The Scandal of Free Grace

Note: The first part of Don’s opening remarks are taken from the FEBRUARY 19, 2022 discussion called “Pregnant With Grace“.

To preface our discussion, Becky May provided the following excerpt from Ann Voskamp’s book The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas: 

She became a space.

Mary—she opens her hands and she nods.

And the promises come true in the space of her surrender—the pod of the Most High God lodging within her willing yes.

Beneath her heart—in one yielded space—beats the thrumming love of God.

There is no need to produce or perform or perfect—simply become a place for God. That is all.

Now, here, in this juncture of time and space, God chooses the inconceivable-grace.

And conceives Himself to deliver grace into the world.

Conceive: it’s not passive, but an active verb. Its root in Latin means nothing less than “to seize, to take hold of.” When grace conceives in you, you take hold of God.

When you are a space to receive whatever the will of God is in this moment as grace, you take hold of God. You most take hold of God when you simply receive Him in this moment taking hold of you.

Taking hold of your unsure hand.

Taking hold of your unseen needs.

Taking hold of your unknown stress.

He wants to take hold of you, to be with you. He wants to carry you, to be carried by you, to have relationship with you. The being with is always the gift, not merely the doing for. Because God knows: relationship is the only reality; there is nothing else. The way He lives in Trinity, the way we are tethered to Him, to His Body. The way He is with us and in us; the way we make space for Christ to grow us, unfold Love in us; the way the life of Christ stirs amazing grace within.

That way anywhere you make space for someone, you become a womb for God.

He comes to you as the exhausted man over a plate of cold food, the brushed-off kid in the hall, the loud woman peppering your patience with a thousand questions. When you slow and let your eyes fully receive theirs or your words nourish small things anytime you’re a safe place for another soul or you open and conceive grace—-you become a womb for God. Nothing is impossible with Him.

Christmas is conceived in your world when you simply receive it- however Christ and His will come to you. When we think we’re the ones who will have to produce Christmas, we only half-wrap the notion that we think the saving of the world begins with us. There is a name for this, and it is called idolatry.

“No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven,” says the one who is preparing the way (John 3:27 — emphasis added).

Hear it like an echo of the heavenlies: Christmas can’t be made, like people can’t be self-made, like dreams can’t be force-made. Everything is given from heaven. Everything is a gift. Your life becomes a masterpiece the moment you see it as a gift of grace to willingly receive. 

It is more blessed to give than to receive-and it may be more of a struggle to receive than to give. Christmas humbles: we are not the givers we long to be. Nor are we the receivers God woos us to be.

Mary kneels before us this first Christmas not as a woman producing, performing, or perfecting but simply bending before a God who has all the power to dispatch angels, enfold Himself in embryonic cells, choreograph the paths of stars—a God who quietly beckons every man, every woman to simply come, bend, make a space, receive.

This is the chronology of grace, the chronology of Christmas: before were called to give, we’re called to receive. 

This can be the hardest. We struggle to receive. Sometimes we are better givers than getters. Grace? For me?

I don’t have to bring anything? I don’t have to make anything, produce anything, perform anything? What if someone sees… how empty I am? How I am not enough, how my gifts are not enough, how giving all I’ve got is never enough? How there are empty places in me, gaping places in me—all these hollow, starving places?

And Mary nods to you in the last days of Advent. Only one thing is necessary-be a space for Love to come. You simply have to receive Love. Let yourself be loved.

Will you let Me fill all your emptiness with Love? Receive my Love? Conceive My grace?

It’s for you.

“Nothing is more repugnant to capable, reasonable people than grace,” writes John Wesley.™ And nothing is harder for capable people at Christmas than to simply come and receive.

Don’t let this be the gift you refuse. The grace is for you. Your greatest gift is not your gifts, but your surrendered yes to be a space for God.

The miscarriage of Christmas begins when anxictics crowd out space within simply to carry Christ. Make room; be a womb. Be a womb to receive Christ everywhere, and it is He who delivers everyone.

So you let the last of the trimmings go.

Cease the pace to do, buy, produce more.

Find the calendar and erase.

Somewhere make space. And you can feel the space become a sanctuary. Sanctity stilling the crush. Glory overshadowing everything else.

And time holds its breath, and the whirl of this old whirligig world holds for half a blink… and God comes in the fullness of His love into the willing space.

