Can grace be called God, Divinity?
In addition to the fact that the Church distinguishes between essence and persons in God, it also recognizes the reality of the manifestation of God’s essence. In principle, any entity manifests itself in one form or another: by definition, there is no unmanifestable entity, because the very existence of an entity is already its manifestation. And of course, the essence of Him who is (Ex. 3:14) in the most precise and exclusive meaning of this word is constantly manifested.
The manifestation of the essence of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is called in Orthodox Dogmatics Divine energy or Divine action. Due to the fact that Divine energy is inseparable from essence, and essence is inseparable from its manifestation or energy, it is called God (see for more details: What is God's grace, and how is it “depicted” on Orthodox icons?; Introduction to concepts: “essence” , “hypostasis”, “accident”).
Likewise, the manifestation or action of the nature of fire - the incandescent, radiant movement of gases, contemplated in the form of tongues - we call not only combustion, but also fire. Just as when we touch fire, we participate not in its essence, but in its action (after all, it is the action that burns), so participation in the Divine manifestation or energy, participation in grace, is participation in God Himself.
In this regard, the grace of God is often called the same as the third Person of the Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit, although it can also be designated by a more detailed expression: the grace of the Holy Spirit or the grace of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is called the Holy Spirit because Divine action always flows from the Father through the Son and is manifested in the Holy Spirit.
One thought on “What is the grace of God and how does it work”
- Victor
September 24, 2018Reply With the Lord God, even blood relationship is nothing. “He answered and said to the one who spoke, “This is my mother, and these are my brothers?” (i.e., he meant relatives) And pointing with his hand to his disciples, he said: here are my mother and my brothers; For whoever does the will of My Heavenly Father is My brother and sister and mother. These are the words of Jesus Christ, our true God. Of course, relatives feel sorry for their dead, but in my opinion these words should always be remembered.
What does it mean to receive the Holy Spirit?
The acquisition of the Holy Spirit is the acquisition of God's grace. Acquisition does not mean accumulation in the same way as material or even intangible values, such as labor skills or knowledge, are accumulated.
Acquiring grace means something else. As a person undergoes spiritual and moral transformation, which is accomplished only with the assistance of God, a person not only becomes better and more perfect; he becomes like God and becomes spiritually closer to Him. The higher the degree of similarity and unity between man and God, the brighter God’s grace manifests itself and shines more expressively in him. Actually, this entire grace-filled saving process is called the acquisition of grace or sanctification, deification (see: Synergy; Deification).
Augustine's dispute with Pelagius
In the 5th century, the doctrine of the salvation of sinners by grace was further developed thanks to a dispute between two theologians - Augustine (Bishop of Hippo) and Pelagius (British monk). The first of them insisted: “Grace is the only condition necessary for the salvation of the soul.” The second put forward the assumption that it is possible to achieve the holiness of salvation by using one’s own strengths, without the help of God.
The disagreements between the opponents were due to the fact that Pelagius considered original sin as an accidental fact that was not reflected in the descendants of Eve and Adam. They, as the monk believed, were the same people as Adam was before the Fall. Augustine argued that after original sin, man fell, and his nature changed so much that he could not find salvation without the help of God.
Is communion of grace possible for non-Christians?
Acquiring the grace of salvation is one of the most important goals of Christian life. At the same time, grace contributes to the spiritual transformation and deification of Christians, as a result of which their ability to further acquire grace increases.
Orthodox Christians are given the grace of salvation through the Church Sacraments, during participation in church services, through private prayers (etc.), and finally, at the special discretion of God, for the purposes of general and private Providence.
Both people of other faiths and non-believers are deprived of the opportunity to participate in those grace-filled Gifts that are given exclusively to members of the Church (of course, they are not deprived unconditionally, but only until they join the ranks of Christians).
However, this does not mean that they are completely deprived of the opportunity to partake of Divine grace.
Firstly, saving grace acts on them in a calling manner (this corresponds to the concept of “calling action of Divine grace”). Even before His Passion, the Lord announced: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to Me” (John 12:32).
Let us remember how Saul, the future Apostle Paul, was called into the Church, and he was called when he acted as an ardent persecutor of the Church (Acts 9:1-18). And how could the apostles, if Divine grace had not assisted their preaching, “fill” the Church with (former) pagans?
Secondly, a special beneficial effect on unbelievers and people of other faiths can be exerted through Christian prayers, according to the promise of the Lord: “whatever you ask in prayer with faith, you will receive” (Matthew 21:22).
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According to the teaching of the Church, grace is a supernatural gift of God to man. “All gifts of grace are found on those who are worthy beyond nature,” says St. Mark of Ephesus - and they are different in comparison with the natural gifts that are in us and formed as a result of our efforts. And also, every life of those who live according to God is different in comparison with natural life, being spiritual and God-like.”
Divine grace is uncreated, ungenerated and personal (hypostatic). In the Holy Scriptures, it is often called strength (“...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you” (Acts 1:8), “... the Lord said to me: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”" (2 Cor. 12:9)).
The Holy Fathers call grace “rays of the Divine”, “Divine glory”, “uncreated light”... All three Persons of the Holy Trinity possess the action of Divine grace. “The action of an uncreated essence,” writes St. Cyril of Alexandria, “there is something common, although it is characteristic of each Person.” St. Irenaeus of Lyons, reflecting on the economic manifestation of the Holy Trinity, notes that grace comes from the Father and is communicated through the Son in the Holy Spirit. According to St. Gregory Palamas, grace is “the general energy and Divine power and action of the Trinitarian God.”
