God’s grace will<strong>redefine</strong><strong>you</strong>the power sourcefor lasting changeby Dr. <strong>Dennis</strong> <strong>Burke</strong>For the Christian whoreally wants to live ina way that is pleasingto God, the frailties ofthe flesh can be verydistracting. So often people try to fighttheir flesh and control themselves with willpower.They may even quote a few scriptures to boost theirefforts. But in the end, they fail to win this war overtheir flesh because they never discover the powersource for lasting change.When Paul wrote his letters to the church inCorinth, he was dealing with many issues that neededto be changed. Some people were running afterstrange doctrines; others were in flagrant immorality.In response, the Apostle Paul corrected theCorinthian believers regarding marriage, the workingof the Holy Spirit, the love of God, and much morein his letters to the church.As Paul concluded his second letter to theCorinthians, he summarized for them how hisinstructions and revelations could be lived out intheir lives. Notice the very last verse he wrote thesebelievers:“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the loveof God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit bewith <strong>you</strong> all” (2 Cor. 13:14).In this final statement, Paul laid out three aspectsof our Christian lives that are vital in effecting thekind of ongoing and lasting change that <strong>redefine</strong>s ourlife from within: the grace of Jesus, the love of Godand the communion with the Holy Spirit. Let’s lookat these three aspects more closely.
Insights | 3First, Paul commended the Corinthian believers to thegrace of the Lord Jesus. Grace is the divine influence of Godin our inner man and the reflection of that influence beingdemonstrated in our lives.It was by grace that Jesus always did the things that pleasedHis Father. According to Luke 2:52, Jesus grew in grace. Hiswords were gracious, or filled with grace. Hebrews 2:9 tells usthat it was by the grace of God that Jesus tasted death for allof us.John 1:17 reveals that grace and truth have come to usthrough Jesus Christ. The same divine influence that directedand empowered Jesus has been given to us. It is this grace thatstrengthens and enables us to overcomeGod’s grace canbe found in Hispresence. His gracewill help us everytime we face a needif we will come tothe throne of graceand obtain it.every weakness and to change anywrong habits we may have been livingwith for too long.In Second Corinthians 12, theApostle Paul wrote of a time when heasked God to remove an evil spirit thathad come to attack him. God replied,“My grace is sufficient for <strong>you</strong>, for Mystrength is made perfect in weakness”(v. 9).God’s grace is all we need toovercome any attack against us orchange anything within us. There is anendless supply of His grace availableto us when we embrace it by faith inGod’s Word.Paul goes on to say in verse 9, “…Therefore most gladlyI will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christmay rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, inreproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’ssake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10).If God’s grace enables us to be strong both when we areweak and when we are strong, then by His grace, we never needto be weak again.This is the key to standing strong against opposition —standing in God’s grace. As Romans 5:2 points out, “…we haveaccess by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice inhope of the glory of God.”The grace we are to stand in is accessed by faith. Faith inGod and His Word puts us in the position to know and receiveHis divine grace. And with that grace comes the power andability to overcome every infirmity, reproach, need, persecution,or pressure that may come against us.In light of that truth, Hebrews 4:14-16 has even greatermeaning:“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who haspassed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us holdfast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest whocannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all pointstempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore comeboldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy andfind grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).Jesus faced the same temptations as we do today, but neveronce did He yield to them. He resisted them and did what Henow invites us to do — come boldly to the throne of grace forthe strength to overcome!God’s grace can be found in His presence. His grace willhelp us every time we face a need if we will come to the throneof grace and obtain it.The second aspect Paul pointed to is the love of God.This kind of love is very different than natural human love.This is God’s unconditional love. His love for us is completeand never-ending. In Jeremiah 31:3, it is described as His“everlasting love.” This love God has for us isn’t based on ourperformance but rather on His nature andHis unchanging desire to give Himself to us.God so loved the world that He gave — andHe continues to give Himself to each of usevery day.Our life of love stems from the deepknowledge of God’s love for us. When weknow we are loved unconditionally by Him,we can in turn love others unselfishly. Themore we know God, the more we grasp thelove He has for us. He is love, and nothingHe does is outside of love. This love is at thecore of everything God does, and nothingcan change that.Look at what Romans 8:35–39 (NLT)There is an endlesssupply of His graceavailable to us whenwe embrace it byfaith in God’s Word.
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