We have all heard the phrase “Coming to Christ.” Rightly understood, we realize that it is the enabling grace of God that calls us to come to Christ. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,” Jesus said. “And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). By nature, we will always choose our own way of salvation and not the way of salvation through Christ. Our minds are too fickle, our hearts are too hard, and our wills too stubborn. It is only by a supernatural work of God’s grace that anyone comes to Christ and receives the gift of eternal life. Salvation is all of grace, from beginning to end.
We have all heard the phrase “Going for Christ.” Rightly understood, we must realize that this too is the enabling grace of God. Without the same enabling grace that raised us from death to life, we would always choose to go our own way. We would go where we want to go, when we want to go, and get there in the way we think best. Without grace, we would be going for ourselves and for the advancement of “the kingdom of one,” in which we consider ourselves to be the sovereign ruler, lawgiver, judge, and jury. So whether we are coming or going for the glory of Christ, it is because of God’s grace that is at work within us. Paul confirms this in the following verses:
COMING: “To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:14).
GOING: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
As Christians, we should be every bit as comforted as we are challenged to grow into the person God is calling us to be, knowing that it is all of grace. Yes, we strive, but we strive in His strength. Yes, we work, but we work in His wisdom. Yes, we participate, but we participate in His power. In His strength, His wisdom, and His power we are able to engage in the advancement of His kingdom with all the joy and confidence imaginable. If God began this work in our coming to Christ, and it is all of grace even after we are saved, we can rest assured that God will complete His work in our lives, providing all the grace we need in our “going” for Christ wherever He sends us. Paul wrote that we can be “sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
It is important to understand that “going” for Christ is not synonymous with foreign missionary work—as important as that work is in advancing the cause of Christ. Think mission right where you are: mission in marriage; mission in the marketplace; mission in the mundane; mission in every ministry you have been called to serve in—right where you are! This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 