Grace: Transformative & Costly

Grace as God's Unmerited Favor

Grace is freely given by God - it’s not something earned or worked for. It's the unmerited favor of God towards humanity, exemplified in passages lik:

Ephesians 2:8 | God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

Hebrews 4:16 | So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

2 Corinthians 12:9 | (Jesus) said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Grace is God freely extending Himself to His people because He is naturally inclined to bless us with His presence. Grace is not a transaction, but a gift bestowed by God out of His love for His creation.

Grace transforms our relationships—first with God, ourselves, others, and creation. With God, we go from sinner to saved. With ourselves, we from hating to holy. With others, we go from enemies to equals. With creation, we go from squanderers to stewards.

There’s a paradox found in God’s grace because while it is given freely, it also requires a cost on our part. Grace was bought at a price because sin requires a response. It calls for a response from individuals, acknowledging the need for grace and being willing to accept it. Grace demands a personal transformation, symbolized by the communion ritual, inviting individuals to lay their burdens at the altar and accept God's grace anew.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer speaks to this paradox of “costly grace:”

“Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: ‘ye were bought at a price,’ and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”

Everyone is welcome to accept Christ’s grace. Read Jesus’ words:

Revelation 3:20 | “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

What is keeping you from living out grace in your life?