Christ needs no assistance from us with his work of grace. You may wonder, \u201cDon\u2019t I have a part in the work of grace?\u201d If you try to bring something to Christ\u2019s work, you\u2019ll only mess it up. It is impossible to add to his glorious grace with our rags of unrighteousness. We don\u2019t contain grace; we only receive it. We may give it out, but it is God\u2019s grace, not ours.<\/p>\n
This is what Hebrews 10:29 means when it says we \u201ctrample underfoot\u201c the blood of Christ when we try to add something to God\u2019s grace. We actually dilute it, insulting the glorious work he has done. In fact, we are operating in one of two modes at any given time: (1) We\u2019re either allowing God to say we are insufficient, and we accept the totality of his grace; or (2) we\u2019re calling his grace insufficient and attempting to add our efforts to it.<\/p>\n
You may say, \u201cIf I believed that, though, I\u2019d never do anything for God.\u201d Actually, the opposite is true. When you live in the grace of Christ, you do more works than ever because you do them in joy rather than with a grudging sense of obligation. You go to prayer because you love God\u2019s holiness. You study his Word not because it contains your to-do list for the day, but because it\u2019s your life source, your wellspring of peace, joy, and direction.<\/p>\n
Simply put, grace empowers godly action. If you are miserable in your walk with Christ, if you are weary and going to church because you fear for your salvation, then you have fallen from the appropriation of his grace. Right now, he is inviting you back, saying, \u201cCome into the covenant I have with the Father. I want to pour my grace over you, to empower you with my Spirit for life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through him, we are fully cleansed, fully at peace with God, and abounding in his grace. We can\u2019t add anything to his finished work; his grace is fully sufficient. It is our role to receive the glorious gift and to walk in it with joy!<\/p>\n
\u201cFor by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast\u201c (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV)<\/em>. <\/p>\n