"Where Grace is Found is Where You Are..."

"Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more.

Where grace is found is where You are.

And where You are, Lord, I am free.

Holiness is Christ in me."

- Matt Maher

Where would we be without the grace of God? Honestly, the answer is a little scary to sit with. And yet, I think it can be easy to downplay that grace. Or maybe even worse, to slowly take it for granted. Grace can become something we assume, instead of something that continually humbles us.

Why this has been on my mind

As I begin my next class at Wesley Seminary focused on soteriology (the study of salvation), we’ll spend time with the writings of John Wesley. Wesley may not always show up in conversations about the most abstract or philosophical theology, but it would be a mistake to leave him out when talking about practical theology and Christian living. The Methodist movement wasn’t built primarily on debating what we believe. It was built on how faith is lived out. Wesley gathered people in small groups and asked deeply personal questions about confession, sin, and the way they were actually living. This wasn’t about legalism. It was about a shared desire to grow toward holiness.

What holiness really is

That word can feel intimidating, but holiness isn’t about perfection.

As Phil Tallon and Justus Hunter put it:

“Holiness, most basically, is the character of God.”

If we say we want to follow Jesus, we eventually have to ask what it looks like to live like Him. Holiness helps give shape to that question.

A tension I feel in modern Christianity

One thing I wrestle with is how easily we can emphasize our actions as the starting point of salvation. We talk a lot about our decision, our choice, our moment. But Wesley reminds us that none of that is possible without God’s prevenient grace. Grace that comes before. Grace that awakens us. Grace that allows us to even respond to God in the first place.

That concern is real for me. But so is the hope.

What I’m hoping for in this season

My hope through this class isn’t just to understand salvation better so I can explain it more clearly when I teach. I want it to shape how I see God’s work in my own life. The goal isn’t information alone. It’s transformation. Not just my mind, but my heart. My commitment is to bring my full attention, curiosity, and humility into this season of learning. I trust that doing so will help me grasp, even just a little more, the depth of God’s grace at work in me.

Think about this

I’m often reminded of these words from Levi the Poet:

“I am convinced that the grace of God is as unfathomable as the space that the seas of love would spill into as they pour forth and cover all of my shame.”

Living in West Michigan gives me plenty of chances to sit along the shore of Lake Michigan and stare out at the water. There are moments when I look at that vast horizon and think about grace.

I may never fully understand the depth of God’s grace in my life. But standing there helps me understand just how immense it really is.