The Energy of Grace

Grace is a general word including all those gifts for the spiritual life which have been provided for us through the redeeming work of Christ, and which are bestowed on the soul by the Holy Spirit of God. The word “Grace” is associated with two things: (a) God’s attitude of favour towards His people; His graciousness to us in Christ. (b) God’s action in freely bestowing all needful power and blessing. In regard to the former, “grace” means God’s bounty or blessing, emphasising the freeness of His gift. In regard to the latter, a good modern equivalent for a number (but not all) of the New Testament passages where this word "grace" is found is “energy,” and several of such passages read in this light will show what “His special grace” means for daily living.

“The ‘energy’ of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. xvi. 20; Gal. vi. 18; Phil. iv. 23).

“By the ‘energy’ of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. xv. 10).

To speak of grace is another way of saying that we receive the Lord Jesus Christ in all the glory of His presence and power as the indwelling energy for holiness and obedience. The Holy Spirit applies with power to our inner being the life of our Lord Jesus, and in this is “grace to help in time of need” (Heb. iv. 16). From the earliest moment of the Christian life our need of grace is to be emphasized, and notwithstanding all our growth in grace, and our deepening experience of the love of God in Christ, our need of grace never grows less, but in some respects is an ever-increasing requirement. God’s Divine power has provided “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (1 Pet. i. 3), and no heart need be discouraged or cast down with the thought of life’s difficulties and perplexities in view of the marvellous and bountiful provision of grace to meet every contingency.