“How is the indwelling Spirit not relational?” – David Crabtree

Let’s explore Radical Grace

Grace is all about God’s ability to save, to make us righteous, to enable and empower us.

The Grace content of this website came about because of a recognized need to better understand what New Testament or New Covenant Grace is all about. It is a much-disputed subject when it really should be celebrated in its clarity. Grace is really about a good and wonderful God who grants every believer in Jesus pardon and righteousness. Furthermore, this Grace is not anemic and weak, it is more than just a free ticket to eternal life which then has to be worked for to prove the believer worthy. Grace is free and fully empowered to impart righteousness and giftedness to do the works of Jesus. Ultimately, Grace is the very presence of God enabling us to live as saved, empowered and righteous people working and contributing to the Kingdom of God. Grace is received totally by Faith.

The Prophets looked forward to Grace (1 Peter 1:3-12)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. – 1Pet. 1:3-9
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. – 1Pet. 1:10-12

Grace can be better defined as “God’s empowering presence.”

If the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Grace, resides in us, then we are filled with God’s fully powerful and enabling presence. The Holy Spirit is fully capable of revealing the Father’s voice to us, of guiding and ruling us, and of enabling us to live righteous lives. Something the Law was never capable of doing for us. Let’s explore how powerful Grace really is and how comprehensively able it (He) is of transforming our relationship with God and the way we live our lives.

New Covenant Grace cannot be balanced, especially with Law.

The Grace of God is accessed totally and exclusively through faith alone in Jesus. It comes entirely and only through faith. The Law (Moses/Torah) is not based on faith (Gal 3:12). How is it that certain Christian teachers (of the Law) still say that Grace needs to be balanced by Law? How is it that faith must be mixed with unbelief?  It is a fallacy to suggest, at least by implication, that Grace (God’s empowering presence) is too weak to effect righteous living and that Law is required to balance its ‘excessive freedom’. The Law, begging the question as to which part of Law, is not based on faith (Gal 3) and is only designed for the unrighteous (1 Tim 1). Why is it touted as being the ‘balancer’ of a supposedly inadequate Grace? Surely Grace is powerful enough to accomplish all that God requires. Jesus was full of Grace of the merited variety. He was also full of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that resides in every believer. Should not the Grace that was in Jesus be the same Grace that is in us? Indeed so. So then, to quote Paul’s question, “Do we nullify Law?” (Romans 1) His answer is a good one, “Of course not! We uphold the Law.”

The life of a believer, empowered by the Spirit, fulfills the demands of the Law completely. The Holy Spirit enables us to live better than the Law demands. So, is the Law still in effect? Yes, it is, only for unbelievers who do not have the Spirit of God in them. (1 Tim 1:8). Paul expressly states that the Law is not for the righteous but for the unrighteous. The Law is unable to bring righteousness because of its weakness and uselessness (Heb 7:18). Therefore the question to explore is, why do some still teach that we need to “balance” Grace with Law? It doesn’t make sense.

“Grace plus anything cancels Grace.”
– Gordon Fee

We cannot balance a “ministry of Life” with a “ministry of death.” 2 Corinthians 3

3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. – 2 Cor. 3:3-18

Assurance and confidence in our salvation are essential to living a life of boldness and encouragement.

For the most part, believers are unsure about their future eternal life. Usually, the best that they can say is, “I hope so.” Surely when Jesus said that “all who believe in Him will have eternal life” He means exactly that. The assurance of our eternal salvation rests totally on Jesus and nothing else. UnfailingGrace hopes to build a strong case against legalistic Christianity, and a strong case for complete confidence in our eternal future because of faith in Jesus alone.

Allowing ourselves to be governed exclusively by Jesus (the Holy Spirit) we begin to live our lives within the Spirit’s “ministry of life”. The veil of the Law (Torah/Moses) is torn away and we begin to see to beauty and glory of Jesus Himself and we are transformed into His likeness (2 Cor 3). If Grace is the empowering presence of God, and it is, only Grace can save and transform us.

GRACE TO YOU!


David Crabtree
Author: David Crabtree

David and Narelle have spent more than 30 years in Senior Leadership and were the founding senior pastors of DaySpring Church (Sydney) where they led for 27 years. They are currently living in Celina, Texas where they are teachers, preachers, conference speakers, and authors. They have two children with six grandchildren. Life's good! David and Narelle are also members of the Bethel Leaders Network (BLN) and have a role as BLN Builders.

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