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, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:11).
Grace is not just a theological concept, but it is a dynamic reality. Grace is not just about climate control, saving one from hell and getting one into paradise. Grace is the life-long experience of believers which grows them into the image of Christ. It has been said that there is no teaching, only learning; people who do not want to learn cannot be taught. Not all those who want safety from hell want to learn; grace is not irresistible. But, for those who truly value and treasure God's love, God's grace will train them as they live out their lives so that they will become more and more like Jesus (See 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
The purpose of grace is not to indulge sinful behavior, it is to lead people to become more and more like Jesus.
Our Father's Love,
Tom
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"The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth . . . (2 Timothy 2:24-25).
These verses also seem to illustrate Bonhoeffer's contention that true grace teaches and those who refuse the teachings of the truth refuse God's grace.
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