Grace: What have we learned?

• Grace is God’s gift of God’s self in Jesus and through Holy Spirit
• The purpose of grace is to create relationship with God – to restore shalom
• Jesus’ Kingdom is the community of those who have received grace and now live by grace, extending it to others
• To accept God’s grace, but to not live by it, carries a warning from Jesus (Mt 18:35)
• God’s gracious giving of himself leads to discipleship-- we give ourselves back to God (Ro 12:1-2)
• The application of grace in everyday situations requires wisdom!  (e.g. boundaries – grace should never become the excuse for hurt in the community)