Praise: Grace

Totally loved your post! I think that grace is very different and difficult for our fallen nature. To me, it emphasizes a lack of control over our own lives and circumstances, and a reliance on God.

I believe that our fallen nature drives us to need to control as much as possible in order to feel safe. To be our own little gods in our own little worlds as much as possible.

As silly as it sounds, I don't think that I really believed (or acted like I believed) deep down inside that God was smarter than I was until I was in my mid 20's.

Though I had been trying really, really hard to make myself have "faith" in Him since I was 5.

Eric
--------------Just a signature------------------------
Genesis {33:19} He said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."
Romans {9:20} But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?" {9:21} Or hasn't the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?
Steven Brust {Phoenix} A god is someone who isn't bound by natural laws, and who can morally commit an action which would be immoral for someone who wasn't a god.

Edited by: Kaze9999 at: 9/27/02 10:25:02 am

Author	Comment
SirNukes Cow Master Posts: 1925 (9/17/02 7:30 pm) Reply	Praise: Grace Nothing specific makes me post this. I've just been amazed recently (past few months) by my insights I've slowly gained into grace, and finally have gotten to the point where I am compelled to post this. I mean, just think about all the ways grace works. It's awsome. Many Christians (mostly those brought up as a christian) just see grace as another word they have to believe. Even I, for a long time, saw grace as something special, but never realized just how far reaching it is. I mean, I saw it as we were saved by grace... and while I understood what that meant (had recognized my downfallings and all), I had no clue just how powerful the concept of grace really is. To share insights... Consider the belief that to grow close to God, a person must do x, y, and z. Where x is normally going to church, y is reading the Bible, and z is (ritualistic) prayer. But people who take that approach rely on works... it's as if they've forgotten about grace. Or, to put it another way, they taken the view that grace open up the path to God, but now a person must still work to achieve anything. But the concept of grace completely overwhelms that viewpoint. Grace says that everything worth anything in out lives comes from God, and only God... nothing we do really has any great effect, and if it does, that effect exists because of God. Works don't allow us to know God, grace does. To continue, I was considering christian misconceptions (like how some people put more faith in the word "faith" than they do in God), and was thinking about how grace applies to them. When you think about it, no matter how faithless a person is, if they are willing, God provides grace. Grace is not earned, just given. Nothing can impede grace, because it's powered by God. Most people haven't accepted it, but for those who have, none of their downfallings can keep them from God. Grace simply overpowers anything and everything that would stand in its way. Another thought: why is the concept of grace so unnatural to us as humans? I find myself forgetting in constantly.. not because the logic doesn't hold, but because my mind just doesn't want to conform to the concept of grace. People naturally tend towards the idea of good deeds bringing reward, and bad deeds bringing punishment. I mean, just look at how thoroughly entrenched revenge is in our society... it takes a predominant role in many movies, justice, personal relationships, etc. Bad for bad. Grace rebels against all of that, however, and brings undeserved forgiveness. The concept of grace, as far as I know, is contained entirely within Christianity. No other religion employs it. I mean, if you want evidence Christianity is special, there you go. I wonder, is grace something that can only come from God? Not forgiveness, but the concept of grace... people just don't seem to arrive at it naturally. But, no, that's not right... we couldn't understand grace if that were the case. Then, grace must be a remnant of our creation, left within us, buried under so many other things. But even so, we are candidates to recieve it, not because we earned candidancy, but because it was given us. Umm.. sorry, for spelling/grammer mistakes. This was a bit of a spur of the moment type thing. And if I was incoherent, sorry. =p
Kaze9999 friend Posts: 904 (9/18/02 12:21 pm) Reply	Re: Praise: Grace Totally loved your post! I think that grace is very different and difficult for our fallen nature. To me, it emphasizes a lack of control over our own lives and circumstances, and a reliance on God. I believe that our fallen nature drives us to need to control as much as possible in order to feel safe. To be our own little gods in our own little worlds as much as possible. As silly as it sounds, I don't think that I really believed (or acted like I believed) deep down inside that God was smarter than I was until I was in my mid 20's. Though I had been trying really, really hard to make myself have "faith" in Him since I was 5. Eric --------------Just a signature------------------------ Genesis {33:19} He said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." Romans {9:20} But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?" {9:21} Or hasn't the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor? Steven Brust {Phoenix} A god is someone who isn't bound by natural laws, and who can morally commit an action which would be immoral for someone who wasn't a god. Edited by: Kaze9999 at: 9/27/02 10:25:02 am
SirNukes Cow Master Posts: 1929 (9/19/02 1:11 pm) Reply	Re: Praise: Grace Aye, I agree wholeheartedly. I was actually telling a friend such things a week or two ago, giving advice on what to tell another person who isn't a christian, but was raised as one. I agree that people cling to the feeling of having control in their lives and over their futures. That's probably why belief in karma is so widespread, even if people don't actually use that word to define it. That is, that bad deeds and good deeds are both repaid in the future. People rely on the idea that some good deeds in this life (going to church consistently, for instance) ensure reward after death. It's just amazing how an idea as humble and unassuming as grace can topple the logic mankind has relied on almost since creation. And hey, don't call it silly. I'm still there, to a degree.

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