from Tullian Tchividjian . . .
What Is Grace?
Paul Zahl:
What is grace? Grace is love that seeks you out when you
have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has
nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable. The
cliché definition of grace is “unconditional love.” It is a true
cliché, for it is a good description of the thing…Let’s go a little
further, though.
Grace is a love that has nothing to do with you, the beloved. It has
everything and only to do with the lover. Grace is irrational in the
sense that it has nothing to do with weights and measures. It has
nothing to do with my intrinsic qualities or so-called “gifts” (whatever
they may be). It reflects a decision on the part of the giver (the one
who loves) in relation to the receiver (the one who is loved) that
negates any qualifications the receiver may personally hold…Grace is
one-way love.
The one-way love of grace is the essence of any lasting
transformation that takes place in human experience. You can find this
out for yourself by taking a simple inventory of your own happiness, or
the moments of happiness you have had. They have almost always had to do
with some incident of love or belovedness that has come to you from
someone outside yourself when you were down. You felt ugly or sinking in
confidence and somebody complimented you, or helped you, or spoke a
kind word to you. You were at the end of your rope and someone showed a little sympathy.
Some fear that grace-delivered, blood-bought, radical freedom will
result in loveless license. But grace alone–redeeming, unconditional,
one-way love–(not fear, not guilt, not shame) carries the power to
compel heart-felt loyalty to the One who bought us (
2 Corinthians 5:14).
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