Grace is one of the ideas in the bible that has had many different applications throughout time. Most people have manipulated the intended meaning of grace in order to fit their own view of religion in order to make themselves feel better when they sin against God. God’s grace was intended to help an imperfect Christian not feel as horrific after committing a sin. However, God intends for the individual to use the grace and then not fall for the temptation so easily again. In today’s society, it seems as if God’s grace is being abused by his people, because they keep falling for the same temptation every time it is presented to them. They make very little effort to change their mindset in order to become more Christ-like. Instead they keep doing the same sin over and over again and expect God’s grace to blanket over all those sins as well. In Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship, he introduces the idea of cheap grace in order to show the difference between actual grace and the fake grace that is plaguing the societal world. Even though societal Christians have distorted God’s true grace into an easier and more achievable form of grace, it is not God’s grace and will not help these Christians become closer to God.
The first order of business to take care of is the difference between God’s grace and cheap grace. Cheap grace is used without an action following after it in order to correct the sin or temptation that has occurred. Bonhoeffer describes cheap faith as “justification of sin without the justification of the sinner” (The Cost of Discipleship 43). The cheap faith that is being described as an individual asking for forgiveness of their sin against God, but not actually meaning their repentance. Cheap grace is not requiring the user to actually change their actions when it comes to dealing with the temptation that has caused them to sin. These people think that “grace alone does everything” for them (The Cost of Discipleship 43). Therefore they do not have to change their behavior in order to have their sins forgiven. They are able to keep living their lives of sin as long as they ask God to forgive them of the sin once they have done it yet again. If the cheap grace is what many Christians are mistaking as God’s grace then there are many people that are in fact damning themselves, because they think the cheap grace is the real deal when in all actuality it is not even close. Bonhoeffer says that “cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without a cross” (The Cost of Discipleship 45). The idea of cheap grace is attempting to rid an individual of obedience of God, because they are wanting the benefits of grace without having to work on changing themselves to live more like Christ.
Now let's move on to defining God’s actual grace in order to provide contrast to cheap grace. God’s grace is seen with an action following after the sinner has repented. Bonhoeffer states that God’s grace “condemns sin” and “justifies the sinners” (The Cost of Discipleship 45). God’s grace allows for the sin to be cleansed, but also allows for the individual to work on changing their mindset when dealing with temptation. In justifying the sinners, God’s grace is giving ground for the sinner to take action and change. In order to receive God’s grace an individual must also obey God’s word and what He is saying. God expects for His followers to answer the call. Bonhoeffer says that “such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ” (The Cost of Discipleship 45). Christians are called by God to do His works among the earth, even though His people may be persecuted. Accepting God’s grace means that His people are required to obey His law and word no matter where that is to lead them. In obeying God’s word, the individual is making a change to stay in line with what God is wanting and staying away from the sin he has repented from. With making the change, the individual is allowing for God’s grace to fully engulf both the sin and the sinner. God’s grace gets rid of the sin and morfs the sinner into a vessel that God can then use once the individual chooses to align themselves with God’s will for them.
In the use of God’s grace, Christians will evolve as they begin to pick up their own crosses that God has crafted for each one to bear. However, the design of the individual does not change. St. Augustine states that an individual “will change without any change in” their “design” (Confessions 5). God’s grace allows for the individual to take action to become more Christ like, but the person’s true being never changes. God planned for His grace to change the individual as they begin to align themselves with God’s will. His grace was put in place to be the catalyst for the change to occur, not to just allow for them to stay where they are. St. Augustine shows that God’s grace is seen in every person that chooses to be a vessel God is wanting to work through on earth. God’s grace transforms His followers into obedient followers of Christ that are wanting to model themselves after Christ. They are attempting to strip themselves of their earthly temptations so that God may use them as He wishes.
