Grace as Transformative Power
A short reflection on the power of grace.
Of all the gifts the Reformation passed on to us, the emphasis on grace has got to be one of the most glorious, enduring and hopeful of all. Seeking to be faithful to scripture, the Reformers recognised the absolute dependency we must have upon the grace of God if we are to be saved.
‘Grace alone’ has become foundational not only to Reformed theology, but also an indelible marker of Protestantism.
Most of us would be quick to acknowledge that grace is essential in the forgiveness of our sins. But how many understand that grace is transformative?
It is easy - and quite safe - to think of grace as merely the extension of God’s kindness, that we might be restored to Him and secure eternal life. It is another thing entirely to understand it as an active power by which we are transformed.
When the apostle Paul wrote to Titus, he told him what he must teach:
sound doctrine,
self-control,
dignified, respectful and reverent behaviour,
to be sound in faith, love and endurance,
purity, kindness and domestic responsibility,
submission and cooperation within household roles,
integrity and seriousness in speech and behaviour,
honesty, obedience and trustworthiness in work.
Most of Titus 2 is preoccupied with these themes, and the entire letter addresses practical matters. It is interesting, then, that Paul would include 2:11-14 in the middle of his discourse:
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Notice that here, grace is treated as something active - teaching us how we ought to live. As Paul instructs Titus, he provides a reminder of the power by which Titus - and his flock - can achieve this standard. It is no easy thing to desire or teach sound doctrine; it is hard to live dignified, respectful and reverent; and self-control can seem downright impossible at times!
Yet grace empowers us to do all this and more.
What the Reformers understood, and what we must get right too, is that grace enables us to live godly lives not by improving our self-effort, but by completely transforming who we are.
Our desires.
Our appetites.
Our dreams.
Our inner being.
All transformed to the glory of God.
So Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that we are new creations in Christ. Not by our own merit, but by grace. The new person who emerges at the moment of salvation is the one who continues the walk of faith, growing in godliness and rejecting the works of the flesh.
For this reason the Reformer John Calvin wrote that “The grace of Christ is not merely remission of sins, but also regeneration.” To be regenerated is to be made new - in every way. Grace does this for every person who believes.
Another Reformer, the Swiss theologian Ulrich Zwingli, echoed this view when he wrote “Faith is the gift of God through grace. When man believes, he is renewed and remade; his whole life is altered, and he becomes another man.”
Through grace we are transformed, so that we may become who God has called us to be in Christ. The good news of the Gospel is not only that we are saved from our sin - it is that we are transformed by grace to live as holy people in Christ.