Grace is not a Thing

Thanks to Josh Etter for the post at the Desiring God blog.  Read the full entry here.

In reviewing the "I am" sayings of Jesus in the gospel of John, it becomes clear that Jesus is not just a means to an end (e.g. Jesus saves us from the wrath of God, or Jesus gives us eternal life, etc). Instead, He both the means and the end. Think of John 6.  Jesus is not just the source of bread, although He clearly is that. He is also the bread itself. The same holds true for His being the Shepherd, the Resurrection, the Way, the Vine and the Door. It seems our fractured, fallen psyches can't get over somehow being autonomous both now and in heaven. But Jesus won't have any of it.

So, it was with great interest that I read the following excerpt from an interview with Sinclair Ferguson:

If I can highlight the thought here: there is no "thing" that Jesus takes from Himself and then, as it were, hands over to me. There is only Jesus Himself. Grasping that thought can make a significant difference to a Christian's life. So while some people might think this is just splitting hairs about different ways of saying the same thing, it can make a vital difference. It is not a thing that was crucified to give us a thing called grace. It was the person of the Lord Jesus that was crucified in order that He might give Himself to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Each time I take enough effort to look intently at Jesus, the more I realize the scope and the breadth of what He accomplished on the cross.

To God Alone be the Glory