For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
Titus 2:11
We like to think of ourselves as pretty smart. We can figure most things out. Given some time, we can solve any puzzle. Given the right tools, we can fix any problem. Given enough resources, we can repair anything that’s broken.
If you’re like us, we watch television with one hand on the remote and the other on our phone. When a new character comes on, our minds start to buzz. We’ve seen them before, but where? What was that show? What part did they play in that movie? What was it that their character said? It’s on the tip of my tongue.
That’s when the phones come out and everyone hits Google and other sites. We look for the show we’re watching to get their name. We then use that to scan through all the movies and TV shows they’ve been in. And then someone shouts, “I’ve got it. They were this character in that movie.” Everyone nods their heads and says, “Yea, that’s right.”
You see, we think that we can find everything out. That we can find the answer. That there’s a logical explanation for everything. That is, until life stands up and smacks us right in the face.
Think for a minute, what was the logical reason for falling in love? Did you search the internet with your question about who they were and why you felt this way? What set of facts triggered the unbelievable excitement that caused you to kiss the one you love
We may not like it, but there are things in this life that just don’t have an explanation. They somehow are true, and yet we just can’t figure them out. The cause of where it came from remains a mystery.
And now, this brings us to one of those things that just doesn’t have any logical reason or explanation. It’s a word that people use every day, and yet I’m deeply convinced that they really don’t have the first clue about what they’re saying.
Oh, I believe that they know the word that comes out of their mouth. That they can spell the letters to form the word. That their fingers fly across their keyboards as they text it or include it in a social media post. They also put it in emails and letters sent to people they love.
But when the Bible uses the word grace, God means something bigger and more powerful than anything we can possibly know. It’s so far beyond our ability to understand that it’s not funny. There’s no finding it out through any search engine or Artificial Intelligence solution either.
When you read the word grace in God’s word, he’s talking about something that we rarely, if ever, experience in this life. Grace is something that’s done as a favor without any expectation of repayment. Grace brings some benefit, doing something good for a person without them earning for it. Without them deserving it. Without them paying for it.
And the gracious person, the one who’s giving grace, expects nothing in return. There’s no expectation that the receiver will wake up one morning and run to thank them. Grace was given just so the one giving could give it. The giver is overjoyed just to give, and without the slightest hope of getting anything back.
The gracious gift was given freely without any expectation of them returning the favor. When they gave the gracious gift, it was overwhelming and over-the-top. It was way more than the receiver ever imagined. More than they could hold. It was given from a heart that was free, and they freely gave.
In our world, there’s precious little grace. Everything, and I mean everything, has a price. Nobody gives something freely. It always has strings. There’s always an expectation that when we receive that we also owe. That free piece of software that you use isn’t free. It’s got strings attached to it. That coupon isn’t free, they want you to buy something.
When we do something nice for someone, it’s because we’re friends. We want to return the favor. They’ve been nice to us so we want to do something nice for them. Or they’re someone we want to get to know, so we do something nice so they’ll notice us. Thank us.
But God’s grace is a whole different kettle of fish. His grace towards us is in a whole different universe. He did the unbelievable thing of dying for us while we were in rebellion against him. While we were actively doing anything and everything we could to hurt him. We were his enemies, actively fighting against him.
And what does he do for people just like us? Jesus comes and lives the life of a servant. He lives in poverty. People misunderstand him. They yell and scream at him. They threatened him. They spit at him. They betray him. They turn him over to his enemies who torture and execute him like a common criminal.
And why? Because he loves you and me. There’s no word to describe this. It’s God’s grace towards us. There’s no fully comprehending it. No way for us to figure this one out. Our only option is worship and to say, “Yes, Lord. I’ll do anything you say.”
Noodling Questions
How frustrating is it to you when you can’t think of the right word? Explain.
How central to our lives is grace? How can it energize us more?
Explain how Jesus’ arrest and brutal beatings have impacted your life.
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