What Is God's Grace About - A Book That Transformed Me (Part 2)

Something that we Indian's struggle with is wrapping our heads around God's grace. When I say we Indians I mean Me specifically and people around me who I visibly feel struggle to understand God's grace.

Anyway, So I recently asked the guy discipling me what God's grace meant - as he always does, he referred to me a book to read. And then began the journey of my mind literally being split open to the fullness of God's grace. 

What I'm going to do is not give you a theological opening of the various scriptures in the Bible that speak on the Grace of God for I know how hard that can be for some of us.

What's So Amazing About Grace?

That's the name of the book. Written by this guy called Philip Yancey. He starts off the book by re-telling a story which his friend told him.

Paraphrasing it but a prostitute goes to Yancey's friend - she is homeless, sick, unable to buy food for her daughter and whilst crying tells him that she had been renting out her two-year-old daughter to men interested in sex. She had to do it to support her own drug habit.

The guy had no idea what to say to the woman, he was going to report it but in that moment he had no idea what to say. At the end he asks her "have you ever thought of going to a church for help?". "Church!" she cried, "Why would I ever go there? I was already feeling terrible about myself. They'd just make me feel worse."

Grappling with Grace

As I started reading it - my mind began to cringe. I began firstly coming to terms with things like that happening in the world and secondly wondering whether the church is supposed to be a place open for people to come and share struggles, share sin they're caught up in? A place where they won't be judged? How far can Grace go to such people? How does this Grace translate to my life? So many questions began in my mind!

That's exactly what Yancey starts wrestling with. Unpacking Grace for what it is. He looks at various parables that Jesus spoke of in the gospels. Hits home hard how important these parables are in us being non-judgemental and being gracious and loving. For example:

The Unforgiving Servant Parable

Peter asks Jesus “Shall I forgive my brother 7 times when he sings against me?”. He was thinking it was a noble deed to forgive 7 times considering the Jewish law allowed you to forgive up to thrice at the time. “Not 7 times but seventy times seven” replies Jesus in Mathew 18. 

The unforgiving servant parable is what Jesus then moves into. In it he paints a picture of the King (God) who has a servant come before him who owes him this massive debt of 10,000 talents which some commentators say was more than the amount of money in circulation at that time, which is quite laughable that he owes so much.

Jesus is obviously trying to describe a debt that cannot be paid. In his mercy this King graciously forgives this servant and cancels his debt. Our sins have all been forgiven.

At the end of that parable Jesus says “And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” Is this something we need to take seriously? As a serious call by Jesus to forgive those that have wronged us - else God will hand me over to the tortures? I personally take it as a serious call now.

Surely, no man can possibly offend me to the extent that my sins have offended God. Since I have been forgiven, I have no right to withhold forgiveness from others. I am a debtor who's been forgiven an infinite debt, can I possibly hold on to the small debts others owe to me?

If anyone has the right to withhold forgiveness it is God, and, He forgives freely and completely, then what possible right do I have to hold on to my unforgiveness? In addition, James 2:13 also says "For judgement is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy." Surely that should be another call for us to forgive any person and any situation that comes my way.

In every situation no matter how hard, this is a parable that I must keep coming back to and forgive from my heart, and, this has allowed me to forgive personally those who have wronged me.

Changes Lives

Honestly, it has changed my life. I'm 23 - for the rest of my life I am going to look at people, at situations which irritate me through different eyes. It was an investment of time that will hold me in good stead for the years to come!

And just like the parable above, Philip Yancey opens up a host of other situations, texts, parables for us to look into when he expounds on what Grace is.

If you want to know or understand What is Gods Grace about, I would suggest you try borrowing the book from someone you know or look into buying it as it would help you grow in your faith!

I do not agree on everything Yancey says in the book, but the principles of grace and how he expounds that is brilliant!

You can check it out on Amazon and read the reviews on it.