THE MEANS OF GRACE
Colossians 3 and 4
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
“Means of grace” is a collective term for the things we need by which we are enabled to walk in the ways of God. Usually they would refer to prayer, the word and the sacraments, that is, baptism and the Holy Communion.
To me, however, these things that Paul calls us to pay attention to in the passages we have been considering this week should rightly be understood as also the things we need to immerse ourselves in so as to be able to grow into our new selves and leave behind the old. They are things that we receive from our relationship with Christ and are powerful tools to help us in our walk. When we find ourselves weak and teetering to fall into the sinful ways of our past, we should turn to these to bring us back and strengthen our spirit in resisting sin and evil. And of course we should inhabit them at all times so as to enjoy a healthy spiritual life.
Imagine times when you are at peace, not threatened by guilt or a loss of confidence, when you are thankful, knowing that you have been given much by our Lord and he continues to watch over you, when you learn the wisdom of God from his word so as to be aware not only of the wiles of the evil one but also in understanding right from wrong, good from bad, wise from foolish. Imagine being conscious of God’s presence and protection because you are aware of people around you praying for you, because in turn you are praying for others. Surely these are the times when you are strong and resolute in the ways of God to please and glorify him.
The devil wants to lead you away from all that by manipulating your desires, stirring up your memories of your past and throwing all manner of temptation along the way. When you fail the devil will accuse you and make you feel weak and unworthy. He wants to make you think of Christ as strict and demanding, petty over every small detail, quashing every little sliver of joy that may linger in your heart so that you distance yourself from him.
The only remedy is to turn to our Lord and experience again his love for us. We must know and believe that Christ wants to enrich our life with the goodness of God and empower us to experience his grace and his blessing.
The life to which we are called is not easy to maintain but Christ provides us these means of grace to help us and we do well to draw from the wells of faith in our Lord.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”