An empirical consideration of grace and legalism within Christian experience

Abstract

This project presents four interrelated studies. The first study involved the development of a measure of grace-orientation, The Amazing Grace Scale (TAGS). The underlying structure of this new measure seemed to involve two dimensions: (a) an internalized faith, and (b) an awareness of the nature of grace and experiencing the fruits of grace. In the second study, TAGS was given along with several other scales to a varied group of people. Indicating good construct validity for TAGS were the direct relationships between TAGS and Christian identity, extrinsic-personal faith, intrinsic faith, empathie concern, forgiveness, and gratitude. The third study involved the development of legalism-orientation, the Religious Legalism Scale (RLS). When the underlying structure of this scale was analyzed three factors emerged: (a) religious legalism, (b) shining light, and (c) God's chosen. In the fourth study, TAGS and RLS were given along with a few other measures to the same group of college students. Curiously, grace-orientation and legalism-orientation were independent of each other with this sample and these measures.Let's begin with a consideration of grace. There are probably a number of ways in which grace is amazing. Certainly, one of these is the curious absence of empirical research considering the role of grace in people's lives. At a time when there is a growing interest in spirituality among psychologists, it seems perplexing that this construct, which is so central to the Christian faith (one of the major faith systems in the world), has largely been ignored by psychologists.So, what is grace? In both the Old and New Testaments, grace generally refers to the unmerited favor shown by a superior to an inferior, especially the favor shown to humankind by God's salvine activity and kindness (Watson, 1969). For Christians the greatest expression of God's grace has been shown in the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.By extension, God's grace, evidenced in His own loving-kindness and favor, is expected to characterize the lives and behaviors of those who receive it (see Golden Rule, Jesus' summary of the law, the Lord's Prayer):The grace of God means first and foremost the forgiveness of sins and a new standing with God (justification). They enter into a relationshipThe authors would like to thank Julia Grimm for her comments on various drafts of this paper. Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Rod Bassett at Roberts Wesleyan College, 2301 Westside Drive, Rochester, NY 14624; bassettr@roberts.eduwith God which is determined solely by his grace, and in which they can be described as in a state of grace. This same grace then becomes a power in their lives; producing a new outlook, attitude, spirit, and temper like God's own (sanctification), (watson, 1969, p. 148)Hence, grace may be understood as: (1) a state of right standing with God, (2) an impartation of power to live and act in a godly manner, and (3) as particular behaviors resultant from (1) and (2) above. The theological differentiation of grace into such categories as justifying grace, sanctifying grace, prevenient grace, actual grace, and so on, need not be interpreted as an attempt to identify different graces. Rather, these terms describe one grace in its different modes of operation. It is in this sense that we define grace in terms of godly behavior, attitudes and dispositions founded on and flowing from God's work in individual lives. For example, a grace-oriented life should manifest the Fruit of the Spirit and especially the first fruit of the Spirit: love (Limouris, 1990). Such characteristics should flow out of an internalization of the unmerited favor of God within an individual's life.Having considered a conceptualization of grace, the next important question becomes what empirical work has been done with the construct of grace? The answer to that question is not much. …

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