Recently I was reading Matthew 11:28-30 and within that wonderful passage is an invitation to “learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” (The Message)
That phrase struck a chord in my heart and I desired to understand what it meant.
Grace found 4 ways
I discovered that grace can be found in 4 ways:
• we can be saved
• we have been saved
• We are being saved
• We shall be saved
Let’s unpack each one in more detail…..
We can be saved
The gospel can simply be summed up as: the wonderfully good news of God’s precious and undeserved grace which can be found through Jesus Christ (Acts 20:24).
Justin Holcomb explains that “Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the unmerited favor of God.”
We are promised that from Jesus’ fullness of grace and truth we can all receive grace upon grace; we can discover spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing; favour upon favour; gift heaped upon gift (John 1:16). But this can all sound too good to be true or too impossible to discover. Well Jesus understands our struggles because He became human, He suffered and endured every test and temptation, therefore He can sympathise and understand our weaknesses and temptations and help us every time we struggle with the ordeals of life (Hebrews 2:18, 4:15).
The Good News tells us that we can be saved. Through Jesus we can approach the throne of grace, with confidence and without fear, so that we can receive mercy. As we call upon the name of Jesus we can find His amazing grace to help us in our time of need, experience His strength extending to us in our time of weakness and receive an appropriate blessing at the right moment (Hebrews 4:16). Accepting Jesus, as our Lord and Saviour, opens us up to being able to accept and understand God’s gracious gift of acceptance, it places us in a relationship where we can begin to “learn the unforced rhythms of grace”.
We have been saved
When mankind was entirely helpless, weak, and powerless to save themselves Jesus came to earth to reveal God’s passionate love for us (Romans 5:6-8). For God so loved the world (John 3:16). It is by grace we have been saved through Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:9). Through faith Christ dwells within our hearts to strengthen and spiritually energise us with power through the Holy Spirit. We are deeply rooted and securely grounded in love, a place where we can begin to fully comprehend the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions – the width and length and height and depth of His amazing and endless love. The resting place of Jesus’ love is the place where we are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God! (Ephesians 3:16-19)
By embracing Jesus’ extraordinary love for us, by taking hold of the fact that we are loved by Him, by declaring over and over again that by faith we are saved, we begin to “learn the unforced rhythms of grace”.
We are being saved
If we have already received Jesus into our lives, how is it possible that we are only classified as “being saved” (1 Corinthians 1:18). The apostle Paul urges believers to continue to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. He sends out an encouragement, an urging to us, to cultivate our faith (stir it up, bring it to full effect) by actively pursuing spiritual maturity. He reminds us also that this is not done in our own strength for it is God effectively at work in us that strengthens, energises and creates within us the longing and the ability (Philippians 2:12-13). The phrase “being saved” speaks of the desire that rises within us to submit to the sanctification process, the process of being progressively transformed from glory to glory into Jesus’ image (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• It’s the cry for clean hearts as we continually present to God our heart that is convicted and broken with sorrow over our sins. We cry out for Him to create within us a brand-new heart, one that is FULL of the joy of His salvation (Psalm 51:10-19). In fact we can overflow with triumphant joy because through Jesus we receive and enjoy reconciliation with God (Romans 5:11).
• We allow the Holy Spirit to over and over again rejuvenate within us a right and steadfast spirit (Psalm 51:10) as we surrender to God our timidity, cowardice or fear in order to embrace His spirit of power, love, sound judgment and personal discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).
• It’s the commitment to be progressively changed by the renewing of our minds, we focus on godly values and ethical attitudes in order to understand the will of God, His desires, plans and purpose for us (Romans 12:2). We endeavour to continually have our thoughts fixed on all that is true, honourable and admirable, things that are beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. As we continually fasten our thoughts on every glorious work of God we praise Him (Philippians 4:8).
• We constantly offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice in an act of worship for our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19, Romans 12:1). As recipients of God’s favour and mercy we are urged to no longer obey sin’s lusts and passions, no longer allow our body to be used as an instrument of wickedness. For we have received new life, which means that all of our abilities have been marked as set apart, yielded to God, as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:12-14).
The beautiful hymn “When I survey the wondrous cross” reminds us that Love so amazing, so divine, demands our soul, our life, our all. So let us continually submit to the sanctification process in order to “learn the unforced rhythms of grace”.
We shall be saved
We will be saved, this speaks of the ultimate salvation, the time when we will be saved from the wrath of God all because of Jesus. We will be saved will happen after our final moments in this life draw to a close. It is a moment of ultimate celebration when we will be saved from the consequences of sin, saved from the penalty of death all because Christ Jesus lives within us which means that we can enjoy the eternal life (Romans 5:9-10, John 3:16).
Because Christ Jesus resides within us we have been stamped, with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, as being owned and protected by God. The Holy Spirit is the first instalment, a hope-promise of a future inheritance, a foretaste of ALL that we will receive (Ephesians 1:13-14).
And while we wait God’s marvellous grace teaches us how to live each day, how to turn our backs on ungodliness and worldly lusts. God’s grace equips us to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives as we wait for the fulfillment of our hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-14).
I imagine that when, as believers, we pass into heaven we will truly discover the beauty and splendour of “the unforced rhythms of grace”.
Do you have a favourite verse that reminds you of God’s grace? Please share it with us in the comments.
Many blessings,
Keona
Notes:
This was collated with much assistance from Graham, Ron “Saved in Three Tenses”, simplybible.com.
Acts 20:24, I’ve paraphrased The Passion Translation and the Amplified Bible.
Quote taken from: Holcomb, Justin. “What Is Grace?” Christianity.com. 23 Jan 2013.
The Temptation that Jesus endured for 40 days can be found in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1–13.
“When I survey the wondrous cross” was written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748) and first released in 1707. For the full lyrics and more details check out hymnary.org.
