Humans always want to overturn God our Father's plan to save the world by grace through the atoning death of His Son. Humans very easily get puffed up about their abilities and capacities for obedience in the presence of God. We crow about the extraordinary merit we are able to accrue by our own glorious works and efforts, so that grace becomes merely an afterthought. We attempt to return the gift: "Hey God, Your grace was a great idea, but I am doing pretty well on my own. Is there somewhere I can return grace and get money back or exchange it for something I like better?" Grace then becomes not the gift that keeps on giving, but the cause of self-righteous pride when it is rejected in favor of our own work.

The whole Christian life must be lived in, by, and with grace. We live in grace in the same way the fish lives in water. Water supports it, gives it life, and is the medium in which the fish lives. To be removed from it is to die. So it is for the Christian and grace. It is our whole life; the medium in which we swim. It isn't merely the beginning of the Christian life. It isn't just a kick in the seat of our pants at the start line, so that we then continue under our own power. God's attitude toward us is gracious from beginning to end. In enlightenment and conversion, growth and good works, death and judgment, God is gracious to us. That is His attitude. And since it is a divine attitude, it never flags, sputters, or wanes. We may flag, sputter, or wane in our Christian life. But He never does in His gracious care for us. His life never wanes.

There is no way for us to supersede or to supplement grace. It is whole and complete. There are no add-on components like there are for many commercial software packages or free apps that have paid add-ons. Grace has worked its best and most perfect work in the suffering and death of God's Son, Jesus Christ for our sins. When we reject that grace we are claiming to be unmarred by the stain of original sin. "We are doing just fine on our own, thank you." This is a purely human delusion which was championed by the Pelagians in the fifth century, but which has been repeated by legalists of all time. Christ died unto no purpose if we have the power to right ourselves in God's presence.