In the midst of the cesspool of our selfish desires causing all sorts of conflicts among us, James reminds us that God “gives more grace.” God gives this grace so that we would overcome the malevolent envy that causes quarrels and fights among us. Alec Moyer writes: “…God is tirelessly on our side. He never falters in respect of our needs, he always has more grace at hand for us. He is never less than sufficient, he always has more and yet more to give. Whatever we may forfeit when we put self first, we cannot forfeit our salvation, for there is always more grace. No matter what we do to him, he is never beaten. We may play false to the grace of election, contradict the grace of reconciliation, overlook the grace of indwelling—but he gives more grace. Even if we were to turn to him and say, ‘What I have received so far is much less than enough’, he would reply, ‘Well, you may have more’. His resources are never at an end, his patience is never exhausted, his initiative never stops, his generosity knows no limit: he gives more grace.”
How does God give more grace? He gives grace to us in the person of Christ. When Christ died on the cross, he died for our sins that put him there. In Christ’s death, our malevolent envy and selfishness were punished demonstrating God’s justice. And now Christ stands between us and what we deserve for our sin and his five bleeding wounds plead for God’s favor upon undeserving sinners.
Grace brings salvation and teaches us to renounce sin. Cornelius Plantinga wrote that “Human sin is stubborn, but not as stubborn as the grace of God and not half so persistent, not half so ready to suffer to win its way.”[i] Praise God that though our sin is persistent, it is not so persistent as God’s grace and not nearly as willing to suffer to have its way!
[i] Cornelius Plantinga, Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be, 199.
Questions:
- How have you experienced God’s grace in the midst of your selfishness and sin?
- Where do you feel your need of “more grace” today? Talk to God about it.
Comments are closed.