And time exhales relief, and the angels dance joy, and the velvet hush of grace received falls over this place like a coverlet over a waiting child.

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Grace is a subject of great importance to the Christian yet something we find vaguely unsettling. It elicits strong emotions—joy, for one; but also anger and confusion. Of all Christian beliefs, nothing engenders emotions like grace. 

Moreover, it is the single most questioned belief by those who are not Christian. The freely given pardon, the lavish gift of forgiveness without paying anything for it just doesn’t seem right. Don’t I have some responsibility? Isn’t there some accountability for my actions, my behavior, my conduct? It can’t be that I just get off scot free! It just doesn’t seem right. To some, it may even seem scandalous.

Somebody, it seems, has to pay something, some way, somehow. There is no free lunch. The concept of a pardon, a free gift, without payment, just doesn’t add up. I’ve got to do something—shape up at least, repent, return, reform. 

As we noted last week, Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined the term “cheap grace”—grace without consequences, without paying something. I can’t just shrug away all my faults and my shortcomings and my sins, can I? Don’t I need to work hard at being better? Why should I be good if I’ve already been forgiven? Why try to be just as God wants me to be when he accepts me just as I am? 

This is the scandal of grace. This is grace unhinged. Can it really be true? 

A 2017 article in an online publication called Catholic Chemistry reported, ahead of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, some Pew research showing the majority of Protestants—52%—believe that both good deeds and faith are necessary for salvation and that Christians need the guidance of the Church and its teachings and its traditions in addition to the Bible. 

According to the Pew poll, only 30% of Protestants believed in both sola fide (faith alone is what matters) and sola scriptura (scripture alone is what matters)—the hallmarks of the of the Reformation. Another 35% believed in either sola fide or sola scriptura alone, but not both. The remaining 36% believed that neither was necessary. In comparison, 81% of US Catholics believed that both good deeds and faith are necessary for salvation, while 75% believed Christians need the Bible and tradition.

Religion is all about paying the price for our sins. Much of the practice of religion is about paying it back in our rituals, in our habits, and in our procedures, prayers, fasting, and almsgiving. All of these are, at root, forms of penance. But grace is not like that. Biblical grace requires no payment, no quid pro quo. It is full and it is free. In his book  What’s So Amazing About Grace, Philip Yancy concludes:

“I freely admit, I have presented a one-sided picture of grace. I have portrayed God as a love-sick father eager to forgive, and grace as a force potent enough to break the chains that bind us and merciful enough to overcome deep differences between us. Depicting grace in such sweeping terms makes people nervous. And I can see that I have skated to the very edge of danger. However, I have done so because I believe the New Testament does so as well.” 

Consider this pointed reminder from the grand old preacher Martyn Lloyd Jones, a Welshman who was a physician and also Minister of the Westminster chapel for 30 years: 

“There is thus clearly a sense in which the message of justification by faith alone can be dangerous, and likewise, with a message that salvation is entirely of grace. I would say to all preachers: If your preaching of salvation has not been misunderstood in that way, then you had better examine your sermons again and you had better make sure that you are really preaching the salvation that is offered in the new testament to the ungodly, to the sinner, to those who are enemies of God. This is a kind of dangerous element about the true presentation of the doctrine of salvation. Grace has about it the sense of a scandal.” 

Still, it must be true that grace does something to us. What do we expect of grace? The apostle Paul must have anticipated this objection, this argument that somehow grace cannot be free. He must have anticipated the scandal of grace. In the first five chapters of the book of Romans he establishes the sinfulness and the depravity of all mankind. In Romans 3:23, he makes the categorical statement that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But in Romans 6 and 7, he puts the scandal of grace to rest, and he begins in Romans 6:1 by asking the question on everyone’s mind: “What shall we say then? Are we to be continued in sin, so the grace might abound? By no means.”

God forbid! Absolutely not! Pick the phrase you like, depending on the translation, but the answer is emphatic. 

He goes on to make three arguments using the metaphors of life and death, slavery and freedom, and marriage: 

• Grace liberates you from sin, just as the resurrection liberates you from death. In the spirit, by grace, you died to sin and were raised to a new life in the Spirit. You would no more persist in choosing sin over grace than you would choose death over life.
• He makes the same argument with the illustration of slavery: Being freed by the bonds of slavery to sin by grace, why would you go back to a life of bondage? “Embrace your freedom,” he says; “Who wants to be a slave?”
• Finally, he uses the metaphor of marriage: Love, he emphasized, is the binding element of grace. 

