What is Grace?

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…” -Titus 2:11

Beloved Kinney,

We know what grace is, right? Usually we define it as the “undeserved kindness of
God.” That’s true. That’s gloriously true!

But I was reading a book recently called The Pleasures of God by John Piper (I
commend it to you!) and his definition of grace stuck out: “…grace is the pleasure of
God to magnify the worth of God by giving sinners the right and power to delight in God
without obscuring the glory of God.” (Piper, The Pleasures of God, 8)

What a statement! Let’s break it down…

Grace is the pleasure of God. God is pleased to give grace. Grace is free. It is willing.
God does not give it begrudgingly. It gives him great pleasure to lavish grace on
sinners.

Grace magnifies the worth of God. This is true of everything, but it is especially true of
grace. God’s grace is the apex of the display of the glory of who he is. This is why Paul
calls it “glorious grace” in Ephesians 1:6. Or more accurate: “to the praise of the glory of
his grace.”

Grace gives sinners the right to delight in God. We were made to know and delight in
God. That’s why we exist. But sin keeps us from that. And frankly, sin gives us no right
to find delight in God. We are not worthy of enjoying him. But grace makes us worthy.
Grace gives us the right to enjoy that which is most enjoyable—namely, God.

Grace gives sinners the power to delight in God. Not only does grace allow us to delight
in God; it empowers us to delight in God. Grace is not merely undeserved pardon; it is
also undeserved power. Apart from grace, we have no ability to delight in God. Apart
from grace, we delight only in sin. But grace changes us. It empowers us to do what we
could not do on our own. It changes our affections so that we delight in God.

Grace does not obscure the glory of God. Apart from grace, a sinner who is in
fellowship with a holy God would obscure and distort the glory of God in the sense that
God’s glory would not be clearly seen if he didn’t properly deal with sin. Grace properly
deals with sin because sin was properly dealt with at the cross. That’s why we get
grace. And that’s why God’s glory is on full display in grace.

Oh that we might love and enjoy and be empowered by and grow in our understanding
of and be changed by GRACE! May the grace of God fuel you to live for the glory of
God.

Love,
Pastor Josh