What Does a Grace-Transformed Life Look Like?

In our recent classes, we’ve been looking at the Seventh-day Adventist fundamental beliefs through the lens of grace.

We saw that while most of the official beliefs of the Adventist church agree with grace on paper, sometimes in tone and practice, they don’t fully reflect it. We also noticed that a few beliefs, or certain parts of them, do not completely align with how we understand grace from Scripture.

This leads us to an important question:
What does a person look like who is being transformed by grace from glory to glory, as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18?

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

In many Adventist circles, there is an assumption that such a person should simply be “sinless,” meaning they perfectly keep the Ten Commandments without failure. In other words, the mark of someone filled with grace is thought to be the absence of sin.

This is not just a cultural attitude; it is reflected in the official teachings as well. According to Fundamental Belief #19, the expected fruit of receiving grace is obedience to the Ten Commandments.

But many Christians disagree with this view. If we carefully study both human nature and the power of grace, we see that such a view is too shallow. Sin is far more than just breaking commandments, and grace is far more than just erasing guilt.

The Bible describes SIN in three dimensions:

1. Transgression: the outward breaking of God’s law (1 John 3:4)
2. Falling short / missing the mark: Romans 3:23 reminds us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Even when we do not actively transgress, we often fall short of the holiness and love of God.
3. Iniquity: This refers to the bent nature of humanity, a condition of inner corruption that inclines us away from God. Psalm 51:5 states, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me”. This is why even our best efforts are incomplete, and why the flesh wars against the Spirit.  Paul said in Galatians 5:17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Because of this inner bent, it is not possible, in this life, to achieve total sinlessness in the absolute sense, not merely the avoidance of outward acts of sin, but the perfect conformity of heart, mind, and motive. That is why Scripture tells us that when Christ comes, He will give us incorruptible bodies (1 Corinthians 15:53–54), and we will finally be fully conformed to His image.

Martin Luther captured this tension with the phrase “Simul Justus et Peccator”, at the same time righteous and a sinner.

This does not mean that we are half-righteous and half-sinner, or that we live in some kind of divided identity. It means that because of grace, we stand fully justified before God, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and yet we still carry within us the old nature, the remnants of sin, which we continually battle through the Spirit’s power.

Luther’s and Paul’s point is that our righteousness is always a gift of grace, not a human achievement. Sanctification is real, but it is progressive. We are being transformed, but we are not yet fully glorified.

Now, this is not in any way a license to sin. Paul addresses this bluntly in Romans 6:1: “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Certainly not!”
Grace never excuses sin, it empowers transformation. A person who is truly being transformed by grace will not seek to sin more, they will long to live more fully in the Spirit.

Now, coming back to the original question: How do we recognize someone who is being transformed by grace?

The evidence of this transformation is not simply the absence of sin. Someone can avoid obvious sins, such as lying, stealing, or breaking the Sabbath, and still not be truly transformed in their heart.

In other words, the goal of the Christian life is not just to stop doing wrong things. It is to become the kind of person who naturally does what is right, who reflects the heart and character of Christ in all of life.

Grace doesn’t simply teach us to avoid sin; it trains us to live upright, loving, Spirit-filled lives (Titus 2:11–12).

A grace-filled life is not defined by what is missing (sins avoided), but by what is present: the life of Jesus being formed within us.

Paul calls this “new life in the Spirit” (Romans 8) and “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

This is why the New Testament does not merely call us to obedience, it calls us to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

These qualities are not just boxes to check; they are the natural fruit that grows when a person is truly living by grace and walking with the Spirit.

So the true mark of a grace-transformed life is not just a list of sins avoided, but a life increasingly filled with the fruit of the Spirit, doing what is right, loving what is good, and becoming more and more like Jesus.

When we examine these beautiful fruits, we can see that they naturally fall into two categories, very much like the Ten Commandments:

1. Fruits with which God heals our relationship with Him
2. Fruits with which God heals our relationships with others

These categories are not rigid or exclusive. For example, Love is first for God, but it inevitably manifests in love for others (1 John 4:20). Therefore, these categories are simply a lens to help us reflect on how grace shapes both the vertical and the horizontal relationships. In reality, these fruits intertwine and reinforce each other.

