Fitzgerald 1 Collin Fitzgerald Christian Narrative II Dr.

Kim 23 March 2012 The Role of Grace in Salvation Introduction Grace; such a small word, and yet so much meaning stands behind it. Grace is something many people cannot grasp or even comprehend, let alone give it to others. It is something that has shifted the way people think and act. It has taken a people once condemned for eternity in hell, and given them hope in an eternity in Heaven with God. The question though is not what grace is. No, rather the question is what role does grace play in salvation. What does grace mean for salvation? C.S. Lewis simply believes that the grace of God initiates Salvation (Brazier Doctrine 679). However, questions still remain after this. What is grace; what do people have to do to earn it; what is the end result; and what about sin? Gods Grace All natural theology is reliant upon grace (Brazier Christology 755). Salvation is reliant upon salvation. It is because of Gods grace that He even thought to come down to us and sacrifice Himself. At the core of Christian belief is that Christs death somehow put people right with God and gave them a fresh start (Lewis Mere 54). Christs death is the prime act of grace from God in order that His creation may know Him as He originally intended. He did not have to do that, but He chose to do that out of His loving grace towards His creation. To not understand grace is to miss what importance of Jesus sacrifice on the cross. And to miss the meaning of the sacrifice it to not understand what salvation truly

Fitzgerald 2 is. Salvation is a work of divine grace (Baggett 174). Salvation is dependent upon the grace that is portrayed through the sacrifice of Christ. Grace is the basis for everything that has given people the chance to be saved from their eternal condemnation in Hell. Without the grace that God has given through Jesus sacrifice, there is nothing. Basic Idea of Grace So what exactly is this grace? That is a question deserving of a complex answer. Lewis does offer some basics, however. There is a great picture of this in The Chronicles of Narnia: Aslans sacrifice in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe represents the overwhelming love of the absolute supreme, transcendent God, who comes in infinite humility, meekness and modesty in Jesus Christ, gives himself to humanity in unconditional freedom and grace, despite the venomous hatred that humanity heaped on him on the cross/stone table (Brazier Christology 769). As many people understand, Aslan represents God in the Narnia books. This examination of the books offers some light into what Gods grace is. It is, in a simple form, God coming down to His broken creation, humbling Himself as a man, and then sacrificing Himself to once and for all save humanity from eternity in Hell, all because of His unexplainable and unending love which He extends freely to them, even though they continue to hate and disobey Him. That is true grace, the grace of God. Basic Roles of Grace in Life Grace continues to be a part of every day life. Molly James offers insight into this based on her studies of C.S. Lewis. She states that grace convicts people of sin, teaches

Fitzgerald 3 those who have received it, and assures them of the hope in the future (114). How is this done? James describes this as grace being given through the work of The Holy Spirit, who convicts, teaches, and assures believers. God did not just give His grace in the one action of Christs sacrifice, but rather, through His Spirit He continues to show His grace throughout each day in His people. Gods Grace is Free Now, some will wonder or examine what it is they must do in order to receive this grace. However, C.S. Lewis gives a clear explanation to this question. Grace is the free action of God (James 113). There is nothing that a person can do to earn Gods grace. People have only earned the right to be eternally banished from the presence of God. Because of this, there is absolutely nothing they can do to earn salvation. This is where grace comes in to the equation. God wants to give people a chance of joining His side freely (Lewis Mere 65). Because God still desired for His creation to know Him and have a relationship with Him, He extended His grace to them freely out of His amazing love. That is why people are able to receive salvation. Beyond this, C.S. Lewis brings up the point that people must still be open to receive this grace. He states that even though salvation is through Gods grace, people still have to allow it to be done to them (Baggett 174). God can give people all the grace He can, but there will still be those who choose not to receive it. People still have to be open to receive the gift of grace, otherwise they will never receive salvation. However, Lewis also brings up a very important point. Human beings have to work very hard to exclude themselves from Gods grace (Brockman 555). God is still the God of the universe, and people are still His creation under His reign and power. His

Fitzgerald 4 grace is so powerful and amazing that it is incredibly difficult to ignore the fact that it at least exists. Yes, they might not choose to receive it, but most, if not all people know it is there, and will not be able to deny that fact. Gods Grace Unites People with Him Gods grace unites humanity with God through Christ (Brazier Doctrine 683). People are eternally separated from God without His grace. Because of His grace, however, they are welcomes into a relationship with Him through salvation. This grace, though, does not just build a relationship with God. Rather, it does so much more than that. It unites them with their Creator, their God. Furthermore, Lewis also sees grace as the action of God imparting a mysterious communion with God through Christ (Brazier Doctrine 682). People will not ever fully understand most about the reasons and meanings behind grace. This grace has given people a chance to have a real community with God, even in this sin filled world in which they live. Grace and Sin This last point has to do with sin. Now, because of this grace, one would assume that Christians would be so overwhelmed by Gods grace that they would see no reason to sin any longer. However, there are few explanations as to why this is not true. First, and very simple, sin still exists. Christs sacrifice did not abolish sin in man, but rather broke the bondage man had to sin, setting them free. Second, Lewis states in the Problem of Pain that sin causes grace to abound, but people must not make that an excuse to continue sinning (111). This has point has to parts to it. First, mans continuing sin, in a sense, allows for God to glorify Himself in that He can continue to bestow His grace onto believers. Second, this does not mean that people can continue to sin. God did not give

