The Spirit of Grace

Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

Why is living by the Spirit the same as living by grace? Living by grace and walking in the Spirit are two perspectives of the same reality. Both perspectives describe living or walking in absolute dependence on God. Grace is given by God to help us in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16). And the Spirit is given to us to be our Helper (John 14:26; 15:26). And so, the Bible refers to the Holy Ghost as the Spirit of grace. The connection between living by the Spirit and living by the grace of God is well documented in the Scriptures in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Holy Ghost, saith the LORD of hosts.
Zechariah 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain (military force)? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

God was declaring through Zechariah that Zerubbabel would accomplish the task of rebuilding the Temple from start to finish by the Spirit of God. Zerubbabel would rebuild the Temple in absolute dependence on the Spirit of God and not on human resources. The accomplished task would be a clear demonstration of the grace of God.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Thus the task would be accomplished by the Spirit through grace. Thus it would be a work of the Spirit of grace.

When we depend on the Holy Ghost we are depending on the grace of God. When we depend on the grace of God we are depending on the Spirit. In the New Testament this is brought out clearly in the work of grace and of the Spirit in producing in us God’s righteousness, which we could not produce on our own.

Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Here the Bible is telling us that the Spirit produces in us God’s righteousness which the Law could not do. The Bible also tells us that righteousness comes to us not by the Law but by the grace of God.
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Thus, God’s operation in us under the New Covenant is accomplished by the Spirit through grace. Hence, to despise the New Covenant is to despise the Spirit of grace.
Hebrews 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
God’s operation in us under the New Covenant is accomplished by the Spirit through Grace. Hence, to despise the New Covenant is to despise the Spirit of Grace.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
God’s operation in us under the New Covenant is accomplished by the Spirit through Grace. Hence, to despise the New Covenant is to despise the Spirit of Grace.
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Acts 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
Acts 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
God wants us to serve Him by the Spirit and by grace. God does not want us to serve Him by our might and power but by His Spirit, as Zechariah told Zerubbabel. To serve God in absolute dependence on the Spirit and not our own might and power also implies the same as serving God by grace and not by our works. This fits perfectly with our classical definition of grace in Romans 11:6:“And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.”

Therefore, to live and walk in the Spirit is to live and walk by the grace of God. Both are ways of describing our walk in absolute dependence on God. And so, just as we can come to God in our times of need to find grace to help us, so we can expect the Holy Ghost to help us in our infirmities. Neither the grace of God nor is the Holy Ghost given to us because we are worthy or strong, but to make us worthy and strong in the Lord. Let us not despise the role of the Spirit of grace in our Christian walk.