Today, I want to focus on fruits that shape our vertical relationship. 

Fruits with which God heals our relationship with Him 

(Love, Joy, Peace, Faithfulness )

Love (Agape) is the first fruit of the Spirit.

But before we explore what this love looks like, we need to first understand something about who God is, because this shapes everything.

Many of us, often without realizing it, think of God like the ultimate version of a human being, sort of like a “superhero” who is perfectly patient, perfectly kind, perfectly powerful.

In this way of thinking, love is just one of many attributes that God possesses, as if God were 25% power, 25% wisdom, 25% justice, and 25% love. We imagine that God is simply the best example of love.

But this is not how the Bible describes God.

1 John 4:8 tells us: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Notice: it doesn’t say that God is loving,  it says God is love. Love is not just something God does, it is His very nature. Everything God does flows from love, because love is who He is.

Now, here is why this matters:

When we receive grace, we are not simply receiving forgiveness or a legal status change, we are receiving the very presence of God into our lives through the Holy Spirit.

And because God is love, His presence within us naturally begins to produce love in us.

This is why love is the first fruit of the Spirit. 

Paul echoes this in Romans 5:5:

“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

So when we talk about love as the first fruit of grace, we are really saying this:

When God dwells in us by His Spirit, His love begins to fill us, transform us, and flow out through us, both toward God and others.

Also, notice something important. Love is called a fruit. This means it is not something we can force or manufacture by sheer willpower. Fruit grows naturally when a tree is healthy and rooted in good soil.

In the same way, love is not something we can simply decide to have more of. How many times have we thought, “I need to be more loving”, and then found ourselves frustrated because we can’t seem to do it?

That’s because we cannot produce true, Christ-like love on our own. But when God, who is love, dwells within us through His Spirit, His love begins to pour out through us, not because we are trying harder, but because His life is growing in us.

This is a crucial distinction we must understand: the fruit of the Spirit is not about human effort; it is about God’s presence transforming us from the inside out.

A natural question often comes up when we start thinking this way: Does this mean that non-Christians or atheists are incapable of love?

Of course not. Every human being is capable of expressing love.

We’ve all seen it: when a young man falls in love, he suddenly displays an affection and devotion that perhaps no one expected from him before. When parents hold their newborn child for the first time, they experience a deep and instinctive love they didn’t know they were capable of.

Human love is very real, and it is part of how we are created in the image of God. Even in our fallen state, traces of that image remain in us, and love is one of those traces.

But here is the key distinction: what sets apart the love that comes from the Spirit from ordinary human love is the source.

Natural human love, while beautiful, is limited. It often depends on circumstances, emotions, or how others treat us. It tends to flow toward those we already like or those who bring us joy.

But the love produced by the Spirit, God’s love, is different.

It flows from God Himself, not from our feelings. It is consistent, sacrificial, and extends even to those who do not deserve it (Romans 5:8; Matthew 5:44).

In short:

• Human love reflects traces of God’s image
• Spirit-born love is the very life of God flowing through us, and this is the love Paul is speaking of as the first fruit of the Spirit.

In a grace-transformed life, love becomes not just an act, but an identity; we become people of love, reflecting the nature of Christ.

Joy

The second fruit of the Spirit is Joy, but it is very different from how we usually think of joy. Most people think of joy as a happy feeling that comes when life is going well. In this view, joy depends entirely on circumstances: if things are good, I feel joyful; if things go wrong, the joy disappears.

But the joy of the Spirit is not tied to circumstances. It is rooted in the unchanging reality of God’s grace and His presence in our lives.

In John 15:11, Jesus says: “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Notice carefully: Jesus is teaching His disciples that their joy can only be complete when His own divine joy is in them. In other words, true and lasting joy comes from being filled with Christ’s joy, not from external successes or pleasures.

