The Duality of Grace
It’s interesting how no matter how many times you sing a worship song, sometimes you suddenly find something new about it that you never noticed before.
It’s a rare occurrence for me, but it happened a while back when I was singing the ever-familiar old hymn “Amazing Grace”.
It’s a rare occurrence for me, but it happened a while back when I was singing the ever-familiar old hymn “Amazing Grace”.
Many a time I would follow along with the congregation, singing along and hearing the words come out of my mouth but never really process them through.
That day during the second verse of this old hymn, it suddenly hit me. The verse rang
“T’was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved”
I suddenly realized how contradictory this verse seemed. How could it be that grace can both teach you to fear yet also still your fears?
I mulled on this a bit more and realized (for the first time) just how amazing (no pun intended) this grace was. Grace does, paradoxically, possess this duality in character. It’s like the character of light, both a wave and a particle. Seemingly inconsistent and impossible, yet, true.
Here’s what I think.
Simply put, once knowing Christ and his character, his holiness, majesty and love, it is grace, in recognizing our humble and lowly position before this Almighty God that teaches our hearts to fear God. This fear is a holy fear, a reverent fear in recognizing our feeble position in front of Him. I’m reminded of the passage in Isaiah 6 when Isaiah had a vision of the throne room of God. This vision is extremely powerful as Isaiah describes the power and holiness of God. In front of such a God, we all fall short when we see ourselves and the sin that so easily entangles and snares us. Thus it is grace that has definitely revealed God to us that has shown us who He is and our response to that is one of fear.
In many instances in the Bible, we are called to fear the Lord. This fear is a reverent type of fear as we come face to face with the realization of how holy god is and just how inadequate we are as humans. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon, the man blessed with understanding and wisdom by God notes that “talk is cheap, fear God instead” (NLT). David, his father, near the end of his life also instructed Solomon to fear God and to keep his commandments. Many other instances of heavenly and/or angelic encounters with people, their natural reactions were ones of fear at the holiness and sanctity of the beings.
At the same time, however, grace has also relieved our fears as well. In facing the obstacles of life and anything it can throw at us, we have the greatest fear relieved, most notably the fear of death, the fear of the grave. It is the greatest blessing to know that our Lord and Saviour has conquered these things and that He is greater and more powerful than the grave. This world has no hold on him and as his followers, we have confidence and hope in this life when facing all the opposition and troubles that come.
Furthermore, because of the blood of Christ, we can say that we have been adopted into the family of Christ. That we are holy, sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:16-17). In this way, as noted in Hebrews 10, we can boldly approach his throne and come to Him. The Spirit intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:26) and we can cry out to him “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). This intimate, personal, relationship is only made possible through God’s grace, which has stilled our fears.
Upon realizing the profound truth noted in this song that I have sung countless times, I realize that it could only have been written by someone who understood where they stood before God. It is a simple and beautiful profession of our need of Him and our own inadequacies, an amazing grace indeed.
Amazing Grace
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believ'd!
Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be forever mine.
---John Newton, Olney Hymns, 1779
0 comments