1. The Radical, Revolutionary
Concept of Grace
CS Lewis Institute
Fellows Retreat
Joel S. Woodruff

2. That was easy!
• “What makes Christianity different from all
the other religions of the world?”
• C. S. Lewis, a strong defender of Christianity
and namesake of our Institute, came in
late, sat down, and asked, “What’s the rumpus
about?” When he learned that it was a debate
about the uniqueness of Christianity, he
immediately commented, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s
__________.”

3. So, what is “grace”?
• Grace is Not a Blue-Eyed Blond.
• ‘the last best word’ because every English
usage retains some of the glory of the original
meaning.” - Phillip Yancey
• Grateful, gratified, gracious, gratuity, etc..
• Persons non grata, ingrate

4. Hebrew - Grace
• Grace in the Old Testament, it usually comes
from a word that means “to bend down or
stoop.” It was used to denote “the stronger
coming to the help of the weaker who stands
in need of help either by reason of his
circumstances or natural weakness.”
(Dictionary of NT Theology)

5. NT Greek – “Charis”
• “the Greek word, “charis” translated grace is
related to the word joy; grace causes joy. In
the Christian understanding, nothing brings
joy like the good news of what God has done
in Christ to bring us salvation by his grace.”
- Walter Elwell

6. Working Definition of Grace
• “Love that goes upward is worship; love that
goes outward is affection; love that stoops is
grace.” - Donald Barnhouse
• GRACE IS EVERYTHING FOR NOTHING
TO THOSE WHO DON’T DESERVE ANYTHING

7. Ephesians 2:8-9 The Message
• “Now God has us where he wants us, with all the
time in the world and the next to shower grace
and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all
his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him
enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start
to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we
did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d
done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor
save ourselves. God does both the making and
the saving.”

8. Why “works” doesn’t work
• “He is not obligated to pity and pardon; if he
does so it is an act done, as we say, “of his
own free will,” and nobody forces his hand. “It
depends not upon man’s will or exertion, but
upon God’s mercy” (Rom. 9:16). Grace is free
because it is self-originated and proceeds
from the One who was free not to be
gracious.” - J. I. Packer

9. Jesus – the definition of grace
• Jesus’ actions – the story of the woman
caught in adultery
• Jesus’ parables – the prodigal son and others
• Jesus’ last words and acts on the cross

10. Les Miserables
• Victor Hugo’s story of amazing grace
• Jean Valjean – the prisoner, released by
grace, who goes from bitterness to living a
grace-filled life

11. What does a man or woman full of
grace actually look like?
• has been given “graces” or gifts by God.
Ephesians 4:7
• has been given encouragement and hope.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:16
• is given help in times of need
• Hebrews 4:16
• is able to bear up under suffering
• 2 Corinthians 12:9

12. Surrounded & Infused by grace
The man or woman of grace is
• “under grace”,
• “stands in grace,”
• “abounds in grace,”
• “shares in grace.”
(See Romans 6:14; 5:2; 2 Corinthians 9:8;
Philippians 1:7)

13. Stephen – full of grace
• Acts 7:54-8:1
How Stephen’s last acts of grace lead to the
conversion of Saul – the renamed apostle Paul
who becomes the great communicator of grace
in his time.

14. TV shows and movies
• ABC TV Show entitled, “Revenge”
in contrast to:
Movie, “An Amish Grace,”
based on the real story of the tragic killing of 5
Amish girls.

15. Gordon MacDonald quote
• “The world can do almost anything as or
better than the church. You need not be a
Christian to build houses, feed the hungry or
heal the sick. There is only one thing the world
cannot do. It cannot offer grace.”

16. The Grace Question
• How do I respond to God’s grace on a daily
basis and am I offering that grace to others as
well?

17. David Seamands’ quote
“Many years ago I was driven to the conclusion
that the two major causes of most emotional
problems among evangelical Christians are these:
the failure to understand, receive, and live out
God’s unconditional grace and forgiveness; and the
failure to give out that unconditional
love, forgiveness, and grace to other people. . . . We
read, we hear, we believe a good theology of grace.
But that’s not the way we live. The good news of
the Gospel of grace has not penetrated the level of
our emotions.”

18. 3 Responses to God’s Grace
1) Lack of Grace - Return to Legalism
2) Abuse of Grace – License or licentiousness
3) Freedom in Grace – Graciousness and Joy

19. The trap of legalism
Galatians 5:1, 4, “It is for freedom that Christ
has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let
yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of
slavery…You who are trying to be justified by law
have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen
away from grace.”

20. Augustinian in theory/
Pelagian in practice
• Eugene Peterson draws a contrast between
Augustine and Pelagius, two fourth-century
theological opponents. Augustine started from
God’s grace and got it right, whereas Pelagius
started from human effort and got it wrong.
Augustine passionately pursued God; Pelagius
methodically worked to please God.
• Peterson goes on to say that Christians tend to be
Augustinian in theory but Pelagian in practice.
They work obsessively to please other people and
even God.

21. God’s grace –
its relationship to His love
“Grace means there is nothing we can do to
make God love us more;
And grace means there is nothing we can do to
make him love us less.”

22. John Newton quote
“When we get to heaven, there will be three
wonders:
(1) who is there
(2) who is not there, and
(3) the fact that I’m there!”

23. The Abuse of Grace
Romans 5:20-6:7
“Cheap Grace,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s term

24. The Risk of Preaching Grace
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “There is no better test
as to whether a man is really preaching the New
Testament gospel of salvation than this, that
some people might misunderstand it and
misinterpret it to mean that it really amounts to
this, that because you are saved by grace alone
it does not matter at all what you do; you can go
on sinning as much as you like because it will
redound all the more to the glory of grace.”

25. C. S. Lewis on condoning vs.
forgiveness
Lewis explains that what I have termed “grace
abuse” stems from a confusion of condoning and
forgiving: Lewis continues, “To condone an evil is
simply to ignore it, to treat it as if it were good. But
forgiveness needs to be accepted as well as offered
if it is to be complete: and a man who admits no
guilt can accept no forgiveness.”…God took a great
risk by announcing forgiveness in advance, and the
scandal of grace involves a transfer of that risk to
us. (- from Phillip Yancey)

26. The Christian as Trapeze artist
In Christ, we live on the trapeze. The whole
world should be able to watch and say, “Look
how they live, how they love one another. Look
how well the husbands treat their wives. And
aren’t they the best workers in the factories and
offices, the best neighbors, the best students?”
That is to live on the trapeze, being a show to
the world.

27. Trapeze artist continued
• What happens when we slip? The net is surely
there. The blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, has
provided forgiveness for ALL our trespasses.
Both the net and the ability to stay on the
trapeze are both works of God’s grace. Of
course, we cannot be continually sleeping on
the net. If that is the case, I doubt whether
that person is a trapezist.” Juan Carlos Ortiz

28. “The world thirsts for grace. When
grace descends, the world falls
silent before it.” (Yancey)
1) 2 Preachers – Spurgeon and Parker
““You know, Parker, you have practiced grace on
me,” he said. “You have given me not what I
deserved; you have given me what I needed.”
2) Jessye Norman sings “Amazing Grace” at
Wembley stadium