I think “grace” is one of those words in the Bible that Christians use that may not be understood…by either the speaker or those who aren’t yet Christians (but maybe would be if they had any idea what we’re talking about! )
Remember the story about the young bride who was preparing a ham for the oven? She cut the end off the ham (like her mother had always done) before she garnished it and put it in the oven.
One day she asked her mother “Why do we cut the end of the ham off before we bake it?” Her mother replied, “Your grandmother always did. I never asked her why. When I got married, every time I baked ham I did the same thing. Now you do it. If you want to know, you should ask her.”
The young bride did ask her grandmother about the tradition, now in its third generation, of cutting the end of the ham off before she baked it. Grandmother smiled and said, “I never have understood why you and your mother do it, but I did because my only baking pan was too small to bake the whole ham.”
People “in the church” a long time talk a lot about grace. What does grace do? Is grace an idea or something touchable, understandable, and usable in life? What does grace do or mean for someone walking in shame, knowing they’ve blown it, people without hope that things will ever be different? Do the mature Christians understand grace enough to explain it? Do we ask when we don’t know?
Here’s another one. What is “favor” in the Bible? (When I need a favor, that usually involves me asking someone to do something I can’t do on my own, like a skill I’ve never learned or an ability I don’t have.) What does it mean to say grace is God’s unearned “favor”?
Grace is an amazing substance. Grace came with Truth through Jesus. Grace is always linked to righteousness through faith. Grace is… Grace equips … Grace enables…
If you want to fill in those blanks, contact me @forhisglory1000@gmail.com. Let’s study the meaning, the power, the amazing, amazing substance of grace.
For His Glory 