Coventry Vineyard Blog

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁵ (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, ‘This is the one I spoke about when I said, “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.”’) ¹⁶ Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Jesus was full of grace. John Stott once wrote that “Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.” Grace is central to the Gospel. So, why are those who call themselves “Christians’ often so ungracious? In the Church there can seem to be a distinct lack of grace. Our world is desperate for grace. Grace is an alien attitude to our consumer, entertainment culture. What kills grace? Legalism, manipulation, negativity, criticism, perfectionism, comparison, control, competition, pettiness, pride, bitterness, fear, resentment, unforgiveness, insecurity, guilt, shame, gossip.

The best ‘christians’ are those that get grace.

The best ‘christians’ are those that give grace.

Without grace we are just religious people. Without grace we are pharisees. Wayne Cordeiro writes, “You don’t expect or require flawlessness from an irresistible church. Mistakes are made, yet the people in your church own up to their mistakes, learn, and grow from them. An irresistible church is a model of grace and acceptance.”

For more on grace visit  this previous post on what it means to be a grace-full church or this post on The Gift of Grace.