How Grace Arrives
“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8
Freely – Grace is the exception to the rule of life. Sin is not. Sin has inevitability. It always leads to death. Sin is structurally dysfunctional. It is the epitome of insanity. Sin is ubiquitous. It attacks everyone. But grace is qualitatively different. It is not inevitable. It comes only by freely granted invitation. It is not structurally corrupt. It reflects only the character of the Father. And it is not ubiquitous. It arrives only for the called.
This is so incredibly important. It means that grace arrives not because we bid it to but because God sends it forth. It comes with the power of the One Who sends it. Therefore, grace has the ability to destroy sin. But that isn’t all.
“Freely you have received”, says Jesus. Dorean in Greek. Once again the preciseness of Greek is erased in the broad-brush strokes of English. Dorean is connected to didomi, a verb that means, “to give”, but they are not the same. Greek has several words for “gift” and “give” and the shades of meaning open up the real thought behind them. While English treats all of these words with “give”, “gift” or “freely given”, Greek stresses either the gift itself or the benevolent generosity of the giver. Jesus chooses to put the emphasis on the generous giver. “Freely you have received” essentially says, “Consider the impossibly wonderful generosity of God who provided grace without condition or restraint”. It is not grace that is in sharp focus. The light falls on the provider of grace.
Once we see that adjustment, then the rest of the sentence snaps into focus. We are to reflect the heart of the One Who gives unconditionally to us. “Freely give” is a command to be just like the Father. Jesus requests divine transparency. Let God’s gracious generosity pass from Him through you to others.
What does that mean for my actions today? How can I act so that others see God through me? There is a lot of talk today that sets up Christian fences. Often we act as though “grace” belongs to us. We act as though you must meet the requirements first before I can show you grace. How broken must Jesus’ heart be over such out-of-focus thinking. Grace is not the heart of the matter. God’s goodness and generosity is the heart of the matter. Wherever “grace” is confined by conditions, the camera is aimed in the wrong direction.
Grace is God’s character on display for others. You are the lens it passes through. How’s does His heart look as it travels through you today? Are you “freely” giving of all that has been given to you or do you parcel it out as though it were something you earned? Today is a good day to really assess your giving. Does it reflect the heart of the Giver? Do you know someone who needs to see Jesus through you? Are you stepping up to meet those needs?
