The Spirt of Grace

The Holy Spirit (Part 4)

The Spirit of Grace

Grace is but glory begun, and glory

is but grace perfected

~Jonathan Edwards~

To understand the power of grace we must first understand the basis for it and that is love. In many instances the two words could almost be interchanged in their use. Certainly, without love the outward action of grace is without substance or lasting meaning (1Cor 13). So we begin this discussion of grace with its author and creator, the God who is love (1John 4:16). My hope, in the end, is that we will see our service of grace not only as glory begun, but glory perfected.

Before the beginning of space and time the eternal Triune God existed. They are the persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; three individuals in perfect unity expressing one holy perfect love. Together and alone they are each the perfect representation of the same love. Together, these singular expressions convey a singular will, God’s will. An analogy of their union is to liken them to the sun. There is the substance of the sun itself, which would be likened to God the Father. There is the light of the sun, which would be likened to God the Son, and there is the heat of the sun, which would be likened to God the Holy Spirit. Together, they make up our experience of God. Though the analogy of the inanimate sun compared to the living personalities of the Triune God is anemic, the underlying thought here is that they have multiple forms of expressing a singular idea or will. With God, the one will is always expressed in holy perfect love and God’s love takes many forms.

If God is love, then what is love? First of all love is relational. Without the possibility of relationship, love simply cannot be. Secondly, love is volitional. Love cannot be forced or manipulative, it requires volition of will (choice) from both (or all) parties to commit to the relationship. Thirdly, love is any action that works to support beneficial growth in the relationship. Lastly, there is intent. The focus and strength of commitment behind each action of love determines the depth of love. The varying dynamism of love is reflected in the New Testament as it uses different Greek words to describe different depths of love. As we look at this picture we see that love involves the whole of the spiritual heart. Love necessitates a common belief (truth) that is able to build real, living, and lasting relationship. Love involves volition to bend and show deference (humility) so that growth in the relationship may be mutual. Love needs empathy so that the relationship is not only of the mind, but also involving the broad spectrum of mutually felt emotions that lead to compassionate (or heart felt) responses. Love requires intent to help focus and strengthen the heart (to have courage) in order to remain active in exploration and commitment of relationship, when the drama of everyday life would have it cower alone and be fearful of exposure and hurt. Each chamber of the spiritual heart is involved when love is expressed.

The Triune God is the perfect expression of this love, and it is this love that desires to be manifest in our hearts. However, in order to fulfill God’s desire that we may know His love, the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit is required. For the sake of love, the Triune God will not simply invade our hearts and ruthlessly take over. Because love is an act of volition (free will), we must invite Him into our hearts. It is through Jesus that we come to know God. It is Jesus who asks Father God to send the Holy Spirit to dwell in us (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit, who was the witness and the will of the Father to Jesus, now becomes the witness and the will of Jesus to all those who believe and follow Him (John 16:13-14).

When we become followers of Jesus, we are given a renewed heart. The old heart was dark, consumed with self, insensitive, and driven by fear. In Ezek 36:26, God called the old heart “a heart of stone;” I would liken it to being “petrified,” a heart filled and being filled with stony self-centric callousness and fear. God, by His love, removes this petrified old heart when we become followers (servants) of Jesus. What remains is a (new) renewed functioning heart that becomes the home for the Holy Spirit.

When the Holy Spirit moves into the heart, He has a unique and unequivocal affect on each chamber of the heart. As the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17) moves in, the chamber of belief is filled with living truth. In the heart ‘s chamber of empathy, we begin to feel the passion and deep camaraderie of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:15). In the chamber of intent, He is the pilot and encourager of our heart (John 14:16). As the Spirit enters the chamber of volition He passes through the door of the heart. In this chamber resides our yes, our no, our bend, and our stand firm. This is the place where we open and close our hearts (Rev 3:20) and submit to His ways (Ezk 36:27) or not.

When the Spirit of Truth enters through the doorway of our “yes”, and into the chamber of volition, something remarkable and not wholly expected appears, and that is grace (1Pet 5:5). Not only does the extraordinary grace of Jesus enter by the Holy Spirit, but grace is also conceived. It is yieldingness (humility) to the Spirit of Truth that births grace within our heart. This is the grace that is spontaneously produced in the yielded heart and brings forth precious fruit for the nourishment of others.

