Thoughts for the Day

You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

What does the word "grace" mean? The writer of Ephesians says "for by grace you have been saved", but what does this mean? Indeed he uses the word "grace" three times in this small passage. The word 'grace' (Charis, in Greek) could be used to greet someone, eg "Grace and peace be upon you", describing a powerful relationship between two people. It can also describe a situation where someone powerful is a patron to another, the wealthy person entering into a relationship which involved charis (grace), that is the giving of an undeserved benefit or gift from the greater person to the lesser.

We often think of this in the western world as patronage where a powerful person supports say, an artist. In Roman times the patron made the gift not ever expecting it to be paid back. What they did expect was that the recipient would offer faithful loyalty and gratitude towards the patron. This giving and receiving created a really powerful relationship that often lasted a lifetime, involving as it did the notion of faithfulness and trust.

Now let us look at what the New Testament means when it speaks of grace. God is our divine patron who gives us forgiveness of our sin and offers us eternal life, neither gift is one which we deserve nor is there any possibility of us being able to repay them. Our response can only be to offer God our love and loyal service. To accept such a gift means we can do no less.

Lord God Almighty,
You offer us freely Your love,
as Your children.
We have done nothing to deserve this
but can offer You our praise and gratitude
each day of our life.
May we never take Your gift to us for granted
but always offer You our loyal service
and loving obedience.
Amen.