after a heavy day’s work. He felt weary and depressed, when as suddenly
as a lightning flash he thought of 2 Corinthians 12:9 – another great passage
on the grace of God which says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” He said, “I
should think it is, Lord,” and he burst out laughing. He suddenly understood the full comprehension
of God’s grace to him. It was as though
some little fish, being very thirsty, was troubled about drinking the river
dry, and the river said, “Drink away, little fish, my stream is sufficient for you.”
Or, it seemed after the seven years of plenty, a mouse feared that it would die
of famine, and Joseph might say, “Cheer up, little mouse, my granaries are
sufficient for you.” Or, a man away up on a mountain saying to himself, “I fear
I shall exhaust all the oxygen in the atmosphere.” But the earth might say,
“Breathe away, oh man, and fill your lungs with every breath; my atmosphere is
sufficient for you.”
God’s gift of salvation to us is God’s grace, the
Old Testament understanding of grace, a chanan, a bending or a stooping
from one to another in deference to their relationship. God’s grace is free and plentiful like the
water in the stream, or the grain in the granary, or the oxygen in the atmosphere. But, it is something that you must fully
comprehend in order to grasp, to take it, to make it your own. Once it is fully comprehended and yours, it becomes a charis or the New
Testament definition of the word, an act of gratification due to the divine
influence upon the heart.
This is the Grace of God at work in your life;
a gift freely given, as great and plentiful as the air we breathe, given to us
to also freely give from the God of Grace.
Thanks be to God.
AMEN.
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