The two-edged sword

God's word is active and sharp like a two-edged sword.

But if this two-edged sword is for cutting away my sins, then perhaps it's not so sharp after all.

My sins are in my being. I may behave good, but I can't do away with my nature.

I had quite an interesting "conversation" with a student at the seminary about the content of a teacher's reflection in the morning Eucharist service. I thought she had got it wrong, that she had misunderstood our teacher's words. Her idea that God had to cut out our badness before we could freely come to God/God come to us was very telling. It's a very typical idea taught by many local congregations. We're all sinners. We're bad through and through. Ok, grace is free; but we do not deserve it. We have to "respond" to God's grace by doing good, acting good, by not sinning anymore.

But if sin is in my being, then how can I stop being a sinner?

Didn't Jesus die for us even when we are still sinners?

So, what is grace?