Yancey wrote: 

“Would a groom on his wedding night hold the following conversation with his bride: ‘Honey. I love you very much, and I’m eager to spend my life with you, but I need to work out a few details. After we’re married, how far can I go with other women? Can I sleep with them? Can I kiss them? You don’t mind a few affairs, do you, now and then? I know it might hurt you but just think of all the opportunities you’ll have to forgive me after I’ve betrayed you. 

“To such a Don Juan, the only reasonable response is a slap in the face and a “God forbid!” Obviously, he does not understand the first thing about love. Similarly, if we approach God with a ‘What can I get away with’ attitude, it proves we do not grasp what God has in mind for us. God wants something far beyond the relationship I might have with a slave master who will enforce my obedience. God is not a boss, or a business manager, or a magic genie to serve at our command. Indeed, God wants something more intimate than the closest relationship on Earth—a lifetime bond between a man and a woman. What God wants is not a good performance, but my heart. I do good works for my wife not in order to earn credit, but to express my love for her. Likewise, God wants me to serve in the new way of the Spirit, not out of compulsion, but out of desire. If I had to summarize the primary New Testament motivation for being good in one word, I would choose ‘gratitude.’ 

“Paul begins most of his letters with a summary of the riches we possess in Christ. If we comprehend what Christ has done for us, then surely, out of gratitude, we’ll strive to live the life worthy of such great love. We will strive for holiness—not to make God love us, but because he already does. As Paul told Titus, it is the grace of God that teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live a self-controlled and upright life. This passage is from Titus 2 beginning in verse 11: ‘For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live sensibly and righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior Christ Jesus, He who gave Himself for us, and he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possessions, zealous for good deeds.’” 

There’s one more story I think sheds light on this discussion. It’s found in the story of the Annunciation, the calling of Mary to be the bearer of grace, to give birth to Jesus:

 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. (Luke 1:26-30). 

The Annunciation of Mary is her calling of grace, and it is to be seen as if we are all like Mary, called to bear good for the world, each of us in our own unique and special way. We can see this as the birth of the Word with a capital W in the soul. Notice that what is born in us is not of mankind’s devising. What is born is holy and divine. The fetus in Mary’s womb is not man-made; the Immaculate Conception is of heavenly origin. So too for us: God seeks by his grace to make us instruments of the Immaculate Conception of his divine grace. 

We see here universal applicability. We are all called to grace, to bear the Word of God to others. “Hail Mary, full of grace,” the angel says, “the Lord is with you.” This is the greeting to Mary, and this is the greeting to you and to me. Luke says that Mary is greatly troubled at what the angel says, We are doubtless troubled by our capacity for evil, and for aggression, or even more afraid, it seems, of our capacity for goodness. Mary is greatly troubled to hear herself be proclaimed as full of grace and that the Lord is with her. And so too, I think, are we.

Far more threatening than the fear that we are capable of doing evil and harming others is the truth that we are blessed, full of grace, and have a capacity to bring Jesus into the world in a special and individually specific way. It is frightening to know that we all have a unique task and an assignment before God. We are called as a consequence of the gift of grace. It is as if God says “My grace takes care of you. You’re absolved. Your salvation is taken care of by my grace.” But you’re called to a different mission, a mission of bringing Jesus to the world, not a mission of self-righteousness, but to bear the word of grace to others. We must be faithful to the call, to give birth to the Word at the core of our being. 

Do we struggle to give voice to the Word that God will speak through us? We, like Mary, are vessels of grace and beloved by God. The Lord is with us. We have been created to bring Jesus to the world in a way that no one else can. This is the responsibility of grace. While it may be terrifying, it is our calling. And God assures us, as He did with Mary, that with God all things are possible. To accept that we are full of grace and that the Lord is with us, is our mission and our calling. It assures us that God is willing to help us, that we have his covering of grace, and that it puts us into this situation of being a source of grace to others. 

