"Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more.
Where grace is found is where You are.
And where You are, Lord, I am free.
Holiness is Christ in me."
- Matt Maher
Where would we be without the grace of God? The answer is scary to think about... However, I feel as though it can be easy to downplay this grace. Or even worse: take God’s grace for granted.
As I begin my next class for Wesley Seminary focused on the topic of soteriology (the study of Salvation), we will look at the works of John Wesley. While Wesley may not be in the conversations of advanced theologians throughout history, one would be remiss to exclude him in discussions on practical theology and Christian living. The whole Methodist movement was not started on what we believe, but the practice of our faith in action. Wesley would gather others in smaller groups and ask intimate questions about confessing sins and right living. This was not to focus on legalism, but instead to strive towards holiness. What is holiness? In the words of Phil Tallon and Justus Hunter, “Holiness, most basically, is the character of God.” When we say we want to “be a Christian,” we must look at how we are living like Christ. Holiness helps us live this out.
When it comes to modern Christianity, I feel like there can be an emphasis on our actions as the one to initiate salvation. We are the ones to make the decision, rather than recognizing it is only because of God’s prevenient grace that we are even allowed to follow Him in the first place. As this is a concern for me, it also brings me to my hope. Through this class, I hope to be able to better articulate this and understand it not just when I teach, but when I think about God’s salvific work in my own life. The goal is not just to let the things I learn in this class only transform my mind, but also my heart. My commitment to this class is to put my full heart and mind into everything I do. In doing this, I believe it will help me better understand the depth of God’s grace for me and help me understand it as best as I can in my human mind.
As a closing thought about the grace of God, I’m reminded of the words of Levi the Poet:
“I am convinced that the grace of God is as unfathomable as the space that the seas of love would spill into as they pour forth and cover all of my shame.”
Being in West Michigan provides me with many opportunities to sit on the beach and stare out into the water. There are times when I look to Lake Michigan and remember these words. While I may never be able to understand the fullness of the work of grace in my life, seeing the vastness of the water helps me understand a little bit more how immense God’s grace is for me.
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