The self-giving of God always moves from the Father through the Son and in the Spirit towards us. We respond to God’s grace through faith, but even this arises from the movement of Grace. For our response of faith moves from our hearts in the Spirit through Jesus to his Father. Yes, even our faith is the gift of God. From both sides of the relation, Triune Grace acts. This shatters any idea of religious self-effort.

This same double movement of Grace continues throughout our whole lives. For the God of Grace who encounters us in Jesus is now personally present bringing us into personal transformation through life in the Spirit. Jesus gave himself for us once and for all and now, in the Spirit, he continually gives himself to us in order to live out his own life in and through us. So now I no longer live but Christ lives in me and the life I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

We easily slip into seeing grace as “something” we need in order to live the Christian life. So we must continually acquire grace in order to live well as Jesus followers. If we receive grace we will perform better. We really need to see that Grace isn’t a commodity for us to make use of in our own lives. Grace is God continually giving himself to us through Jesus and the Spirit setting us in a completely new world as new humanity.