BY ETERNAL DIVINE WILL and purpose, God-believers and Christ-followers are meant to be different in character and conduct than the people of any of the world’s ethnic or national entities. Grace is inherent in God’s own character, and is an intrinsic value purposing his redemptive plan for both cosmos and creature. We were formed in his image, and in restored relationship with him we are being returned to our true image, identity, and inheritance. Our ever-so-short lifespan needs a nudge to keep us from being mired in the myopia of the moment. That prodding comes from God in the form of his unmerited grace extended to us; a grace that, though free, requires much from us.
The very nature of mankind, “created in the image of God” (cf. Gen. 1:27) was deformed by malevolence in the ‘Fall from Grace.’ (cf. Gen. Ch. 3) The consequence of this was the expulsion of mankind from the paradisical Garden—something we picture longingly as a lost place of peace and perfection; far more, the place of unique one-ness with God. In the Garden, our relationship was strong: **“So forcible within my heart I feel the bond of nature draw me to my own, my own in thee, for what thou art is mine; our state cannot be severed, we are one, one flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself.” (John Milton) Outside the Garden, mankind became restless wanderers, severed from our great benevolent origin. Lamentably, this is our natural inheritance.
Paul, speaking of the Christian body under the headship of Jesus, says “When he ascended on high he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” (Eph. 4:8) Since Jesus has ‘robbed us from the house of the Devil’ (cf. Matt. 12:28-29), Paul says, “To each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” (Eph. 4:6)
God’s grace begins and progressively accomplishes *two things in our lives. First, he exerts his divine power (cf. Eph. 1:19b-2:6), to turn us to Christ, who keeps us in faith, and prompts and enables us to the most virtuous of conduct. Second, the Spirit he placed within us at new birth (cf. John 3:5-7) works within us to develop and promote character in our new-born nature (cf. Rom. 6:3-4) that is motivated positively to be expressed in action through joy, sweetness, and graceful speech. What we could not do before because our deformed original nature could only accomplish its own will, we now do willingly because our reformed new nature “can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13)
The Spirit of God working providentially and powerfully within us takes us victoriously, if we will respond in that confident manner, through progressively challenging trials. Each of these does its part to reshape our image more closely to represent the image of God. It is the grace of God in the face of these trials, a grace assured in our mind, heart, soul, and strength (cf. Mark 12:30), that generously convinces us that “he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion.” (Phil. 1:6) Paul accentuates the divine protection inherent in our life-journey with and towards God: “He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:8-9)
The outward expression of indwelling grace reveals our character, whether that is expressed as the lack found in the old nature or the abundance of the new nature. Jesus says of this, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matt. 7:16a)
The lack of grace made manifest in the actions of the old nature are clear, according to Paul. “Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” (Gal. 5:19b-21)
God’s redemptive and purposeful grace has been extended to us in order that we will “be conformed to the image of his Son.” (Rom. 8:29) Our transformation of nature is accomplished through the grace found in salvation, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13-14)
Having received grace, we are called to be graceful personally, and to give grace to others. Paul tells us to implement willing intentionality in our day-by-day choices. “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” As we ‘walk by the Spirit,’ the new nature within us—empowered by the grace of God—will increasingly manifest “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22b-23) Peter speaks also to the intentional aspect required of us as acts of the new nature. “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 1:5-8)
It is as this kind of Christian—one who exemplifies the very nature of God seen so clearly in Jesus—that we become the first step out of the world of ethnos/nations for others. (cf. Matt. 7:13-14) God is assembling (cf. Psa. 68:6) a family by making/taking one nation out all the others. (cf. Deut. 4:34) He does so by the testimony of our lives lived in the grace of faith. “We have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. The life we now live in the body, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us.” (Gal. 2:20)
We are once again, finally, in union with God—by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And we are most definitely not alone, for God is with us, as are countless brothers and sisters in our faith.
Q. Do others note that my life is marked by joy, sweetness, and grace of speech?
*Strong’s 5485, “Grace.”
– that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech.
– of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.
**John Milton, “Paradise Lost” – 1667-1674.
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