We see this truth everywhere in the world. Many outwardly successful people, whether in Hollywood, Silicon Valley, or even in positions of great power, often achieve their life’s dream, only to realize they still feel empty. Their joy fades quickly, sometimes turning into deep discouragement or depression. The happiness they pursued cannot sustain them.

But Jesus is offering something entirely different. He is saying: for human joy to be truly complete, we must be filled with His joy, the joy that Christ Himself experienced in being loved by His Father and in doing His Father’s will.

In other words, human happiness can rise no higher than this, to share in the very joy of Christ.

This is why joy is a fruit of the Spirit,  it is not something we can generate ourselves. It grows in us as we abide in Christ, walk in His love, and surrender to His will.

Peter gives us an even deeper picture of this supernatural joy in 1 Peter 1:8-9:

“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith — the salvation of your souls.”

This is powerful. Notice the context: Peter is writing to believers who were experiencing trials and suffering (1 Peter 1:6). Yet in the midst of hardship, they were filled with a joy that Peter says is “inexpressible”, too great for words, and “glorious”, reflecting the glory of Christ.

This is why joy is the second fruit of the Spirit, because it is the natural overflow of a heart anchored in grace, faith, and love for Christ.

Next week, we can look at peace and faithfulness. 

Discussion Questions

1. Why is the presence of the fruit of the Spirit a more reliable sign of transformation than external rule-keeping?
2. In what ways do love, joy, peace, and faithfulness toward God naturally overflow into relationships with others?

C-J: Fruit isn’t something we can produce ourselves. You’ve got to have rich soil, a healthy seed that germinates in the right season—not on a rock. It has to be tended to. And that’s that relationship. Even though, when we’re angry, we say, “Lord, forgive me,” or when I’m truly feeling my quiet time with God and I start crying because of His grace, I have this contentment in the sense of how wretched I am. I know that I try to make good choices, but the joy you’re speaking about—that relationship—isn’t anything I can produce. 

Only grace can produce and nurture that relationship. You can’t deny it when you run into it. I used to say, “You always know a Christian because it just radiates. They don’t have to tell you.” At the checkout, I’ll say, “I’m sorry, thank you for your patience,” and they respond, “Oh dear, that’s fine.” Like, really? Or was that saying something? One time I was talking to a woman and asked, “Do you live in a faith-based community?” She said, “I do,” meaning she was a nun. And it’s just God resident—it has nothing to do with “that’s a nice person” or “I appreciate your kindness.” It’s just something we can’t do ourselves.

Carolyn: When I think of joy—in layman’s language—it’s “What can I do for someone else?” And when I follow those inclinations, I always come away filled with joy. It’s nothing I’ve done except doing it with my Savior, and that, to me, is pure joy.

Don: I think we naturally tend to gravitate toward rule-keeping because it’s measurable. Joy and love are difficult to measure, but whether I’m stealing or not is easier to measure. And we worry about measuring ourselves, which is exactly what Jesus challenges us not to do—neither ourselves nor others.

C-J: But I think it’s not about using the law as literal God. Jesus did hold people accountable, but the accountability was, “What’s your motivation?” Are you doing this for recognition or to gain access to something—power? Jesus is always saying, “Be aware of your own vulnerability. Seek God early in the morning. Look at what you’re doing. How are other people perceiving it?” 

God does it all the time, out of love—a parent teaching a child critical thinking skills. “Now, you know you weren’t supposed to do that. Can you tell me why that’s important?” What’s the intention behind it? I’m not trying to say you can’t play and have fun. You don’t want me to get hurt. That’s true also. But what’s more important is being able to look at something and see the potential for harm and wanting to protect something you care about. It’s not about having power over you. It’s understanding that the intention and purpose are to guide you so you can make better, higher-order critical thinking in your future. 

It’s a process. God is always growing us, and He holds us accountable. I believe in my relationship with God, He says to me, “What are you doing? That didn’t go very well.”

