The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

Developing A Relationship of Grace

To initiate a discussion about a Relationship of Grace, one must differentiate it from a definition of the State ofGracethat is found in certain Christian communities. As I understand this definition, a State ofGraceis demonstrated in the gifts that all people, good and otherwise, receive from God. Therefore, this Grace is demonstrated in that we are all alive and have the blessings of God’s provisions all around us. We have life, and air to breath, food to eat, and so on. So, in looking at the State of Grace in this way we give God the credit for all of the good things that we have here on Earth. In this regard, I agree that we should give God the credit for everything that we have as it is a reflection of God’s love that He has bestowed upon all of us.

Jesus is the Light of the Wordl

In extending this definition of a State of Grace we can say that our ability to establish a Relationship of Grace falls under its definition. However, this Relationship of Grace requires our participation as we must choose to initiate it and we must work to develop it. I suppose that this is not much different from initiating action to acquire food and then process it, cook it and serve it to our families. The big difference between the two is that a Relationship of Grace is derived exclusively from the work that Jesus did while He was on the earth, especially the work that He did on the cross. It was this work that is the foundation of the forgiveness of our sins. It is this work that opens the doors to the establishment of an intimate relationship with God that in turn leads us to be empowered warriors for Christ Jesus.

Jesus Sheds His Blood on the Cross

This relationship starts with our belief in Jesus and His works and then matures as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Typically this leading starts with desire to learn everything that we can about the perfect model of God that is His Son Jesus. This is accomplished by reading and meditating on the Gospels that communicate the words and actions of Jesus on this Earth. In doing so the Holy Spirit calls us to examine our own nature in the pure light of these words and actions. He leads us to conform to the nature of Jesus such that we are not the person that we once were, but rather have metamorphosed into children of the living God.

The Holy Spirit

 So, when we step back and look at it, it is our desire to come closer to God and our willingness to do the work required to achieve it that activates the Holy Spirit to lead us toward our goal. Achieving a relationship with God that is led by the Holy Spirit is called a Relationship of Grace. Our ability to enter into such a relationship has been earned by the works of Jesus Christ on this earth.

The gifts of entering into this relationship are more than our metamorphosis however. Our reward is that upon the completion of our changed nature the Holy Spirit will lead us toward preparing ourselves for the ministry of Jesus Christ. When this occurs we will enter into an even deeper, more intimate relationship with God, one that empowers us to enter into the spiritual warfare of Jesus. This higher level of relationship is called a Relationship of Empowerment. In this Relationship of Empowerment our pathway will be illuminated and our prayers and actions will bring down the strongholds of the evil one. 

This is the level of relationship that enabled the church to grow and prosper through all the times of adversity. It is the level of relationship that empowered the actions of the apostles and saints of our history. It is the type of relationship that sponsors miracles in response to our actions and words, just like it did thousands of years ago. But is it your path? Are you ready to invest your time into developing a closer relationship with God?