The apostle Paul must have anticipated the objection that somehow grace cannot be free. He anticipated the scandal of grace because, in the first five chapters of the book of Romans, he establishes the sinfulness and depravity of all humankind. In Romans 3:23, he makes the categorical statement that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But in Romans 6 and 7, he addresses the scandal of grace. He begins in Romans 6:1 by asking, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” By no means! Absolutely not—pick whatever phrase you like, depending on the translation, but the answer is emphatic. He then makes three arguments using the metaphors of life and death, slavery and freedom, and marriage. First, grace liberates you from sin, just as the resurrection liberates you from death. By grace, you find you died to sin and were raised to new life in the Spirit. Paul argues you would no more persist in choosing sin over grace than you would choose death over life. Second, he uses the illustration of slavery. Being freed from the bonds of slavery to sin by grace, why would you return to a life of bondage? Embrace your freedom, he says. Who wants to be a slave? Third, he uses the metaphor of marriage to emphasize the binding element of grace.

But there’s another story, the one that Becky has brought forward today, that sheds light on this discussion. It is found in the story of the Annunciation, the calling of Mary to be the bearer of grace, to give birth to Jesus. Reading from Luke chapter 1, “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was very perplexed at this statement and pondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.’”

The Annunciation to Mary is her calling of grace and is to be seen as if we are all like Mary. We are called to bear good for the world, each in our own unique and special way. We can see this as the birth of the Word, with a capital ‘W’, and a soul. Notice that what is born in us is not of humankind’s devising; what is born is holy and divine. The fetus in Mary’s womb is not man-made; the Immaculate Conception is of heavenly origin. Likewise, God seeks by His grace to make us instruments of the Immaculate Conception of His divine grace. 

We see here the universal applicability. We are called to grace, to bear grace to others. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you,” the angel says. This greeting to Mary is also a greeting to you and to me. Luke says Mary is greatly troubled at what the angel says. We are doubtless troubled by our capacity for evil and for aggression, and even more afraid, it seems, of our capacity for goodness.

Mary is greatly troubled to hear herself proclaimed as full of grace, and that the Lord is with her. And so too, I think, are we. Far more threatening than the fear that we’re capable of doing evil and harming others is the truth that we are blessed, full of grace, and have the capacity to bring Jesus into the world in a specific and individually tailored way. It is frightening to know that we have a unique task and an assignment before God. As a consequence of the gift of grace, it is as if God says, “My grace takes care of you. You are absolved, your salvation is taken care of by my grace, but you’re called to a different mission, a mission of bringing Jesus to the world—not a mission of self-righteousness, but to bear the word of grace to others. We must be faithful to the call to give birth to the Word at the core of our being. Do we struggle to give voice to the Word that God will speak through us? Like Mary, we are vessels of grace and beloved by God. The Lord is with us. We have been created to bring Jesus to the world in a way that no one else can—not Jesus in religious doctrinal terms, but as Jesus with his message and with his mission. 

This is the responsibility of grace. While it may be terrifying, it is our calling. And God assures us, as He did with Mary, that with God, all things are possible. To accept that we are full of grace and that the Lord is with us is our mission and our calling. It assures us that God is willing to help us,

Donald: We generally think of our spiritual matters in a corporate way, gathering together to share our private perspectives, yet we do this corporately. The two questions I’m pondering are somewhat related. First, what would organized religion look like if it focused on grace, assuming it currently doesn’t? Second, what is our understanding of grace as a class? Are we on the same page as a group? Are we focusing on grace more than a traditional group of people who discuss faith or spiritual matters? Although we’ve suggested having a different perspective, I’m not sure we’ve clearly articulated it.

David: The question, “What would a faith look like if it focused on grace?” is fascinating. It reminds me of Maureen Dowd’s column in the New York Times that we discussed years ago in which a Catholic priest described being called, soon after his ordination, to a hospital where a child had just died, to comfort the grieving Latino family that spoke limited English. Despite having some minimal Spanish, he felt unprepared, realizing all he could offer was his presence as a representation of God’s grace. This act of grace was appreciated and recognized by the family. 

This makes me wonder, could the Catholic Church succeed if its priests focused less on mass and more on being present with those who are suffering? Does a grieving family need basic instruction in Catholicism to recognize grace, and would this priest’s approach suffice even for an atheist family in distress?

Jay: We often view grace as a universal principle, a timeless characteristic of God, and while that may be true, the quotation shared by Becky May at the beginning of this class suggests that grace can be very individualized. “When you are in a space to receive whatever the will of God is, in this moment, as Grace, you take hold of God.” This highlights the challenge of defining grace as both timeless and universal, yet potentially very individualized. 

