25/10/2025
G R A C E A T W O R K
By Bishop Emi Domingo
Be cautious of those who teach a distorted version of grace—one that suggests there’s nothing to do anymore and portrays “works” as something unnecessary or even wrong. Some even sound allergic to the idea of doing anything, as if grace means inactivity or passivity. Let’s be clear: grace is not against work. What grace is against is the idea of adding human effort to earn God’s favor. Paul wrote, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing” (Galatians 2:21). When works are the result or fruit of grace, that’s biblical and right. True grace is effective, powerful, and active. Any teaching that promotes laziness, silence, or passivity in the name of grace is false—it’s pseudo-grace. Paul declared, “… I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Grace empowered Paul to labor more, not less.
Grace Produces Action and Confession:
Some claim that under grace, we no longer need to declare, confess, or boldly speak faith. But that is far from the truth. Paul himself—the apostle of Grace—said, “It is written: ‘I believed; therefore, I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak” (2 Corinthians 4:13). Confession and declaration are not contrary to grace—they are expressions of faith born out of grace. In fact, Paul teaches that salvation itself involves both believing and confessing: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9–10). Therefore, confession is not a legalistic act but a faith response empowered by grace. Grace gives both the belief and the boldness to declare what we believe.
The Whole Scripture Is Profitable:
Some also argue that since we are under the New Covenant, we no longer need to apply principles from the Old Testament. But Scripture teaches otherwise: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). “All Scripture” includes both Old and New Testaments. God’s Word is timeless and continues to reveal His nature and truth across all generations. For example, the principle of sowing and reaping first appears in Genesis 8:22: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest… shall not cease.” Paul reaffirms this in Galatians 6:7: “A man reaps what he sows.” The principle of establishing truth by two or three witnesses begins in Deuteronomy 19:15, affirmed by Jesus in Matthew 18:16, and upheld by Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:1. These examples show the consistency of divine truth throughout Scripture. The key is to rightly divide the Word, as Paul instructed: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). We are not to reject any part of the Bible but to interpret it through the lens of Christ’s finished work.
Grace at Work in Us:
Grace does not remove action—it empowers it. God Himself is working in us, for “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). Grace doesn’t add human effort to salvation; it produces divine effort through us. The believer’s works are not attempts to earn God’s approval but the visible fruit of God’s approval working within. Paul beautifully expressed this truth: “To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:29). That’s the essence of true grace—it doesn’t make you lazy; it makes you fruitful. Any grace that does not produce transformation, service, and good works is not true grace but distorted grace.
Grace Empowers, It Doesn’t Excuse:
Grace is never an excuse for passivity—it is divine empowerment for purpose. You don’t add works to grace; grace produces works. You don’t work to be accepted; you work because you are already accepted. True grace transforms, enables, and moves us to act, speak, serve, and declare God’s goodness. As James wrote, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). So let grace work in you and through you, for when grace truly reigns, God works mightily.
DISCLAIMER: This article does not intend to implicate anyone. Any similarity in the discussion is purely coincidental. Grace to you.
