God’s grace has to be the greatest gift of the Christian life. It is by grace that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8), by grace that we grow (2 Peter 3:18), by grace that we have access to the presence of God (Romans 5:2), and by grace that we are motivated in service to God.
Grace is not static; it is dynamic. Neither is it a one-time gift of God, but it is the ongoing work of God in our hearts transforming us into His likeness and compelling us to know, love, and serve God.
Grace is powerful. It brings real change and develops ongoing growth.
And yet, as powerful and amazing as grace is, God doesn’t use it to overwhelm or overpower our human will. Throughout the New Testament, He calls us to “let grace” work in our lives.
We can never do the work of grace, but we can let grace loose to work!
In what ways does God call us to let grace loose?
There are dozens throughout the New Testament, but here are just a few:
1. Let Your Speech Be Seasoned with Grace
By the very words we say, we can let grace loose to work in the lives of others. This happens when we respond to provocations with grace, when we build others up with words of grace, and, of course, when we answer questions about our faith with grace, sharing the gospel of grace.
Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.—Colossians 4:6
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.—Ephesians 4:29
2. Sing with Grace
We often sing about God’s grace. But Colossians 3:16 tells us we should sing with grace. It’s not just the lyrics or melodies we sing that can be a testimony to God’s grace, but the heart with which we sing can likewise convey that grace.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.—Colossians 3:16
3. Give with Grace
Perhaps the most overlooked grace in the New Testament is the grace of giving. Paul told the church at Corinth that as they abounded in many works of grace, they should also abound in the grace of joyful giving to God and His people.
Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.—2 Corinthians 8:7
4. Resist Temptation with Grace
The very grace that brought salvation to us also teaches us to deny—say “no” to—temptation. Grace is our teacher, giving us the ability to live godly lives in an ungodly world.
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;—Titus 2:11–13
5. Grow in Grace
When you consider the magnitude of how God works in our hearts through grace, it is no wonder that He calls us to grow in grace!
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.—2 Peter 3:18
Sometimes we think of grace as something that just automatically happens in our lives with nothing but passive acknowledgement on our part.
The grace of God is powerful, but God calls us to actively participate in His works of grace. In the end, all that happens is because of grace alone. We simply get to have a part in letting grace loose!
