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Awakening to Grace
- 12/12/08
- 15
There’s always an element of frustration when I read the gospels. I read of these men who traveled with Jesus, who followed him month after month, who drank in nearly every word of his earthly ministry. And yet somehow they just did not get it. Somehow the full reality of who he was and what he would do escaped them. It was only in hindsight, only after all was unmistakably clear, only in the book of Acts, that they finally understood.
I’ve been reading Richard Ganz’s recent book Take Charge of Your Life and he offers a good perspective on this. Why did they not get it? Quite simply because they couldn’t! Here is what Rich says:
We look back at the disciples, and we wonder, “What in the world was wrong with them? How could they not get it?” The reality is quite the opposite. We should ask instead, “How could they get it?” It is impossible. It is beyond comprehension. The Old Covenant sacrifices, as powerful a pointer as they were, had a limited purpose. Their purpose was simply to show us how even the most rational and beautiful picture of grace—a blood sacrifice for sin—falls flat in front of what Jesus actually did.
Jesus trained men who, because of their background, should have been ready for the great blood sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. They weren’t. They were still utterly incapable of “getting it” just from the facts. This is understandable. The ultimate fact is that it is absolutely impossible to come to an understanding of God’s grace just from an assessment of the facts.
There is nothing in human experience alone that can awaken a person to the full reality of God’s grace. What Jesus did for us, the grace that His life and death is for us, is eternally impossible to fully comprehend. The fact that people like us will live with God FOREVER is purely His gracious gift to us. Sadly, even though we know so much about grace, we continue to make obeying rules the high watermark of our lives, rather than grace.
The disciples did not catch on because the disciples could not catch on. Though they had so often seen the Old Covenant sacrifices, these were a mere shadow of what Christ accomplished. Though the sacrifices pointed to Jesus, they did so in a dim way. The simple facts were not enough to make the connection. It took a supernatural work for the disciples to understand.
This should be an encouragement to us as we seek to tell others about what Jesus has done. Though the facts are important—crucial even—they are not enough. For anyone to come to Jesus, to understand who he is and what he has done, requires a supernatural act of God. This was true of the disciples and it is true of all who believe.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (15)
Oh, I couldn’t agree more! I believe we insult God when we reduce salvation to a mere “decision,” as if the spiritually dead could will themselves to life without any miraculous work of the Spirit. God deserves the glory for every saved soul. Man tries to take the glory when he looks at the lost and says, “Why can’t they get it like I did?”
The fact that we are a mere tool in the Master’s hand should humble us all. That fact can also be very reassuring. I have often struggled with my feelings of inadequacy related to the conveyance of the Gospel. I find the conversation at the burning bush helpful in that regard.
Exodus 4:10-11
10 Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
11 The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
I am slow of speech and tongue, but if the Lord desires to use me he will make me a fit and adequate implement.
One of the best posts that I have ever read in support of monergism, one of the key tenets of TULIP Calvinism. An excellent refutation of synergism!
Thanks Tim!
Amen. We always need to remember grace; and understand as best we can what grace means—unmerited favor and love to us.
I remember imagining once if i could have been there when our Lord was being nailed to the Cross, and could have stopped these wicked men from hammering those spikes through His hands and feet, that I would have done all I could to save my Lord. But in reality I would have been either one of the mockers, or one of the cowards.Surely many who loved Jesus didn’t want to see Him be killed, but the Father in heaven appointed this death. And nothing could have stayed His loving omnipotent hand of grace from giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
Amen Don.We can always Monday morning quarterback the events, but with out God’s supernatural intervention we would not have grasped the situation ourselves.
Richard Ganz misses the mark. 1) We cannot understand grace until we first understand our sin. Until then, like others, Ganz confuses “obeying the rules” as being an inverse of grace. 2) Like Ed Young Jr, Andy Stanley, and a host of other Not Preachers, he universalizes the promises of Scripture that are meant only for those who will repent and believe. 3) What an arrogant title for a book, not unlike anything by said Not Preachers above, Ed McManus, et al.
Chris I think you misrepresent what the author is saying. What is being discussed here is not universalism. What is being discussed here is man’s inability to choose God by his own voilition. It takes God changing a man’s heart, via regeneration, in order for a man to understand sin. After this action by God man is able to respond to the Gospel. The arrogance is in man thinking that God is wringing his hands hoping that we will choose him.
“The ultimate fact is that it is absolutely impossible to come to an understanding of God’s grace just from an assessment of the facts.”
Boy it that true. I assented to all the facts of Christianity for most of my life. That did not make me a Christian, though many people told me it did. (Even reading Mere Christianity two decades ago, and agreeing with it didn’t make me a new creature.) I did not become a new creature by agreeing with facts about which I didn’t care much anyway. I became a new creature by a sovereign act of God. Then suddenly those facts became much more than things to agree with intellectually. They became living and beautiful things - the treasures of my life.
Richard Ganz misses the mark.
One word: Whatever!
The comment deserves no response greater than that.
There was a lot said in those few short paragraphs. All that is left is to say, “Amen”.
“There is nothing in human experience alone that can awaken a person to the full reality of God’s grace”. Amen! Salvation belongs to the Lord. The more I ponder these words, the more I heartily agree with them. My heart resonates with J.I. Packer’s recent summation of Calvinism which is just an explanation of the Gospel, “God saves sinners.” To Him be ALL the glory.
Laurie,I can really relate to your testimony. Growing up in a Christian home and hearing the gospel did not make me a believer either. Without the glorious light of the gospel shining on my dark heart through the gracious work of the Spirit, I would be just like the disciples, not really getting it either.
I love reading 1 and 2 Peter sometimes immediately after reading a Gospel. After you read all the accounts of Peter messing up, clueless and confused, then to read his epistles and marvel at God’s work in his life - he got it at that point. Praise God.
Jessica,I do the same thing! Peter is such a great example. Praise God, indeed!
” I read of these men who traveled with Jesus, who followed him month after month, who drank in nearly every word of his earthly ministry. And yet somehow they just did not get it.”
Tim, I too have felt this way until very recently. Here is my thinking on this subject:
Whether one is an apostle who walked with Him, or a filthy rag like me who has not seen yet believes, who is to say when and to what degree the truth will be revealed to us? On this side of heaven, I humbly and fully surrender to the concept that I will never be able to understand completely, the mysteries of love, grace, and mercy that pours forth from our triune Creator. And yet I can be sure that He will reveal to me a knowledge and understanding that fits his plan perfectly. This is what the apostles experienced, why should I be any different?
As we seek His face, and strain to know Him, we can have confidence that our efforts and energy are reflections and expressions of our imperfect love for Him. But just as it is with our salvation, it is not our effort that gives us gain. It is by His Grace alone that we atain salvation. It is by His Grace and provision exclusively that we have the level of knowledge of Him that we have. We will have no more, and no less than He desires. Our Lord and Saviour is in complete control.
As one who is also “less than the least”, I pray that any error found here will be forgiven…
In Christ,
Dan…
I can identify with the frustrations you noted; but have found some measure of comfort in them while reflecting on my very present tendency to struggle to “get it”, and then as I share the gospel of Christ with my unbelieving friends too……if the disciples of Jesus can be made into new creatures by the power of God, so can we all!