Grace Is Empowerment

Mr. M said:

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.


Most people I have ever met, both in and out of Christ, prefer to put their strengths on display,

and be acknowledged by others. They choose their role based on what they feel comfortable and capable of doing.

Ephesians 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me

by the effectual working of his power.

The manifestation of the power of God is the proof of His Grace and Favor upon the humiliated ones.

There is no coincidence that the one who stepped up to speak on Pentecost was the disciple of humiliation.


Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

And great grace was upon them all.

The finest definition of grace comes directly from the scriptures, not the standard and banal "unmerited favor".

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you,

always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Grace= the all-sufficiency (i.e. the empowerment) of God that

abounds in Christ for every God-ordained work.

So in what could I possibly boast?

1 Corinthians 1:

27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak

things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen,

and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,

29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

James the Ignoble

Click to expand...

Mr. M, excellent post. I'm confused about one thing, though, isn't the idea of "unmerited favor" exactly what you are declaring (which I agree with)? Maybe I don't understand your definition of the term?

God bless!

Mr. M said:

Not denying the unmerited nature of God's Grace, I am just bringing out the details, especially the expectation for the power of God to manifest in the lives of the faithful. This is not just "I am saved by Grace through Faith", this is also "I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me", My experiences have been to find the Lord in power whenever I stepped out in faith dealing with situations for which I was quite incapable in the natural ability. That is where His Grace is ALL sufficient.
2 Corinthians 3:
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit:
for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life.

Note: I did not say "unmerited favor" was wrong, but that it is conveying little of what is actually presented in the Testimony.
The link between God's Grace and God's Power is evident, and should be expected for those who "step out of their boat".

Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. Again I couldn't agree more. Just the fact that He chooses broken vessels like us to speak through and love through is such a privilege and due to the very grace you describe!

I like this clarification of grace by the OP very much and do not see it very often.

Grace is empowerment, stated simply, and put into action is empowerment to those who do not have the power to do the good they are "stepping out" to do.

I also see this kind of confusion of terms with righteousness, wherein most people assume this means rightness.

If righteousness was rightness then Lord Jesus showing up would have made us all wrong!

But rather righteousness is the one who makes wrongs right, who brings peace where there was offense, who forgives in selfless love.

In the same way, grace and mercy are often put in the same seat under the same definition and used interchangeably, when they are actually, as Mr. M is pointing out very well, quite different.

Grace is empowerment to do good, while mercy is the forgiveness and compassion on those who have made mistakes and committed offenses.

I think most everything we receive at the Lord's hand is unmerited overall.

It does seem that the empowerment of God's grace isn't given until one is emptied of themselves.

So I guess to exemplify the "stepping out of the boat," God's grace is Peter's ability to walk on the water, and Lord Jesus grabbing him at the last moment while he is sinking from doubt is mercy.

The grace is definitely needed in my own experiences because the situation always seems to be absolutely impossible until last minute God performs a miracle in me and I'm looking around asking "how did I do that?" lol ("I" didn't)

This only happens when I give up trying to do it myself and fall on Him, so I suppose that is a layman's version of grace.

But what do I know, I'm not even a layman. I'm a frog. Unofficially at least...

1 Corinthians 15:10
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

Zceptre said:

The grace is definitely needed in my own experiences because the situation always seems to be absolutely impossible until last minute God performs a miracle in me and I'm looking around asking "how did I do that?" lol ("I" didn't)

Click to expand...

Amen to that! Especially when I'm grumping in my mind and the most gracious words come out of my mouth instead. Taint' me, Mcgee!

Zceptre said:

But what do I know, I'm not even a layman. I'm a frog. Unofficially at least...

Click to expand...

LOL! Likewise. I like to refer to myself as a little toe in the Body of Christ. *smile*

Mr. M said:

1 Corinthians 1:

27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak

things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

Click to expand...

I really think this is a key in this grace thing, because I never seem to have more power than when I come to the end of myself and ask God to do things for me. It is always painfully slow, and laborious, and tedious, and things drag on... until I give up and ask for help. lol (not just ask, but give up my "independence" fiasco)

Without us being weak, I think this kind of empowerment is impossible. Like the Book says, Moses was extremely meek, and simultaneously the one God uses to literally destroy Pharaoh and the entire Egyptian army.

I personally feel Moses had "come to the end of himself" in a very perpetual and permanent kind of way.

Joseph G said:

LOL! Likewise. I like to refer to myself as a little toe in the Body of Christ. *smile*

Click to expand...

Well I guess when Lord Jesus gives you the Crown of Life, then He will have a toe ring. lol....

Zceptre said:

I really think this is a key in this grace thing, because I never seem to have more power than when I come to the end of myself and ask God to do things for me. It is always painfully slow, and laborious, and tedious, and things drag on... until I give up and ask for help. lol (not just ask, but give up my "independence" fiasco)

Without us being weak, I think this kind of empowerment is impossible. Like the Book says, Moses was extremely meek, and simultaneously the one God uses to literally destroy Pharaoh and the entire Egyptian army.

I personally feel Moses had "come to the end of himself" in a very perpetual and permanent kind of way.



Well I guess when Lord Jesus gives you the Crown of Life, then He will have a toe ring. lol....

Click to expand...

LOL!