Reckless GraceSample

Extending Grace

What is grace, really? It’s not what you think. It’s not a thing. It’s not a feeling. It’s a person. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of grace. He was and is grace, and what’s more, he imparted it to all believers in the upper room that night (Luke 22:24–38).

Here’s the big question about John 20:23, and it will change everything: Is Jesus serious? Was he joking? Was he giving us an option? We must deal with the ramifications of what it means for human relationships if he indeed meant for us to love our enemies. If we forgive others’ sins, they are forgiven. If we retain them, they are retained. Does he mean that literally or as part of some unattainable religious ideal? Does he actually mean we are meant to demonstrate grace like God does and that if we don’t, there are eternal consequences—for us and for the ones we won’t forgive?

I don’t know about you, but those red-letter words of Jesus are the ones I really take to heart, in full context, in light of how Jesus intended them. After his resurrection, Jesus speaks plainly to his disciples—no metaphors, no analogies, no room for interpretation. So yes, Jesus is serious.

God wants you to walk in his divine gift of radical grace. But God hasn’t taken away your options. He won’t twist your arm and make you do the righteous thing. Walking in this radical grace is a conscious decision you get to make. It’s not a feeling, not an emotion; it’s a choice. Not just a choice to forgive but also a choice to come into agreement with God about what he thinks of others.

Extending grace is an opportunity to come into agreement with the redeeming love of a God who keeps no record of wrongs and commands you to love your enemies—an opportunity that not only brings freedom to you but also gives them the opportunity of an encounter with Jesus Christ. At first it can feel like death. Surrender often does. But in time it becomes an outpouring of the radical grace you’ve received in your own life.