Fitzgerald 5 His grace so that people will continue in their sinful ways. On the contrary, He did it in order that they may see their wrong, repent, and live a life in Christ. Sin will still be a part of life, but Gods still gives His grace freely out of His love. Conclusion Even after all of this, grace is still something that will continue to baffle. It is so strange to think that the God of the universe and all of creation would sacrifice Himself out of His love for His creation, but the fact is that He did. He gave it through Jesus sacrifice on the cross, and continues to through the work of the Holy Spirit. He does this freely because no man can earn this grace, all because He desires to be reunited in a relationship with His people, and will continue to even though those same people will never stop sinning against Him. It is something that people are given from God, and the reasoning for this will continue to amaze.

Fitzgerald 6 Outline 1. Introduction a. What is grace b. Grace is free c. Grace unites man with God d. Grace and sin 2. Gods grace a. Basic role of Grace b. Basic idea of Grace c. Basic role of Grace in every day life 3. Gods grace is free a. Man cannot earn grace b. Man must be open to receive grace c. Man cannot escape Gods grace 4. Gods grace unites people with Him a. Without grace, man is destined for Hell b. Grace unites man with God in a mysterious way 5. Grace and Sin a. Sin still occurs even after man is saved b. Sin allows for grace to be given c. Grace does not allow for man to continue sinning 6. Conclusion a. Grace comes through Jesus sacrifice

Fitzgerald 7 b. Grace continues through the Holy Spirit c. Grace is freely given d. Grace reunites man with God e. Grace continues even as man continuously sins

Fitzgerald 8 Annotated Bibliography Baggett, David, Gary R. Habermas, and Jerry L. Walls. C.S. Lewis as Philosopher: Truth, Goodness and Beauty. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008. Print. This book describes how C.S. Lewis defends and describes His beliefs and theology in a very philosophical way. From this book, I used quotes describing the action of grace, as well as a basic definition of the role of grace in salvation. Brazier, P. H. "C. S. Lewis & Christological Prefigurement." Heythrop Journal 48.5 (2007): 742-775. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. This article describes how Lewis defines and explains his views on Christ, as well as His roles in both his theology books, as well as stories. From this, I used quotes describing how theology relies on grace, and a great illustration on how Aslan is pictured as Christ is the Narnia books. Brazier, P. H. "C. S. Lewis: A Doctrine Of Transposition." Heythrop Journal 50.4 (2009): 669-688. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. This book describes how Lewis views the incarnation, as well as how Gods grace united humanity with God. From this, I took several quotes on how grace is initiated by God, and descriptions on the communion humanity can have with God through His grace. Brockman, Bennett A. "C.S. Lewis. A Guide To His Theology." Reviews In Religion & Theology 15.4 (2008): 554-557. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. This was a small article, which had many views on the basic theology of Lewis. I only took a small quote from here, which describes how humans are unable to escape Gods grace.

Fitzgerald 9 James, Molly. "C.S. Lewis And Human Suffering: Light Among The Shadows By Marie A. Conn." Reviews In Religion & Theology 16.1 (2009): 115-117. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. This article describes Lewiss take on suffering, which he touches on in many of his works. From this I took several quotes which describes grace as free from God, as well as describes how grace is shown through the work of the Holy Spirit. Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. Print. This book is one of the most popular books by Lewis, and offers most of His thoughts and theology in a very logic based manner. From this I took quotes describing the freeness of grace, and what grace means for those who receive it. Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. Print. This was Lewiss first book on suffering, and offers some insight into his theology on the subject. From this I built my topic on grace and sin later in the paper.

Fitzgerald 10 Works Cited Baggett, David, Gary R. Habermas, and Jerry L. Walls. C.S. Lewis as Philosopher: Truth, Goodness and Beauty. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008. Print. Brazier, P. H. "C. S. Lewis & Christological Prefigurement." Heythrop Journal 48.5 (2007): 742-775. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. Brazier, P. H. "C. S. Lewis: A Doctrine Of Transposition." Heythrop Journal 50.4 (2009): 669-688. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. Brockman, Bennett A. "C.S. Lewis. A Guide To His Theology." Reviews In Religion & Theology 15.4 (2008): 554-557. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. James, Molly. "C.S. Lewis And Human Suffering: Light Among The Shadows By Marie A. Conn." Reviews In Religion & Theology 16.1 (2009): 115-117. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. Print. Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. Print.