It is not uncommon to define grace as unmerited favor, to which I agree; but there is more to this word than that. You see, grace not only speaks of what God has done out of love for humanity through Jesus Christ, but also alludes to a quality of life to which He expects us to conform. In other words, not only does God’s grace overshadow our lives with goodness, it is a virtue that is meant to be reflected in our words and actions in response to God’s love. Jesus actually alluded to this in the following words:

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” – John 13:34-35 KJV

Having said that, if no trace of moral change can be seen within a person’s life who claims to be a partaker of the grace of God, should we believe that that person really knows Jesus Christ? I would have to say no. For the Bible makes it very clear that when we give our lives to Jesus we become “a new creature” in Christ; “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV). Moreover Jesus stated that only those who do the will of God are known by Him; that is, they are known in the sense that they have an intimate relationship with Him (Matthew 7:21-23).

Unfortunately, a number of people believe that all you have to do is agree that Jesus died for your sins and you’ll be in good standing with God on the Day of Judgment. This is what some refer to as “cheap grace”; that is, a watered down version of the gospel which ignores the fact that God expects sinners to change the way they think about sin and how they respond to His commandments. Indeed, following Jesus is more than just simply saying, “I believe.” To really follow Jesus is to love God; and to love God is to seek to do His will above all else, thus allowing Him to change our hearts and bring our lives into harmony with the kind of life that He wants us to experience in Him. Hence grace is both affective and effective.

Therefore there’s a difference between confessing a belief in what Jesus did for us at Calvary and exercising faith in that belief. It is the difference between knowing Him and merely having information about Him, or being the object of God’s grace and actually accessing it. Sadly, a lot of people who say that they believe in Jesus Christ really haven’t experienced a conversion of heart. Of course, it’s not for us to judge the hearts of others. Nevertheless, we have a responsibility to be honest with God, which means we will examine our own hearts in light of His good will, to see if what is coming out of us agrees with what is present in Him.

If we aren’t walking in the light as He is in the light then how could we really say that we’re walking with Him at all? Those who desire to do the will of God will seek to keep His commandments, rejoicing in Christ every step of the way. For that is the way of Love; and our love for Him is effected by His grace.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” – Romans 5:1-2 KJV

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” – Hebrews 11:6 KJV

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:5-7 KJV

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV

• Go to the final part of this study: Part 4