Have you ever heard anyone say the Holy Spirit spoke to them, and, returning from the encounter, they rushed to use the dictionary because the vocabulary the Holy Spirit used was one they’d never heard before? It’s like the words of Dunsin Oyekan, “I have been to God; I have never met you there, because He relates to us one on one”. The manifold graces of God, welling up inside, are always limited to the degree of His knowledge we possess.

We all love to quote Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, with the hope that God will enable us to do just anything we set our minds to. That’s motivational but not necessarily revelational. Because the grace of God teaches us first to learn, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men; teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). Grace requires us to be teachable. Jesus, our grace bank, emphasises this truth. He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). Therefore, grace is not an irresponsible approach to engaging God but learning His ways from His Word.

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:2-3). We’re not learning/knowing to outwit the doer nor exchange roles, but learning to appreciate and manage His doings (humility). “God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble” (James 4:6).

Grace requires that we grow in our active knowledge of God; else, it’s the very residual knowledge of God in us that the enemy will use to deceive us. I have this colleague at work; there’s literally no Bible verse I quote to him that he doesn’t know (and I know quite a few). Every time I look at him, I understand what Jesus meant when He told Peter, “Satan desires to sift you as wheat”. Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient (Romans 1:28). Consider Samson, Solomon and Gehazi—grace misused will always lead to disgrace.

In conclusion, Grace is not a steroid, but a building up by the Word. The apostle Paul affirmed, “I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up…” (Acts 20:32). Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace (John 1:16). We grow in grace by grace.