Aloha everyone. Thank you for coming to read my blog. Hopefully you’ll find it entertaining and enlightening. I’ve been told from time to time I am a good writer. I’ll leave that for you to decide. I’m sure it varies from post to post, or depending upon the mood I’m in and the style I choose to write in at the time. Anyways… I used to blog more often, but fell out of the habit, and this is my attempt at getting back in. We shall see where it goes I guess, but whatever the result, I believe it shall be an endeavor worth taking.
So being as the title of this site is ‘Transforming Grace’, I feel I should make my first post about the title. BTW, props to you if you catch the reference in the title. Inside joke for those who know me. For those who don’t, you’ll be let it in due time if you prove yourself worthy :)
So what is Transforming Grace? I’ll break it down for us all and then put it back together at the end.
So why use the term ‘Transforming’? What does this mean? Transform means to change in condition, nature, or character. In the back of my mind, I can hear people already asking ‘Why use that word? Isn’t that the same thing as modifying or altering?’ I use this term because of the magnitude of the statement. If one were to only be affected by a small amount, it would be referred to as an alteration. It would be different, but it is generally only affecting the appearance of whatever it is that we are talking about. The same goes for the word ‘modify’. It means to change somewhat the form or qualities. This, to me, does not have the gravity that I want to convey. A transformation - That mean to change something that is fundamental about you. It is not a small change. It is a powerful statement to say one has been transformed because something that was a core part of what defines you has been changed. What once defined you is now no longer a part of you. Something else has come in its place and has taken over as the defining characteristic.
So now that I’ve gone over why the term ‘Transforming’ is so powerful and what it means. So what about the second word, ‘Grace’? Grace can be defined a couple of different ways, so I want to make sure we are all on the same page. I do not mean favor or good will. I do not mean the word which helps describe the beauty of motion. And I certainly don’t mean the TV show Will & Grace (yes, I know, corny joke, but hey – sometimes you gotta throw yourself on the grenade to get a chuckle). When I refer to grace, I refer to the definition where it means mercy, clemency, or pardon. I’ll speak of those words, and their significance below.
Now that the primary words have a meaning and a background to them, how do we put them together? Just what is ‘Transforming Grace’? If you believe in a perfect, Holy, righteous God, which I do, then you believe that he cannot tolerate sin. He cannot be in the presence of it. I was, and still am, a sinner. We are all sinners. It is one of our defining characteristics, whether we like to admit it or not. We are born into sin, and there is nothing we can do to change that. We will all sin, and therefore, we will all deserve to be sent to Hell. As sinners, we cannot be in God’s presence. His holiness demands that our sin not be allowed in his presence. Leaves us in a bind, does it not?
God did give us a way out - Transforming Grace. It means that a part of us has been fundamentally changed by an act of mercy. So since I admit I’m still a sinner and that nothing I can do on my own could change that, what does that mean? What part of me was fundamentally changed so that I could be in God’s presence? God, in act of mercy, sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins and rise again. In doing so, he took our sin upon himself. He took our punishment. He gave us a pardon. We just have to accept that act of mercy. Accept the pardon that is freely given. If we do, when God looks at us, he will not see our sin. Although he should see a wretched sinner and condemn us, he doesn’t. He sees something fundamentally different - his perfect son. His grace, when accepted, fundamentally changes who we are and how God sees us. The sin which once defined us has now been replaced by Jesus, the one who was without sin.
I hope that this blog gives you an insight into who I am, who God is, and what, for the most part, this blog will be about. I’m sure I’ll ramble from time to time about my own life, but I hope that I always point back to my Lord and Savior, Jesus. After all, I am radically changed by Transforming Grace, and I want that to be the fundamental attribute by which I am known. Till next time…
Love in Christ,
Chip
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