Donald: I think it’s intriguing that it flows from God and starts there. We’re just vessels through which it travels. However, I also consider the idea of personality. There are some personalities where it’s easier or just more evident that they are the vessel. There are some people who immediately come to mind if you ask yourself, “Who around you is joyful?” It would be easy to talk about who is sour or in great pain right now, and they wouldn’t show evidence of love or joy. 

I’m not sure if that’s the separation between God’s love and joy flowing through them and a barrier that’s been placed, or if it’s a matter of life circumstances. I know that’s a cheap excuse, but sometimes life circumstances are a reality. If a person is hungry or doesn’t have resources, they might do things they otherwise wouldn’t do and probably would be joyful if they had the abundance some of us are privileged to have. 

So I do think personality plays a role here as we look at each other, though maybe we aren’t supposed to. Everything should point back to the source, rather than the person, but that’s certainly not how we do life.

Carolyn: Do people who do not have a relationship with the Lord automatically have the fruits of the Spirit in them when they’re born, even though they’re born in sin? Do they have God’s love? What are our feelings about when we accept Jesus as our Savior? Do we then have to study to have the fruits of the Spirit, or is it something that comes through the Holy Spirit within us? Doesn’t everyone have the Holy Spirit in them when they’re born?

C-J: That’s an ancient question, and karma addresses it from one corner of the room. But in Christ, if we take literally the Word of God that says, “I knew you before you were in your mother’s womb,” and that God is love—one of His defining features—then yes, we carry God’s love from the beginning. 

Still, we come into this world with iniquity and potential. Our intention, purpose, and environment play significant roles in shaping us. We have lessons to learn, and we’re always being molded by the potter’s hand. If we are willing to change the narrative we’ve been given, God will do the work, even if we don’t recognize it immediately. 

Consider someone whose family broke up and who went into foster care, describing themselves as a child of the system, lacking trust. Yet, when God begins to open that person’s eyes, they might realize they’ve been given the gift of understanding others’ pain. God might call them to care for unwanted children. This transformation couldn’t happen unless God touched their heart, sometimes through adversity or the fortune of a strong faith-based foundation. 

God doesn’t make mistakes. Once we realize it’s God who turns on the light—not our desire to follow rules or be Christian—we become ready, like a germinated seed pushing through the earth. We’re always in a state of being and becoming, as David would say.

Reinhard: I believe that’s why we have this class. It teaches us to be more receptive and to accept others, not according to our own desires but recognizing that everyone, regardless of personality issues, has a purpose. As we understand God’s purpose in our lives, we experience joy. Paul speaks of rejoicing in the Lord always, whether we’re on a mountaintop or in a valley. 

Life has its ups and downs, but through God’s message, we strive to maximize the fruit of the Spirit and minimize sin. We must discipline ourselves just like in physical exercise—controlling ourselves, accepting life as it is, and practicing these principles. Even through difficult experiences like illness or loss, maintaining a good relationship with God provides joy, comfort, and strength. The Holy Spirit’s presence allows us to handle anything life brings.

C-J: Moses is a good example, starting life at a challenging time for newborn boys. He ends up in Pharaoh’s house of privilege, later kills someone, and wanders in the wilderness—starkly contrasting palace life. Often, we learn the most about God in our valleys. When we emerge with understanding, we find ourselves rejoicing at the mountaintop. 

There are consequences when we’re stiff-necked or hard-hearted, insisting on our own decisions. But when we’re malleable, we ask, “Lord, what are you doing? What should I see?” That understanding doesn’t come easily—it often takes years. It’s challenging to wait on the Lord, to find contentment in what God is doing and where He has planted us during certain seasons of our lives.

Sharon: I, for one, am a recovering behaviorist. It’s not about me anymore. It’s about my connection to the Holy Spirit and His grace that lives in me. The socialization we received emphasized that everything was about needing to overcome, to accomplish, to do, to be perfect. But now, it’s about Him and my relationship with Him and what He did at the cross. My whole life, I’ll likely be recovering from that mindset because focusing on ourselves and what we can accomplish is worthless. 

