What are the most wonderful words in our vocabulary? There are many to choose from, but among them must be Grace, Faith, Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Fellowship—all of which are ours in Jesus and completely out of reach without him. Here are a few observations on the first two of these.
Faith and grace complement each other. On one hand, grace is God’s enabling power toward us, the source of which is His love. Grace empowers us to be and to do that which would otherwise be impossible. On the other, faith grows out of a favorable response to God and enables Him to do that which would otherwise be a violation of our free will.
Faith begins as a seed that comes from God. It settles in a human heart that has responded to the outreach of the Holy Spirit. That response may be provoked by life circumstances or prompted by observing others who happen to be faithful Christians. No matter what, right from the start faith is a gift from God to a human heart—really, a kind of grace. Even the smallest spark of a response gives God something to work with. Ultimately, the apostle Paul points out, “…faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Our walk with Him starts in faith (Galatians 3:2) and proceeds by faith (Galatians 3:5). Our initial belief in God establishes a bond with Him, because the life of Christ comes to dwell in us and that life is unbreakably bound to God Who is all around us.
In the nativity hymn, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” we sing:
How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
Faith comes to our hearts just like Jesus came to Bethlehem—small, weak and apparently insignificant. Yet it is the occasion for new life as the life of Christ is imparted to us. Everything is changed! It is the beginning of a relationship in which, by grace, faith can develop and mature.
Faith can grow to the point that “you want God and want to want nothing else” [Brennan Manning, Ragamuffin Gospel, chapter 9]. Manning continues: “It always means a profound dissatisfaction with our present state. In faith there is movement and development. Each day something is new. To be Christian, faith has to be new—that is alive and growing.”
Faith is an inclination to say “yes” to God. It is an inner disposition to turn to Him and away from everything that holds us back: complacency, fear, personal failings with their guilt and shame, and distractions of every kind. Faith also has the dimensions of trust in God and loyalty to God. They come into play when external circumstances contradict the truth that He has revealed to us, and when we encounter human opposition or betrayal.
Our transformed lives are a miracle of His workmanship; ongoing faith on our part gives Him the opportunity to work that miracle. Where He encounters hardness of heart, however, He withdraws His hand out of respect for our free will. “And he [Jesus] did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). Even when we find ourselves in such a condition, He keeps looking to us for a renewed response of faith so that He can resume the work of transformation.
This great exclamation of the apostle Peter in his first letter (1 Peter 1:3-9) illustrates the ongoing interplay between what God has accomplished through Jesus and what God brings home to us through faith. The outcomes are, for Jesus, praise and glory and honor and, for us, the salvation of our souls—
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Though you have not seen him, you love him.
Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
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