The action of Divine grace opens up the possibility of knowing God. “...Without grace, our mind cannot know God,” teaches St. Silouan of Athos, “...each of us can talk about God to the extent that he has known the grace of the Holy Spirit.” The action of Divine grace gives a person the opportunity to fulfill the commandments, salvation and spiritual transformation. “Acting within himself and around himself, a Christian brings his entire personality into his exploits, but he does this, and can do it successfully, only with the continuous assistance of Divine power - grace,” teaches St. Justin Popovich. “There is no thought that a Christian can think in an evangelical way, there is no feeling that he can feel in an evangelical way, there is no deed that he can do in an evangelical way without the gracious help of God.” The action of Divine grace imparts to man the invaluable gift of union with God - deification. In this state of grace, a person, according to the word of St. Macarius the Great, becomes like Christ and becomes higher than the first Adam.
The action of Divine grace is carried out in cooperation (in synergy) with the free will of man. “Theanthropic synergism is a significant difference between Christian activity in the world. Here man will work with God and God will work with man,” explains St. Justin Popovich. -... Man, for his part, expresses his will, and God expresses grace; from their joint action a Christian personality is created.” According to the teachings of St. Macarius the Great, creating a new man, grace acts mysteriously and gradually. Grace tests human will, whether he retains complete love for God, noticing in him agreement with his actions. If in spiritual feat the soul turns out to be well-skilled, without in any way upsetting or offending grace, then it penetrates “to its deepest compositions and thoughts” until the whole soul is embraced by grace.
How to return God's grace
It happens that a Christian who has received the mercy of the Lord turns into an overly arrogant person who dares to allow himself those things that until that time he had not even dared to imagine. With the onset of such a moment, the Almighty can take away the mercy bestowed upon him.
At the same time, the layman will feel as if all the retribution that can exist has descended on him, he is torn apart by immorality, but if he is able to come to his senses, then the Lord will return his former favor to him.
The mercy of the Almighty covers a person every minute of his life, and only he is able to decide whether he is worthy to be able to see and turn to it.
The action of God's grace in the modern world also occurs, here is one such case. The mother of the family, Svetlana, was dying of pneumonia. Her relatives, in desperation, called the clergyman to the house, when he arrived he was met by the woman’s brother. He said: “You have come too late. She has already passed away."
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At that moment, a miracle happened, even though the woman had stopped breathing for 23 minutes, Christ’s mercy descended on her and she woke up. Now Svetlana feels great and devotes herself to serving people and the Lord.
The Lord is always with you!
There is no need to knock on an open heart
From the realization that God is always nearby and not only to support in times of need, joyful peace comes, because a person begins to feel that he has the closest and most reliable friend. It manifests itself in every moment of everyday life, in every little thing, even seemingly unnoticeable. Not a single detail passes by the gaze of the Almighty. That is why, with sincere faith, everything happens with God’s help, and not solely by one’s own strength. The biblical church is trying to convey this truth to all the laity. Grace, according to its churchmen, is deserved by everyone. To gain access to it, you just need to enjoy every moment of your life and not rely only on your own strength.
“Word” of Metropolitan Hilarion
Metropolitan Hilarion of Kyiv and All Rus', who lived during the time of Yaroslav the Wise, has a work “On Law and Grace,” where he contrasts these two concepts. He says that the law is not the truth, although it prepares for its acceptance. The law justifies the tribe of Abraham, and grace saved all nations, opening before them a “re-existence” - a new being.
This opposition is understood by researchers as follows. In his word on grace, Hilarion essentially contrasts the Old and New Testaments, calling the first law and the second grace.
Thus, he speaks of the equality of peoples, arguing with medieval theories that preach God’s chosenness of only one people, empire or church. He points out that by giving people the Gospel and baptism, God saved all nations, and also glorifies the Russian people.
Thus, Hilarion considers the concept we are studying as the grace of Jesus, sent by God the Father to save the human race.
Happiness comes in different forms
The happiness of a person who has firmly connected his life with God can be very unusual. Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, theologian Osipov A.I. believes that happiness does not at all depend on the degree to which a person is provided with material goods. To support his words, he cites two cases.
One of them happened to the last of the inhabitants of the Optina Monastery, Nikon, who was arrested in 1929. He was shaved, shorn, stripped of his monastic clothes and put in a cell with criminals, where he contracted tuberculosis.
Sometimes he managed to deliver letters to the public. One of them contains amazing lines that Nikon’s happiness knows no bounds; he eventually learned the meaning of the biblical expression “The Kingdom of God is within us.”
The second case relates to the life of the Great Martyr Eustratius, who lived in the 3rd century. When they removed his skin, his face lit up with an extraordinary light, and he suddenly exclaimed: “Torment is joy for the servants of God.” His tormentors were so shocked that some of them threw down the instruments of execution, saying: “I am a Christian!” For this their heads were cut off.
In conclusion, A.I. Osipov notes that Christianity can give a person true happiness. Thus, we can conclude that happiness and grace are not identical concepts. However, for people who have dedicated their lives to serving God, they can be very close, as they experience a feeling of happiness from getting closer to the Divine essence.