Grace is the spiritual child birthed of free will and The Spirit of Truth. As a child, grace holds within it the characteristics (or “DNA”) of the parents. The attributes of eternal truth, from the father of grace, are recognizable. Because free will is a gift from God, what can also be seen is that grace is also a free gift from inception. Since grace is a child of free will, the “DNA” of free will produces an individualistic expression of grace that is as unique as every fingerprint, every soul. Though each expression of grace is unique, each expression shares the common heritage of free will and the Spirit of Truth.

As we look at the Triune God we see three persons, three expressions, of a singular will. Perfect love is the sole expression of that will. This perfect bond of love between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is of their own choosing. We see grace demonstrated between them as each one freely yields their authority to the others, which allows the whole of the nature of God (love) to be fully expressed. Not only does each member of the Godhead freely yield to one another, they also avail or gift their individual empowerments amongst each another in order to manifest and express the manifold life within the relationship. This generated life is one of the endowments of eternal truth. Grace is then not only a gift that is received, it is also the expressed, unmerited, and empowering gift that is given so that each may express their constant love for one another. Each expression of grace builds upon another and so the relationship remains an enduring living structure because eternal truth is the progenitor.

From the beginning, grace has been present. This is not only a grace to heal weakness, sin, or infirmity, but it is a grace that acknowledges, cherishes, and empowers each independent and unique expression of free will within the bounds of truth and all its splendor. This is a grace that manifests great beauty and great joy. We are able to experience and express this grace because we were made in God’s likeness. The same boundless measure of grace (unmerited favor) that is within God’s midst is also available to us, so that we may be like them in growing and expressing the unity of their love (1Pet 4:8-10). This grace creates a dynamic empowering environment when it is free to bless and encourage the manifold expressions (Luke 6:35-36) of all who are in the truth. Grace is then not to be held back, but freely given and freely received (Matt 5:44-48) or we deny the liberty of its heritage. As grace begets grace, a river of living water (John 7:38) flows from your innermost being (the heart) from which others may drink and benefit.

It is here where we can now define grace by its purpose. Grace empowers and frees us to grow as unique expressions of God’s eternal truth, so that we may grow in an ever-increasing expression of love with God and people. Grace is the environment that brings into fruition faith, hope, and love. Grace is given with the hope that the recipient may be nourished, grow, and bear similar fruit to others. Galatians 5:22 states, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” When we live within this power, it is nearly impossible to separate (as it should be) grace from truth. In this we are what we eat and express, the “fruit of the Spirit” (John 4:31-34). From this grace, we see the roots of our service.

So what does it mean then to be a servant? Is it not yielding to the will of another? As stated before, it is yielding to the will of another, the Spirit of Truth, which births (generates) grace within. As we serve, this indwelling grace is generated bringing the power (the Greek word dunamis) to do the will of the Master as promised in Luke 24:49. We are servants of living eternal truth, the Holy Spirit, and the moment we obey (hear and do) the will of His truth we become servers of grace. Grace is manifested as we serve His will. The type or expression of grace that is given will be as unique as each moment, and each person who is giving and receiving. Grace is constantly evolving even though the truth is eternal and constant. This is not contradictory since the goal of grace is to bring about growth. Even as we serve we see growth. There comes a time when the Master no longer calls us slaves, but friends (John 15:14-15). Grace is ever increasing, as growth begets growth in relationship. As a servant serves the servant and as a friend befriends a friend, by grace we serve truth eternal. So as Jesus said in Matt 20:26, “Whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant.”

As the Holy Spirit is under the authority of Jesus, so are we. It is Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, who mediates this service of grace so that all may grow and benefit. It is Jesus who is teaching us to receive and not take, and give so that we do not manipulate for our own selfish benefit. We cannot mediate ourselves, because we are sinful, self-centric, individuals. Sin takes and sin manipulates for its own self-centric purpose and not for the purpose of all. Because of sin, we are dead to the grace-filled servants’ life unless we are empowered to become alive to it. In order to live this life of grace we must die to our self-centric life so that Christ may live in us and serve through us by the Holy Spirit. When we die to our own will we are buried with and in Christ (Rom 6:4). This is the death lived by faith so that we may by faith live in Christ. Our servanthood, then, performs two key functions. First, our service keeps us dead to our own will by not fulfilling our own self-centric desires (Rom 8:11-15). It is by our obedience that our service becomes a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God (Rom 12:1). Secondly, we fulfill God’s original design for us by becoming an eternal participant in a grace filled truth-expressing family of servants. We are becoming a holy body of people building up each other in love (Eph 4:14-16). Servanthood in God’s family is then not coercive subjugation; it is the acknowledgment and expression of grace and truth to which all in God’s kingdom are sacredly bound and wholly built up. Amen.