Educators face a similar challenge in trying to individualize the educational experience for each student, a daunting task with hundreds of students. If we consider God’s perspective, capable of offering individualized grace, it becomes clear why defining grace concretely is difficult. Additionally, the concept of hoarding grace varies greatly between individuals. For instance, the parable of the seeds and the talents illustrate grace as individualistic proportional gifts rather than a uniform distribution. This individualized nature of grace complicates the idea of focusing on it corporately, as a corporate entity may not be equipped to meet everyone’s unique needs.

Donald: Among those of us with an Adventist background, do we know if any of the 27 core beliefs directly address grace? Does one or more speak to grace? This seems crucial. If we cannot affirmatively say so, it suggests that grace is not a prominent concept or is not explicitly addressed. Is it considered a private matter? It’s unlikely that even one of the 10 people here could define it—it’s that personal.

Jay: For me, the essence of God’s goodness and grace is universal and timeless. It transcends time, culture, and geography. The grace of God is experiential everywhere. Our concrete minds want to standardize it, to have everyone experience it in the same way. However, I propose that the way you connect with it and how it manifests in you, and how you then serve as a vessel to pass it on, is highly individualistic.

Carolyn: I agree, but there’s the aspect of judgment at the end of grace. What is our cause, our position, once we’ve received grace, regarding judgment? Are we covered by grace forever, or just in that moment? Does this imply that our deeds post-receiving grace matter? Judgment introduces a pause, a consideration in the discussion of grace.

Michael: That’s a challenging question. From my exploration of teachings on grace in various churches it seems that people’s understanding of grace often varies. Many associate grace with conditions, which might be what Carolyn referred to—it’s seen as conditional, not just freely given without cessation or requirement to stop sinning. 

However, another perspective, and perhaps ours, views grace as unconditional, a significant distinction. It wasn’t easy finding congregations that discuss grace as we do, but I did find a few sources. Though these discussions begin with grace, they often circle back to topics like judgment and responsibility, which complicates the concept.

Jay: Carolyn revisits the concept of grace and judgment, highlighting a desire for clear definitions, especially concerning judgment. If grace and judgment are intertwined, and grace is individualistic, it follows that judgment is also highly individualistic. This notion is liberating for me, as it implies that judgment is not based on someone else’s standards but is tailored to each individual by God, who understands the grace we’ve received and passed on. God recognizes our capacities at different stages of our lives, freeing us from being held to a constant standard. 

This perspective on judgment, reflective of biblical teachings, suggests judgment is God’s domain, and those being judged may not predict their outcome, underscoring the importance of trusting in God’s grace and goodness as a comforting and secure stance.

Carolyn: I’m reminded of John 3:16, which has been a foundation for me since childhood: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This verse, to me, encapsulates grace and covers the concept of judgment, promising everlasting life under grace.

C-J: When I consider biblical stories like Daniel in the lion’s den or his capture as a young boy, I see grace in every moment of trial. These stories remind me that God has brought me through difficulties before. It’s about recognizing God’s restoration and purpose in our lives, leaning into the work He is doing in us. Grace, to me, is like building a wall brick by brick, each representing the Holy Spirit’s attributes and the life-giving Word of God. They remind me that I am merely a vessel through which God expresses grace. In moments of despair, when the pain seems too great, I’m inspired by Daniel’s patience, understanding that delays are not denials. This teaches me to lean into grace, knowing that everything unfolds in God’s timing.

Reinhard: Willingness to accept grace—to make space for it in hour hearts—seems to be the only requirement. Once we have this grace, as long as we maintain it with the help of the Holy Spirit, we don’t need to worry about judgment, particularly the last judgment. When people judge us, those with authority, like courts, make judgments based on that authority. But if fellow members of our religious community judge us, it’s often to remind us to return to the right path. In our Christian lives, when we are judged by people from the church, it’s an encouragement to stay on course and not stray.

Metaphorically, the space for grace is like a room being prepared for new furniture by first emptying and cleaning it. Similarly, we must make our hearts clean and empty, ready to receive. Once we receive, like new furniture in a room, we care for it, keep it clean – this is akin to accepting and nurturing grace, as well as sharing God’s love with others. As individuals, we accept God’s grace and mercy, keep it, and share it with others.

Just as in a room where someone might knock on the door and we invite them in to share the space, we can share grace with others in this ‘room’. Grace, although not always fully understood because it is free, requires something from us in return: willingness, humility, and an open heart and mind. With this attitude of willingness to accept God’s grace, our actions reflect God’s will on Earth. By fulfilling this requirement, we can pass on grace to others and ourselves.

