Grace, Pure and Simple - Free Newsletters

When I was a teenager, I loved listening to the music of the Irish rock band U2. There was just something about their powerful lyrics that made them stand out in my mind. I couldn't put my finger on it, but to paraphrase a famous Supreme Court justice, I knew it when I heard it.

That was over ten years ago, and a lot has happened since then. Most important, I became a Christian, and my musical universe has expanded to include various Christian bands. I've continued to listen to the music of U2. That hasn't changed. I still feel that their music has a power to it that is rarely surpassed by other rock groups.

The lead singer of U2, known only as Bono to his legions of fans, is a spiritual seeker. In many ways, he's had the same questions about Jesus and the Christian faith that I struggled with before I came to follow Jesus. And although we also have some differences of opinion, the one thing that holds great power for both of us is the idea of God's grace, his unmerited favor.

"The most powerful idea that's entered the world in the last few thousand years—the idea of grace—is the reason I would like to be a Christian," Bono said recently. As a spiritual seeker, Bono says he often feels like a "fan" on the sidelines of faith, and that the idea of grace is "very powerful."

And why not? The idea that a person can't earn his or her way to heaven is a rare thing on the religious landscape. For virtually every other belief system, ancient or modern, works play some role. But not in Christianity. Christians believe that God comes to us, and not the other way around. Grace truly is a beautiful thing, especially if you hold a mirror up to your soul.

No wonder seekers like Bono are taking notice of God's offer of grace, even though we often make his grace hard to see. In fact, if you listen carefully to U2's music over the last two decades, you'll hear the words of Bono the seeker in dialogue with the God he wants to know in a personal way. As one U2 song says, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for." Somehow, though, I don't think God's finished with Bono just yet.

In the worlds of the old hymn, God's grace is truly "amazing," and it's something that even the rich and famous want to experience. They know the real thing when they see it. Do you?

— Matt Donnelly, for the ChristianityToday.com staff