The Power of Grace

just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace (Philippians 1:7 NKJV).

God’s grace is not affected by our outward circumstances.  Quite the contrary, it is God’s grace that affects our outward circumstances.  Paul is in prison, bound in chains, facing a possible death sentence, but he remains full of hope and joy as he pens his epistle to the Philippian believers.  Since grace plays such a vital part in the role of our salvation and destiny, it would be good for us to look a little more closely at what this grace is – not just as we think we understand it, but as God actually describes it.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:11-12).

Many people use grace interchangeably with mercy.  When they are confronted by their sin, they often offer the explanation of “Well, thank God I’m under grace and not the law.”  This sentiment is prevalent, but it is also erroneous.  Paul explains to young Titus in the verse above that God’s grace does not cover our sin but actually empowers us to say no to sin.  So, if they were truly “under grace,” they would be walking in righteousness, not unrighteousness.  It is God’s mercy that provides the forgiveness for sin.  It is His grace that helps us say no to sin in the first place.

Having made this distinction, it is also interesting to note the following verse:

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV).

As the writer of Hebrews instructs us on what to do when we face temptation, he tells us to come boldly to God’s throne room.  And what exactly do we find in that throne room?  Just two things – mercy and grace.  Because those are the only two things that God has given us to deal with sin.  We need grace to say no to sin and mercy when we fail to access the grace in the first place.

With this backdrop, it now makes perfect sense why the Apostle Paul would bring the subject of grace up to the Philippians as he is getting ready to set out the rest of his message.  Throughout this tiny epistle, Paul challenges not just the Philippian believers in the first century, but every believer in every century forward with his example and explanation of how to find joy in the midst of the most horrendous conditions.  We escape the chains of our outward circumstances by accessing grace – it has always been God’s saving force – whether it is saving us from eternal damnation or just the prison of our own mind:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV).

Today I will partake of God’s grace to live in the freedom that allows me to find joy in any and every circumstance.  I will not allow my outward situation to determine my inward condition of heart.