Focusing on what Jesus accomplished at the cross allows me to live out the fruit of the Spirit. Now, I have peace and joy. I live without anger toward myself or others, trying instead to uphold and share Jesus’s love and the freedom I have by not focusing on myself. Instead, I allow the Holy Spirit complete access to my life, using me however He sees fit.

Don: Do you see yourself as a work in progress or as a finished work?

Sharon: I see myself as a finished work because of what Jesus did. The work in progress is staying connected to the vine and overcoming my addiction to myself—trusting myself less and trusting Him more. The work in me is finished, but I need to continually keep the presence of Christ and His atonement foremost in my life. 

I celebrate as a kind of broken vessel, allowing the Potter to reshape me into something usable for Him in a hurting world. In one sense, it’s a work in progress, but it’s not His work that’s incomplete—it’s my ongoing task to connect and trust. Only trust Him, only trust Him now.

Carolyn: I still wonder—do people who haven’t heard of Jesus automatically have fruits of the Spirit like love? Is it innate, or does it manifest only when we meet Jesus? Or does everyone have it from birth, but it needs to grow, becoming prominent when we embrace Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

C-J: I think there’s a dichotomy. We have God’s DNA, which is love, and we also have the DNA from our parents, grounded in this physical dimension. So, if someone comes from a background of mental health issues or struggles with self-regulation and societal norms, is that intentional, or just how they’re wired? Society often mistreats those struggling with mental health, yet we all carry God’s spiritual DNA. 

We try to categorize people in binary terms, either/or, but we can have both. We live in an imperfect, dynamic world, and God uses everyone as an instrument. Sometimes, someone who struggles needs another person with an extra measure of spiritual fruit. It doesn’t negate their struggles; it’s just as real. 

I believe God holds such individuals in a special place, knowing He created them to teach others about hope, gratitude, and unconditional love—even when instinct urges self-protection or anger. Our response should be compassionate, like soothing a frightened child, whether spiritually or physically vulnerable. Even someone severely autistic and non-verbal has God’s DNA, along with their human parents’ DNA.

Sharon: There’s also the opposite. I’ve met people who aren’t Christians yet exhibit Christ-like behavior—so kind, gentle, and loving. They live a more Christian life than many Christians do. Somehow, the Holy Spirit seems to have deeply influenced their being. In heaven, we’ll likely see people and think, “Wow, I wouldn’t have expected you to be here!” 

I believe God has His people in all sorts of contexts. The face of God can shine through people who may not have yet consciously embraced an ongoing walk with Jesus, or they may express it in ways we’re not spiritually accustomed to recognizing.

Kiran: There are essentially only two religions in the world. People might label themselves atheist, Hindu, Muslim, or anything else, but fundamentally, there are only two religions—the religion of Abel and the religion of Cain. Do you seek to handle your own salvation, or do you let God handle it? 

Everyone eventually realizes something is wrong—this is what we call the law, indicating that we’re sinners. One doesn’t need to be a Christian to reach this realization. People respond in one of two ways: either acknowledging they can’t fix it themselves or insisting they can handle it alone. Those who seek divine help become children of God, and you’ll see the fruits of the Spirit in them. That’s perhaps the most reliable indicator distinguishing a person of God from a person focused solely on self.

Don: It’s remarkable, though, that both Cain and Abel receive God’s grace. Cain is protected by God, marked for safety. Even belonging to Cain’s category doesn’t exclude one from God’s grace, which is remarkable.

David: I agree with Sharon—we’re not perfect, and recognizing that is essential. We are finished in the sense of being completed works, but we’re blemished goods. We need to acknowledge both our strengths and weaknesses. (Before class, I mentioned that highlighting the importance of AI—recognizing both its good and bad aspects—is similarly important.) 

Our responsibility is to encourage the good while suppressing the bad. If we were entirely successful in this, we’d become God-like, achieving pure goodness—which is my definition of God. While we’ll never fully reach that glory, we should strive toward it, ensuring good prevails because good creates and bad destroys. 