Anonymous: The parallel between Mary, hailed as “full of grace,” and Jesus, recognized for being full of “grace and truth” in John 1:14, highlights a profound connection. The observation about Joseph not knowing Mary until Jesus was born, and relating this to humans not understanding grace until Jesus is formed within us, is a compelling analogy. This idea of needing Jesus within us to be filled with grace mirrors Paul’s sentiment in Galatians 4:19 about being in travail until Christ is formed within the believers. It suggests that without being spiritually ‘pregnant’ with Jesus, we cannot produce good works. This analogy extends to the idea that just as pregnancy is evident in a woman, being filled with Jesus and his grace should be visible in our actions and works.

Donald: The absence of grace as a standalone core belief of Adventism might suggest that while grace is not explicitly mentioned, it could be an underlying theme within other Adventist beliefs. The idea of simply becoming a place for God, without the pressure to produce, perform, or perfect, strikes a powerful chord. It raises a question about our collective belief in the sufficiency of grace and the absence of performance-based faith.

Don: In the entire narrative of Jesus, from the Annunciation through to his teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection, it’s evident that grace is a central theme of his mission. The observation that grace permeates Jesus’s story from conception to resurrection emphasizes the importance of grace as not just a theological concept but as the essence of his presence and mission. This observation challenges us to consider why grace isn’t more central in our own messaging and missions, given its pivotal role in Jesus’s life and teachings.

David: I asked a ChatGPT derivative called Perplexity if the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s core beliefs include grace. It responded that the church believes in salvation through grace alone, as outlined in its 28 Fundamental Beliefs. It emphasizes that “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). This seems to confirm that the Adventist Church does indeed have a key focus on grace. 

This brings me back to the notion introduced by Becky and echoed in Maureen Dowd’s column and in Reinhard’s metaphor, that grace can be seen as the presence of God within us, a concept that extends the definition of grace beyond mere divine favor to include the indwelling presence of God.

Michael: I see judgment and grace as intertwined, occurring simultaneously. Thus, the rejection of grace constitutes judgment, aligning with the biblical assertion that while light came into the world, people preferred darkness over light.

Donald: It’s worth examining how other churches articulate the role of grace to understand its significance as a foundational aspect of Christianity, especially considering its pervasive presence from Jesus’s conception to his resurrection.

Reinhard: In real-world contexts, judgment can lead to a verdict of guilty or not guilty. Biblically, judgment often refers to condemnation. However, Paul assures that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Maintaining grace in the proper manner should alleviate concerns about judgment. This discussion extends to the ultimate judgment, where grace covers our actions against God’s will, provided we repent. This ongoing process of repentance is key to our spiritual journey.

Jay: Grace is mentioned three times in the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Adventist Church, in regard to salvation, spiritual gifts, and the law of God. Instead of grace being a standalone belief, it is used to explain other concepts. Salvation, for instance, is through grace. This indicates that rather than starting with grace, we tend to reverse the order, explaining salvation and spiritual gifts as emanating from grace. 

It’s intriguing that we don’t position grace as the foundation from which all else derives but rather as an element that integrates into other beliefs. This might be why we struggle with conceptualizing grace, not as the beginning of everything but as an additive. I’ve mentioned before that on the first day, God created light, independent of the sun, moon, and stars created on the fourth day. This leads to pondering the foundational element established at creation and its relation to grace, suggesting that grace is like oxygen—inescapable and fundamental to the universe’s functioning.

David: The problem in our approach to understanding grace might stem from treating it as a reductionist exercise, breaking it down into components like mercy and compassion. This becomes more complex the further we go down this path. A holistic approach might see grace as an aspect of love, with God’s love being the ultimate saving grace. Perhaps we should focus on the concept of love, and accept that being loved by God is sufficient. There is no need for further breakdown and analysis.

C-J: Love and grace imply a relationship filled with growth, commitment, and sacrifice, necessitating work and development through its challenges. This relationship with God is private and unique, reflecting through community not as a personal showcase but as a space for divine expression. The essence of our relationship with God transcends the boundaries of time and religion, being limitless and constantly evolving.

Don: I’d like to express regret that Becky couldn’t join us more extensively. Her contribution, focusing on Jesus’s mission and message as one of grace, has been invaluable. We’ll continue exploring this theme in our future discussions.

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