Why is grace amazing?

Recently when I heard the common definition of grace: undeserved favor, getting what you don’t deserve, that word DESERVE jumped out at me.

What do we deserve? We may think we deserve a lot of things, respect, money, comfort, happiness. We think we deserve God’s favor, forgiveness, acceptance and all those things from other people.

The Bible teaches that in God’s justice system we all deserve death because the ‘wages of sin is death’ and ‘all have sinned’. But because of God’s GRACE, we can be saved. As J. Vernon McGee said, we CAN be saved thanks to grace, we are not saved BY the grace. We are saved by faith, that is , by believing in Jesus and his atoning death and resurrection and that he is the son of God.

Claim your gift !

So when we were given grace, what did we get that we don’t deserve? We were offered the free gift of life, redemption, and freedom. But we must claim that gift. Unlike most ‘FREE’ offers, this one is truly free in that you cannot buy it. You must receive it by faith. You can’t earn it or steal it or create your own version of this gift.

The only ‘catch’ is that you must realize that you NEED this gift! Many people today do not think they need salvation because they cannot see the chains on their ankles and the bars of their cage. They are blind to their own lost condition. Some have never heard the good news, while others have rejected the gift. The knowledge of God has been replaced by the modern idols of self, materialism prosperity, science, and knowledge.

God is the judge of right and wrong.

God’s opinion is what matters. We know what God expects by reading the Bible. He tells us that we need to believe in Jesus and follow him. He tells us that if we love him we will obey him. He says to stop sinning. That means that ‘sin’ is something God defines. It is not defined by humans. The Bible explains God’s expectations for us.

God is perfect and holy. He did not have to forgive anyone. He could have destroyed the world and all of us and said, never mind. Instead, he had mercy on us and sent his son to redeem us from our slavery to sin and death! He does not want us to perish! You need Jesus to rescue you because only he is able to do that.

God saved us by his goodness

Only God can give the kind of grace that is described in the Bible as the ‘grace of God’ because that grace refers to ‘God’s goodness’ that is part of his character. Christians can show kindness, extend forgiveness, and be loving, patient, and compassionate towards others by the power of God’s love that is in us, but we do not have the ability to give others grace/goodness/salvation.

John 3:16 says that ‘whosoever believeth in him (God’s son) will not perish but have eternal life. Ephesians 2:4-5 says 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (NIV). We are saved BECAUSE of God’s grace.

You must be born again. We all need salvation. Jesus is the way , the truth and the life. No one goes to God by any other way. I pray that you will ask Jesus to save you today!