On Carolyn’s point about people who haven’t heard of Jesus, it’s something I’ve pondered deeply. Those who’ve traveled widely, including many in this class, have met people unfamiliar with Christianity who nonetheless live incredibly moral and loving lives—often surpassing many Christians. I’ve got to believe God recognizes these people, regardless of their religious labels, as good Christians.

Don: They’re sheep from another fold.

Reinhard: Of course, I’ve met good people who identify as atheists. Once, a professor referenced “our four-legged ancestors,” and afterward, I asked if she believed in God. She responded, “Never in a million years.” Yet, she was kind and well-liked by everyone. This troubled me, considering scriptures like John 14, where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” There’s some contradiction since the Bible suggests good people will be in heaven. It’s a mystery—God alone knows their hearts and fates. 

Our role is to continually rediscover the fruit of the Spirit and transform ourselves daily, adjusting to life’s dynamics. That’s why I appreciate this diverse class. Our varied backgrounds help us learn more about God and grow spiritually closer to Him, teaching us to love others better.

David: If we follow the law strictly, then our goodness is measurable, as Don intimated. Looking at the Ten Commandments, I can say I’m perfect—today, anyway. “Have no strange gods before me”—I don’t do that. “Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain”—haven’t done that yet today. I’m keeping the Sabbath by being here. I honor my father and mother’s memory. I haven’t killed anyone today, committed adultery, stolen anything, or borne false witness against my neighbor. My neighbors wives are not covetable to me, and while I suppose my neighbor has a nice stone fireplace I’d like, I don’t generally covet my neighbor’s possessions. So I’m pretty perfect! 🙂 

Don: Our thanks to Kiran for stimulating these thoughts. We’ll look forward to his essay next week, hopefully picking up some of these themes and additional fruits of the Spirit he’s alluded to. 

* * *

Postscript

Following class, a few of us got chatting about using AI to enrich the class experience and inform future discussions. The result was a set of difficult questions and stimulating thoughts suggested by ChatGPT, that might help us delve deeper in future discussions:

1. The Paradox of Grace and Effort:
   While grace is described as entirely God’s doing, how should we understand the role of human effort, discipline, or spiritual practices? Is there tension or harmony between relying fully on grace and actively participating in our spiritual growth?
2. Grace Beyond Christianity:
   If fruits of the Spirit appear authentically in those outside the Christian faith, how should Christians engage with, learn from, or incorporate truths and virtues from other faiths or secular sources without compromising their Christian identity?
3. The Limits of Human Love:
   Where does natural human love end, and the love of God begin? How can Christians recognize and cultivate the transition from human affection to divine, agape love in practical terms?
4. Measuring Spiritual Growth:
   If rule-keeping is not a reliable measure of spiritual maturity, how might we practically and constructively assess our spiritual development without falling into self-judgment or complacency?
5. Role of Personality in Spirituality:
   Considering Donald’s observation about personality influencing our perception of spirituality, how can communities of faith avoid implicit biases toward certain personality types? How can we value spiritual maturity equally across diverse personalities?
6. Hidden Fruits and Invisible Grace:
   Can we explore deeper into the idea of “hidden fruits,” or the unseen ways grace works in people’s lives, especially in difficult circumstances or in individuals who outwardly struggle?
7. Unconscious Grace:
   If people who do not explicitly believe in Christ can still exhibit Christ-like qualities, how might Christians approach evangelism or witness differently, recognizing that grace may be operating in others unconsciously or without doctrinal intervention?
8. Grace and Mental Health:
   How does grace practically manifest or operate in lives significantly impacted by mental health issues or trauma, especially when spiritual fruit seems obscured by suffering or behavioral challenges?
9. Corporate Grace:
   How can we discuss grace not just individually but corporately—within church communities, societies, or even nations? Is there collective grace or collective accountability, and how does it function?
10. Spirituality and Technology (AI):
    What implications does the advancement of technology and artificial intelligence have on our understanding of grace, spiritual authenticity, and human identity?

These prompts might help us probe deeper, encouraging richer reflections and broader engagement in upcoming discussions.