Issue 10 - Grace
Published 09/15/2025
Refiner’s Fire issue 10 – Grace
Here we are again – another issue of The Refiner’s Fire in your inbox. In addition, Fall is on our doorsteps with its beauty and cooling temperatures (in my mountains, we have already seen 40 degrees at night, not to mention lovely daytime highs in the 70s). It is my hope that the months ahead bring you both an appreciation for and a desire to share God’s love.
Remember, this newsletter is a spin-off of my 2018 book, Mean Christianity: Finding Our Way Back to Christ’s Likeness. The book called Christians to live like Jesus and used the words and actions of Christ as a guide to achieve that ideal. We spent eight months learning about themes or tenets of the faith generated by my qualitative study of the canonical gospels. Last month, we turned our attention to actions consistent with those tenets that can help us achieve a Christ-like life.
This month, we consider grace. Before delving in, let me remind you of last month’s focus – forgiveness. Forgiveness is key as we attempt to live transformative lives as Christians. If we are going to live like Jesus, we must be able to focus on others, to offer love and kindness in all situations. That cannot happen when we carry anger and frustration. If we refuse to forgive others or do not seek forgiveness ourselves, there is unneeded noise in our lives – distractions from the business of following Jesus. Remember, we are His hands and feet. We, as Christians, are the only Jesus others ever see. Lingering anger and resentment associated with the need to receive forgiveness or the reluctance to forgive make us indistinguishable from those who do not know Him.
Grace: God’s Unmerited Favor
Have you tried to understand grace – to dig deeply into its origins/purposes for us as Christians? My relationship with Grace was casual for a long time. I sang about it, experienced grace-centered sermons and devotional thoughts, and deeply felt God’s grace as I made a profession of faith as a child. This said, I never took the time to study grace, consider its origins, or ponder its costs and benefits.
I was overdue for a grace awakening as I wrote my book in 2018. Like all of us, I grew up in a transactional world. You know, I do this, I get this…I screw up, I face consequences. This was my, and likely your, reality. The world has worked this way for ages, right?
Into this transactional world comes God’s grace through Christ…His unmerited favor for each of us. Let me state this clearly: God offers His grace to restore a right relationship, to absolve us as sinners. This gift is free – it is not transactional and clearly flows against the grain. I have a friend who regularly insists that grace cannot be that simple. He cannot wrap his mind around something free that is so liberating.
Origins. Let’s go deeper. First, where does God’s grace come from? What could motivate Him to do this? The answer is simple – a love beyond comprehension. I am a new grandfather. My love for my two-year-old granddaughter is something I have never experienced. I can certainly imagine myself offering her unmerited favor because I am deeply in love with her. I also feel this way about my wife, children, and their families. Love changes most equations. It blinds us from acting to gain or avoid consequences (transactional behaviors) and pushes us to act unconditionally. You may be saying, “I can buy a God that feels that way about His creation, but have you met the people I have met?” That is a good point. You see, I have met many of those people too. What is a Christian to do about this dilemma? Is it at least possible that appreciating God’s love for all humanity may allow us to do the same? I think so, but I will be honest enough to say offering grace is not always easy. You must become transformed – to put in the hard work to become more Christ-like daily.
What do we gain or lose from offering grace? Let us talk about gains first. When we are grace-filled, we control our reactions toward others. We lose our transactional expectations and simply allow for re-dos – even when they are undeserved. Offering grace makes you different. People will talk about you, even question your actions. Is that so bad? The best way I know to let others see Jesus is to be different – to offer grace, be loving, be inclusive, to care and respond. Think back to those tenets we discussed for months – those “Jesus” things that we must emulate as Christians.
Ok, flip that coin. What if we choose not to be grace-filled? In my experiences, when I have failed to offer grace, I have only hurt myself. I have carried anger and stubbornly resisted the need to forgive or be forgiven. The more we carry pain, the less effective we are as people of faith – the less we look like Christ.
Earlier this year, I assisted a person with a cross-country move. I did not want to do it. First, I had to fly. If you know me, you know flying is not something I choose to do often. Second, I had to navigate my friend’s emotions and disappointments, a young person who had hit rock bottom. Finally, I had to drive a rental car home from the West Coast over four exhausting days. Since arriving in North Carolina, I have continued to be involved in this individual’s care. It has been rocky to say the least. On more than one occasion, I have questioned whether being a part of this venture was smart. I also had to fight transactional expectations for my friend. Offering grace, God’s unmerited favor, has not been easy. I mention this only to say, being grace-filled can be challenging. At times, you will fail and simply must try again. Remember, we are in the transformation business.
Closing Thoughts
One of the great theological minds of the 20th century was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer, a German citizen during WWII, stood with others of faith in his country to oppose Hitler and the Nazi regime. At great risk to his life, he led an underground seminary when the Nazis mandated changes to Germany’s Christian church – among other things, erasing Biblical references to loving and serving others and Jesus’s Jewish heritage. Bonhoeffer died in prison. His words and actions, however, continue to be inspirational.
One of Bonhoeffer’s most meaningful contributions was his writing about grace. In the book The Cost of Discipleship, he warned against “cheap” grace. That is, grace without transformation. According to Bonhoeffer, those embracing cheap grace hear the gospel this way: “Of course you have sinned, but now everything is forgiven, so you can stay as you are and enjoy the consolation of forgiveness” (The Cost of Discipleship, p. 45). In contrast, Bonhoeffer espoused the value of “costly” grace. In his words, “Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus. It comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow Him; it is grace because Jesus says, ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light’” (The Cost of Discipleship, p. 48).
Once again, the decision is yours. You can try to live a Christian life transactionally. You can tell others they must live, love, and worship as you expect to gain the favor of God and others, or you can show costly grace. Doing the latter, even though challenging, will change you. I need God’s fire here, do you?
A Thought About Living into God’s Grace
Once again, I am humbly and cautiously offering you direction. As mentioned before, I am not theologically trained, and for this topic, I have but one suggestion. If you want to offer God’s costly grace, remember what he did for you. He died so that you can live. That action alone motivates a loving, grace-filled response.
Closing Prayer
“Holy Spirit, trouble me and guide me. Speak to me and show me your will. I long to be obedient, responding to your call on me” (Mercado Reyes).