The monks showed through their practices the application of actual faith in God’s grace. The monks prided themselves on their ability to take time in self-reflection in order to grow closer to God and change their minds in order to pursue Him. They used quiet time in order to center themselves and to escape from outside wars that are waging within every human. Antony states that “He who sits alone and is quiet has escaped from three wars: hearing, speaking, seeing” (The Desert Fathers 8:2). Meaning that if an individual takes the time to sit in silence, he would be able to ward off some of the external distractions that attack him in his faith walk with God. Self-reflection also endows them with the ability to help manage their desires more efficiently. Evagrius states that a follower of Christ must “cut the desires for many things” so that “your stillness” is not lost (The Desert Fathers 10:8). In order to be able to grow spiritually with God, an individual must be willing to do whatever it takes to be still mentally. God grants an individual the stillness of the mind, but only if they actively seek Him through self-reflection in His word. The monks teach that it is not just spending time in the word that will grow an individual closer to God, but rather an individual acting on how they can make themselves more like God.
In allowing the individual to change their way of action, God’s grace allows for the individual to become more happy with where they are in the world. Aristotle states that people do not say that “somebody who doesn’t delight in acting justly is just” (Aristotle 16). Justly actions are tied to doing what is right in God’s eyes. A person uses God’s grace to cleanse themselves of their previous sin and then changes their lifestyle to attempt to stay away from the sin. In doing so they are doing their best to restrain themselves from the earthly desires they are tempted with to pursue the “just” desires of God (Aristotle 16). Aligning themselves with God, after using God’s grace, will allow for them to understand true happiness in the way God has intended for them. They will be able to have their happiness in a relationship with God instead of searching for it in “external goods” (Aristotle 16).
God’s grace is the backbone of all the good that comes to an individual in a Christian life with God. It allows for an individual to make a complete one hundred and eighty degree spin from a life of sin and temptation to a life of prosperity in God’s will. In order to receive God’s grace a person must take action in order to complete the process. If a person uses the grace as a blanket over their sins and does not actively change their ways of going about life, then it is not God’s grace. They are instead using cheap grace which is not allowing for the person to grow closer to God. Cheap grace grants forgiveness of the sin, but does not lead to a change in an individual’s way of life. It allows for the person to continue living how they were living with their sins and temptations. Cheap grace hinders the ability for an individual to grow closer to God, because the people using cheap grace stay in the same spot. The standstill they are in will not allow for God to work through them as well as a person who has made a change in their life. He will use the people who have made the change, because they are able to hear God’s call to do His will. In doing so the individual will also lead a life of happiness due to the alignment of the individual’s will to God’s will. The individual’s using cheap grace will not be able to hear God’s call, because they are farther away from Him and have not put in the effort to change their ways to get closer to Him. The individual will also then be trying to find his happiness in earthly endeavors. In doing so he will continue the loop of asking for cheap grace and never being able to glorify God in the proper way that He deserves.
In conclusion, society needs to be wary of the difference between God’s grace and cheap grace. Cheap grace is being sold to followers of Christ by society and is leading God’s people astray from Him. It is in some ways giving the believers a cop out into forgiving the sin but not making any changes to right that wrong. God is not asking for His people to be perfect in any way, otherwise He would not have given them His grace. However, God does expect for His people to attempt to change so that they do not keep making the same mistakes over and over again. He wants for His people to want to be closer to Him and His will. He does not want for His people to be so far away from Him that they will not be able to hear what His plan is for them. The cheap grace that is being sold by society could potentially be deceiving followers of God. They could be thinking that they are being saved when in all reality there is a chance that they are continuing to damn themselves. Cheap grace allows for an individual to live comfortably, when in reality the life of a follower of Christ is far from comfortable. God’s people have and will be persecuted until the end of time for their beliefs. A christian life will allow for an individual faith to be tested. It is far from a walk in the park, but cheap grace gives a cushier road for believers. It allows for them to stay exactly where they are and does not require the hard life that God’s grace will eventually give them. It keeps them in a comfort zone that God’s grace is wanting to break them out of. Cheap grace may seem more appealing to anyone looking in from the outside, but it is not going to save them. Cheap grace will not save an individual from damnation, because it allows for an individual to continue to live a life of sin until their final breath. God’s grace is the only grace that will allow for an individual to completely cleanse themselves of sin and entire into heaven.
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