There is a reason that this blog is called “graced follower” instead of grace follower. We don’t chase grace. We have received grace through Jesus Christ.
What is grace? Getting something we don’t deserve.
What this implies is that we don’t deserve grace because we have sinned. We all know this. It’s why Jesus came. But we think of grace mainly as “before Christ.” That is amazing. Yet there is also a grace needed “after Christ.” We have a lot of growing and maturing to do.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-13).
Another translation states grace is “teaching us to say ‘no’ to ungodliness” (NIV – 1984 edition).
This is a verse that is about grace “after Christ.” We don’t come out of the baptism waters mature. We are still people and broken. We are learning. There is grace as we grow and walk out our salvation with fear and trembling.
But there’s another part of grace. Paul talks about it in Romans 1:5.
“through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:5-6).
Grace and apostleship often go together. Why? Because graced people go. They have received grace, and want to share that grace with others.