I have been writing about some very practical matters in these studies, but it is hard to imagine a more practical matter than our giving to God, specifically giving money to support spiritual causes. Most Christians understand they are to do this. But what might be surprising to most is associating giving with grace, which is what I am doing in this week's lessons.
The bottom line of this discussion is that, because of who God is and what Jesus Christ has done in dying for us, changing the throne of judgment into a throne of grace, we who trust Christ are to draw near the throne of grace in confidence. If we came in our own merit, we could have no confidence at all. The throne of God would be a place of terror. But since God has done what was needed to take away all judgment for our sin, it is now sin for us to come in any other way but with confidence.
Yesterday we looked at how God the Father and God the Son are gracious.
God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also gracious. That is one reason he is called the Comforter (John 14:16, 25; 15:26; 16:7). The Greek word is parakletos. It is a rich word rightly translated “helper,” “advocate,” and “counselor,” meaning that the Holy Spirit also strengthens us and pleads for us.
Why is the throne of God described in Hebrews as a throne of grace? The answer is obvious. It is because God is a God of grace. Indeed, he is the God of all grace. It is only in God that true grace may be found.
There are at least two other reasons why prayer is often a problem for us.
We are too sinful. This strikes a bit deeper at our problem, though we do not like to admit it. We do not have trouble admitting that we are too busy. On the contrary, we are rather proud of that. We like to be busy. But to admit that we are too sinful and that unconfessed or unrelinquished sin is keeping us from prayer is terrible. Yet that is often the real problem.
