Grace means that in spite of missing the mark, we are made one with God through grace. Our broken relationship with God is restored. It’s important that children not develop a sense of despair about their emerging awareness of sin. Stressing that God’s love can overcome any sin is important.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, of which Miranda and I identify with, described God’s grace as threefold: prevenient grace, justifying grace, and sanctifying grace. Prevenient grace refers to Wesley’s understanding of grace as God’s active presence in our lives. This presence is not dependent on human actions or human response. Just as the word prevenient implies, God seeks to be with us even before we acknowledge and seek God. Justifying grace points to reconciliation, pardon, and restoration. According to Wesley, the image of God is renewed within us through Christ’s death. Salvation is the ongoing experience of God’s gracious presence transforming us into whom God intends us to be, and Wesley described this dimension of God’s grace as sanctification, or holiness. Through sanctifying grace, we grow and mature in our ability to live as Jesus lived. Our inner thoughts and motives, as well as our outer actions and behavior, are aligned with God’s will and testify to our union with God.
In this broadcast of The Faith We Sing, Miranda and I explore the themes of grace and miracles through a range of musical genres, both christian and secular, and popular media and arts, such as the musical Fiddler on the Roof.
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