Grace (Part II) - For Good Works

The word grace occurs frequently in the Bible, with explanations of its purpose throughout, but one of the greatest examples of grace can be seen in the life of Stephen.  The lives of Stephen and Paul (who mentioned grace in all his letters) intersect at a seminal moment in Christianity.  Paul wrote much on grace, but in a way it seems that the majority of his writings on grace can be summed up in how Stephen spent his time on earth.  

The early Church appointed seven men to the duty of administering the daily distribution of food to widows in their community; they considered good works an essential action of the body of Christ.  So important was this work, that the men they chose were “men of good repute, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom”; men like Stephen, who is described in that passage as “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit”, and later as “full of grace and power”.  Approving of the seven men chosen by the community, the apostles prayed and laid hands on them. 

The works of caring for the weakest in their midst allowed grace to increase within their community.

According to 2 Corinthians, grace abounds to the believer that good works may abound from the believer.  The Christian should have a desire to do good for others, giving freely, because he has received freely (Matthew 10:18).  God blesses His people not to make them prosperous by the world’s standards, but for building up the kingdom of Jesus Christ.  The preservation of grace requires obedience from the Christian; Jude attests to this when he uses the titles “Master” and “Lord” when instructing that grace is not given to live a luxurious life on earth.  He teaches that grace becomes perverted when it is used for pleasure rather than for selfless reasons.   

In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, 
    “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.  Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
    Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has.  It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods.  It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.”
    Good works do not passively happen in the life of the believer; they occur when the Christian is disciplined, sacrificial, and intentional about building the kingdom of God.  Paul teaches Timothy that Christians should be “rich toward God” and “rich in good works”, while also instructing Titus (twice within six verses) that believers should “devote themselves to good works.” 

This devotion, according to verse 8, comes after the believer has received sound instruction.  Stephen, as shown by the speech he gave to the Jewish leaders, knew the Old Testament so well that those who disputed with him “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.” Learning what the Bible teaches about grace will equip the believer for every good work. 

Where grace is often misunderstood is in thinking it is some random gift that God gives out.  Like a rich man throwing scraps to a peasant, many today view themselves as one of those lucky ones who, by sheer happenstance, received a morsel of grace from Heaven.  However, an increase of grace in the Christian's life depends upon the choices he makes.

Someone may object to that notion, thinking, “But what about Ephesians 2:8-9?  Grace is a gift that no one can work to obtain.”  Such a question leads directly into the topic of the next post - how grace works in salvation.