Theological Understandings of Mediated Grace
Theological Understandings of Mediated Grace
When approaching the concept of grace, many people often assume that it is “other” - a mysterious force that exists beyond human understanding. They believe that grace is a divine gift that cannot be humanly grasped because of its supernatural nature. Others believe that mediated grace - God as experienced through the senses in a purely human manner - is a vital way to bridge the ontological gap (an extreme difference in being that separates the earthly and the divine). Christian theologians from the beginning of the faith have debated the qualities attributed to this phenomenon because of its sheer importance; when dealing with vastly different elements, such as humans and God, the search for an intermediary force is obviously considered a necessity. Over and over, throughout the history of Christianity, we see mediated grace as a bridge, a power that unites, binding together the natural and the supernatural, the human and the divine, and ideas that often appear initially incompatible. The majority of theologians are on the side of mediated grace, believing that God can indeed be found in nature. A good starting point for this treatment of grace is found in the Sermon on the Sixth Beatitude, by Gregory of Nyssa, a fourth century Turkish writer. He raises an essential question of grace: how can the Beatific vision (“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” [Matt. 5:8]) be justified in the light of statements such as “No one has ever seen God” [John 1:18]?[1] This serves as such an effective beginning to our exploration of mediated grace because it takes the view that God cannot be experienced by humans and then proceeds to reconcile it with seemingly contradictory Beatific scripture. Gregory arrives at the conclusion that “God can be experienced analogically from the comprehension of his activities,” through our earthly surroundings and in our own human nature.[2] Gregory points out that the
When approaching the concept of grace, many people often assume that it is “other” - a mysterious force that exists beyond human understanding. They believe that grace is a divine gift that cannot be humanly grasped because of its supernatural nature. Others believe that mediated grace - God as experienced through the senses in a purely human manner - is a vital way to bridge the ontological gap (an extreme difference in being that separates the earthly and the divine). Christian theologians from the beginning of the faith have debated the qualities attributed to this phenomenon because of its sheer importance; when dealing with vastly different elements, such as humans and God, the search for an intermediary force is obviously considered a necessity. Over and over, throughout the history of Christianity, we see mediated grace as a bridge, a power that unites, binding together the natural and the supernatural, the human and the divine, and ideas that often appear initially incompatible. The majority of theologians are on the side of mediated grace, believing that God can indeed be found in nature. A good starting point for this treatment of grace is found in the Sermon on the Sixth Beatitude, by Gregory of Nyssa, a fourth century Turkish writer. He raises an essential question of grace: how can the Beatific vision (“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” [Matt. 5:8]) be justified in the light of statements such as “No one has ever seen God” [John 1:18]?[1] This serves as such an effective beginning to our exploration of mediated grace because it takes the view that God cannot be experienced by humans and then proceeds to reconcile it with seemingly contradictory Beatific scripture. Gregory arrives at the conclusion that “God can be experienced analogically from the comprehension of his activities,” through our earthly surroundings and in our own human nature.[2] Gregory points out that the
Cited: Augustine, Confessions. New York: Penguin Books, 1961. Translated by R.S. Pine-Coffin Burns, Patout J Elie, Paul. A Tremor of Bliss: Contemporary Writers on the Saints. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1994. Julian of Norwich. Showings. New York: Paulist Press, 1978. Translated by Edmund Colledge & James Walsh Luther, Martin Luther’s Works, vol. 31. Two Kinds of Righeousness. Philadelphia: Mulhlenberg press, 1957. Edited by Harold J. Grimm Pascal, Blaise Rahner, Karl. Foundations of Christian Faith. Searking, 1978.