new church life: november/december 2015
services rendered, gratitude and thanks.”
While the Latin word gives some indication of the meaning and nuances
of grace, it is necessary to turn to the Heavenly Doctrines to see with greater
clarity what “grace” involves. One of the earliest definitions of grace in the
Doctrines comes in the explanation of the Noah story, where we are told that
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. In this passage we are told that “The
Lord’s mercy involves and looks to the salvation of the whole human race; and
it is the same with His ‘grace’ and therefore the salvation of the human race is
signified.” (Arcana Coelestia 598)
This definition of grace brings the meanings of the Hebrew word chen
and the Greek charis into a single focus. The salvation of the human race is
the Lord’s entire motivation, for His goal is a heaven from the human race. To
do this, He has to stoop down to our level, an idea that lies at the root of the
Hebrew word for grace, and influence our hearts, incorporating the concept
behind the Greek word.
Thinking of grace as a part of salvation brings us to the thought of mercy,
and the two are closely connected but not identical. In defining grace in the
Noah story, the Arcana points out that even though they appear similar, there
is a distinction between mercy and grace, and both are necessary for salvation.
Arcana Coelestia 598 makes this point: “‘grace’ relates to spiritual things,
which are of faith, or of the understanding, […] ‘mercy’ relates to celestial
things which are of love, or of the will.” In terms of salvation, it would seem
that the Lord saves people from His love, or from mercy (which is sometimes
defined as “love grieving”) but the means of salvation are the truths. For this
reason, the Lord, out of love for the human race, appeared as the Word who
“came down and dwelt among us.”
The Lord’s grace, leading to our salvation, is given to us by an inclination
toward and an affection for truth:
In general, Divine grace is all that is given from the Lord. And as all that is so given
has relation to faith and love, and faith is the affection of truth from good, this is
meant in particular by Divine grace. To those in the spiritual kingdom it is granted
by the Lord to be in the affection of truth for the sake of truth; and this Divine
is what is called grace; . . . nor is there any other Divine grace with man, spirit or
angel, than to be affected by truth because it is truth, since in that affection there is
heaven and blessedness for them. (Apocalypse Explained 22)
The affection for truth that we experience is the Lord’s grace toward us,
for only by means of truth can people enter into a relationship with Him: truth
teaches us who He is, what He does for us and what we should do for ourselves.
In the absence of an affection for truth, our entire being would be closed to
the Lord. So the Lord is continually working in us to stir and stimulate that
affection, encouraging us from within to be receptive of His presence, and this
is His grace in our lives. So we read:
576