Thanks for reminding me, Al. Grace is everything to us. My example was "when George comes over to my house and chops wood for me, I am willing to do for George something he cannot do for himself. Is this grace? No, it is not. What other condition must apply for me to extend grace to another?" I was ready to reward George for something he did for me. It is true that I did something George could not for himself, but that is not grace. Grace is when we extend an unmerited favor. This is what engenders love. And that love begets love. It is when we see this great Sacrifice that God has made for us that our evil hearts are subdued and we allow Christ to cleanse them. We are saved by the revelation of this grace (Ephesians 2:8 ). Grace is the power that transforms the life.
When our heavenly Father agreed to allow Jesus to come to this Earth to suffer and die in the place of sinners, was there any good thing in us to recommend this great Sacrifice? In other words, did we deserve this kind of treatment? The Bible says "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8.
I appreciated what George did for me and I wanted to reward him for it. "For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them." Luke 6:32.
Jesus calls us to be a reflection of Him extending grace to others. Sinners love those who love them, we are called to do as God has done, to love those who do not deserve that love. This is grace.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Matt. 5:43,44.
Evidence of true conversion is seen when we have power to love the unlovable. That kind of love comes from an indwelling Saviour. Does this help, Al? If we would spend time getting to know our God, if we would behold His matchless unmerited love (grace), we would be changed into His image from glory to glory. We work for social outcasts not because we can expect something in return, but because we love them as Christ loves us.
Richard almost missed your reply.
I understand what you are saying but I want to push this topic to its limit. Because of sin none of us are no longer entitled to the air we breathe or the warmth of the sun we enjoy. The human race should have been annihilated because of sin but God stepped and Christ became man's surety and substitute. So by this wonderful grace man was given a second probation.
When George is chopping the firewood he may not realize it but the very air he breaths the muscles he uses comes to him as an act of God's grace. We live and have our being because of God's wonderful grace. George "enjoys the blessings of God in the gift of the sunshine and the gift of food, but there must be on the part of (George) man a bowing before God in thankful acknowledgment that all things come from God. Whatever is rendered back to Him is only His." Faith and Works p. 21
"Now not a soul can give God anything that is not already His. Bear this in mind: "All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee" (1 Chronicles 29:14). This must be kept before the people wherever we go--that we possess nothing, can offer nothing in value, in work, in faith, which we have not first received of God and upon which He can lay His hand any time and say, They are Mine--gifts and blessings and endowments I entrusted to you, not to enrich yourself, but for wise improvement to benefit the world." Faith and Works p. 22
This even applies to the person who is going to reward George for chopping the fire wood. Whatever the reward, it comes to him from God. We are only stewards of that which God has lent us. When George realizes that he can chop fire wood because he lives and has his being because of Christ it should awaking thankfulness in his heart. And when the person who rewards George for chopping the fire wood realizes that he to lives and breathes because of God's love he too should praise God. It is all of grace.
Steven Haskell makes this comment "Humanity takes all its physical life, all its power and energy from God; for "in Him we live, and move, and have our being;" and yet while every pulse beat is under the direct control of the God of life, and He knows about and makes possible, every breath that is drawn, men will deny His very existence; or, while feebly acknowledging that there is a Supreme Power, they claim that they are wholly independent of that Power, and have the right to follow the dictates of a perverted intellect. Time will be given for these philosophers to prove their theory. When grace and mercy cease to reach earthward, the prince of this world will have full control of the wicked." The Story of the Seer of Patmos page 274
"So it is all of grace, and we have nothing to boast of in any respect, nor anything to claim on our own account, for all that we do is by strength imparted by him. Here we have a system which is all grace, and no license to sin; a gospel worthy of heaven - imparting mercy freely, and maintaining law and justice strictly. Here we see that without him we can do nothing; though we shall work out our salvation with fear and trembling, it is God that worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure. We are justified by faith, yet so that we must add to our faith virtue; patiently continue in well-doing; keep the commandments of God; fulfill the righteousness of the law, etc." J. H. Waggoner Review and Herald October 6, 1863