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The Transforming Power of Grace
By Dr. Howard M. Sarkela

Grace is the power at work that draws in those that, although have had a total disregard for God, are drawn in to an encounter with God. A misconception normally accepted is that we find God, when in reality God was not in need of being found, for He was never missing in the first place.

Mankind was lost, and it was this work of Grace that has allowed for us to be found. It is during this time that we are drawn to believe. See John 6:44. We cannot allow ourselves to entertain the thought that it was through our own strength, merit, or right that we have obtained our salvation. The fact is that our salvation is a result of a free gift, given to those that are enabled to believe through the manifestation of the gift of faith See Eph. 2:8-10.

The atoning act of the cross at Calvary boggles the mind of man. And the resurrection induces man to ridicule it, outside of the revelation of Spirit. The fact is that the natural man sees the sacrifice of Jesus as total nonsense. As an act that is totally outside of human reasoning. It is an illogical act to the eyes of men.

But it is His Grace that allows us to penetrate into the revelation of love of God towards humanity, and provides us the faith to accept and believe what is regarded in the world as the foolishness of the Gospel. Through this act, God has confounded the earthly wisdom of the wise, being shielded from understanding the simplicity of the Gospel.

We do not come to Christ through our intellect, righteousness, or through any form of human ascent. In reality, it is we who are drawn by Him. It is He that causes us to believe by His gift of faith through Grace. We cannot glory in our own salvation as if it was our work that caused it, for our only act should be that of one of appreciation of what He has done for us. There is only one worthy, one who deserves all the glory, and one of which all honor and praise is due, and His name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

His atoning sacrifice has made us righteous through the washing and cleansing of His sinless blood. Yet our righteousness is just a reflection of His righteousness. It is this righteousness that has been bestowed upon us through Him that allows us to legally stand on His authority. As slaves to the sin of this world, it was His blood that paid the price for our freedom. Through this act, He has made us heirs with the family of God, giving us the authority that is rightfully administered by the relationship with His Kingdom. God the Father, represented in Scripture as our Abba, or Daddy, sees us as His children, and we now share a relationship with our Brother, the Firstborn, Jesus Christ. With the work of redemption completed, Jesus signals to the Father and the world, “It is finished”.

Now man has the legal right of claiming His authority when we pray or command in the name of Jesus. We now have the authority and privilege of being called children of the King. We exchange our vestments for one of Royalty. We walk transformed through the Holy Spirit, who counsels us. And we are provided, through His Grace, ministering angels that are alert to our commands for protection and guidance through the authority that was given to us in His Name.

It is because of this that we should continually grow to be Christ like. This is what is represented when we speak of the fruit of the Spirit, Christ likeness. The more we become empty of ourselves, the more we are filled with Him. We are to continually search out His will for our lives, and then we should operate at the center of it. His thoughts should be our thoughts, and His ways, our ways. This is our true calling…

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