We chose “Grace” as a part of our daughter’s name not simply because it is a beautiful name, but because of the rich theological significance of grace in the Christian faith.
Grace can be defined as the favor of God bestowed on undeserving sinners. Similarly, J. I. Packer, in his classic book, Knowing God, offers this definition: “It is God showing goodness to persons who deserve only severity and had no reason to expect anything but severity.” 1
Grace is commonly found in the Bible, and most Christians have at least a basic understanding of grace. For instance, grace is inextricably linked with salvation: “By grace you have been saved through faith” (Eph. 2:8, NASB). It doesn’t stop there: God’s grace not only saves us, it also changes us. Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).
Truly, God’s grace extends far beyond salvation. We experience His grace daily, as His goodness toward us is totally undeserved.
There is another reason for choosing Grace as her middle name. As Reformed Christians, grace is special to us because grace is a prominent theme of the Reformation and Reformed theology, for example: the doctrines of grace, sola gratia (one of the five solas of the Reformation), and more. Check out the About page for more on what we believe.
We briefly mentioned a few things here that will be expounded upon in greater detail in future posts: the grace of God in salvation, doctrines of grace, Reformed theology, and so on. We want to close with the reasons for writing this blog.
We are writing this blog for our daughter and perhaps future kids. We hope for this to be a reflection and collection of what we teach at home. Martin Luther, the German reformer, believed strongly in the parents’ role in educating children at home. Instruction isn’t just for the children; everyone should be instructed daily, including parents. Our instruction comes first and foremost through Scripture, upon which we must feed daily. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 is a familiar passage: “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” Before we teach it to our kids, verse 6 states that God’s word must first be on our hearts. We must first diligently read, study, and treasure His words.
Writing is a way to develop our own thinking on theological, doctrinal, and practical issues surrounding the Christian faith. And as we order our thoughts and delve deeper into these topics, we become more effective teachers in our family and in our church.
This blog also serves the dual purpose of supporting our church ministry. We added sections for the youth group, including summaries of our weekly studies. We hope for the parents to engage in Biblical discussions and conversations throughout the week, and perhaps our weekly studies is one way to start a conversation.
We also hope that others reading this will benefit from what we are learning in His Word.
Ultimately, we do this, as we should do all things, to the glory of God alone.
soli Deo gloria | Glory to God alone
[1] J. I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 132.