John Newton wrote a song hundreds of years ago. Maybe you've heard it. It's the most recorded song ever. Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound.
It saved a wretch like me.
It's true. Grace saved me.
Yes, God's grace saves us (Ephesians 2:8). But what is it? And why is it so amazing?
First, let's define grace. The best way I can think of to describe it, is it's a free gift from God to you (and me and those who choose to accept it). You don't have to earn it. But the condition is that you have to receive it. It's not a gift to you unless you accept it. God has it to offer us, but unless we choose to accept it we have not yet completed the acceptance of this gift.
Don't mistake grace for mercy. Mercy is just as great and just as important to understanding who our God is and being joyous for our salvation. Mercy means not receiving the punishment you rightly deserve. If you get pulled over for a speeding and the police officer chooses not to give you a ticket or throw you in jail, he just gave you mercy. You deserved the ticket because you broke the law. And the law requires that you must pay money (or go to jail if you were driving super fast) to satisfy the justice system. But the police officer decided that you don't receive that punishment and lets you go. God's mercy says we don't receive the death sentence and suffer His wrath because Jesus took care of it for us. Mercy. Just as amazing.
And now, don't misunderstand grace for justification. Justification means that if we're in Christ, God sees us just as if we never sinned. Oh justice was served (through Jesus' death on the cross). I just didn't have to serve the justice myself. Huh. Also amazing!
But how can a gift be for free? Or even undeserved? Well, we get gifts for our birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Easter and various other holidays and celebrations. Do you really deserve them? Really? It's interesting how sometimes gifts for certain occasions are viewed as a right rather than a favor or privilege. Yes, I said it. Those gifts you receive are not your right to get them (1 Opinions 1:2). No one owes it to you to give you a gift, especially when it's at their expense. People choose to give them to you because they want to bless you. And you accept them because you want to. Grace. Amazing.
And that's what God does too! It's interesting that He is the best and most abundant gift giver. And grace is just one of the sprinkles on the proverbial frosted cake.
Jesus saved Peter from drowning, well, from dying (Matthew 14:22-21). He didn't have to. Peter asked Jesus to save his life. And Jesus responded. He did it freely. Peter didn't earn it. Jesus didn't ask for anything in return other than Peter's decision to accept His help. Grace. A free gift from God. For Peter, this meant his life. Mercy meant that Peter didn't have to suffer any of the consequences of walking on water (drowning, death, potential illness). Jesus didn't delay. Grace was immediate. There was no need for a complete change of circumstances at the moment (but that came naturally anyways). No complicated formula or requirement. Amazing.
"What good thing must I do to get eternal life?" a rich young man once asked Jesus. The man knew he didn't have it and wanted to "work" to earn it. (Matt. 19:16)
Right after His discussion with the man, Jesus describes what the kingdom of heaven is like. A landowner pays workers in His vineyard the same wage even though they worked different amounts of time. Some have worked longer and harder than others, but received the same wage. And they were outraged. (Matt. 20:1-15) Huh. Maybe I would be too because that's not fair.
But God's generosity is fair. And God kept his promise to the workers. He paid them what they agreed on before they started working. They already knew what to expect, but they wanted more. While some may be faithful Christians from an early age, they still get the same grace and mercy that God gives to the ones who weren't faithful Christians very long before they died. God's gifts are the same for all of us. And that's still generous.
Do we really want what we deserve (aka justice)? I know, I know, it's not that we want justice for our sins. But maybe you want more from God than what others get. We all get the same things. God is God and He is fair and generous because He wants to, not because we deserve it.
If grace is the free gift, what are the gifts?
- Justification. (Romans 6:22)
- Mercy. (Rm. 6:22)
- Eternal Life. (Romans 3:23)
- Forgiven Sins. (Acts 2:38)
- The Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
- God's wrath is appeased (John 3:36)
- Reconciliation-- I am God's friend. (Romans 5:10-11)
- While we were yet enemies with God, Jesus saved us. (Romans 5:9-11)
- I can come to God with confidence. (Hebrews 4:16)
Oh, and these gifts did come at a price--Jesus' life. But is it really a price to give up something for someone you love? I don't know. Maybe. But since Jesus was raised to life and is alive still, His death was worth it. We've won because He's won (defeated death--2 Tim 1:10).
While working with the AIM program we often heard that the AIM staff give up a lot, that we sacrificed our time to work with AIM and the students. Put things on hold like careers. I never viewed my role as a sacrifice because I loved what I did for God and His kingdom. Giving up my time and energy wasn't a sacrifice to me because I didn't care that I "lost" them. Oh, don't get me wrong, being a normal selfish human being, there were times I didn't want to do things. I'm still learning to be generous with a gracious attitude. But when I did, the reward was far greater to me than not having done it at all. And I will never truly know how God has used me to impact others for His kingdom. And that's fine with me. I don't care for the credit. Just for people to be saved and be faithful followers of Jesus. And I feel the same about being involved with West Coast Missions. But I digress.
These gifts are not based on our "good" works in any way. We don't have to earn our place with God (Ephesians 2:8). And we don't get to (meaning we can't make God let us earn our place in relationship with Him). We do have to believe. Not just believe that there is one God. Even the demons believed that and shudder (James 2:19). The demons even believed that Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 1:34). We have to believe that this grace is for us--for you. It's a free gift for you to enjoy! It's meant to bring us joy and share with others.
But it's a weird gift to receive. Ok, I think so. It just doesn't make sense to me. Some people give gifts so that others will give gifts in return. Other may give gifts to manipulate others (also called guilting someone). Oh, there are many who give gifts with no expectations of gifts in return, no strings attached. And those are good. And that's what God does. Oh, and there's a reason He does that--because He wants to. Uh-mazing!
It saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see. (John Newton) And now because of God's grace, I am set free from the slavery of sin. (Romans 6:18,22)
I don't know about you, but I've enjoyed most of my gifts I've ever received. They were thoughtful and sometimes what I needed. And since I'm practical, I like gifts that I can use to make a difference. Grace can do that. Since I can't earn my way to heaven and into God's presence, I accept that Jesus lived perfectly (sinless-Hebrews 4:15), died, was buried and brought back to life so that I can have that relationship with my Father. Amazing. And since I've messed up, I've sinned and I can't forgive my own sins and appease God. Jesus' death on the cross did that. And practically speaking, that's amazing. Grace.
What do I do with it? It means that I can be joyful in my salvation and relationship with God. I am set free! And I can enjoy the peace that comes with that. If you've ever been held a prisoner or in slavery then you get this more than the rest of us. But spiritually speaking, my sins are forgiven so I am no longer separated from God! And I don't have to suffer His wrath! God gives me grace just because He loves me. The condition is to accept it. It's not a gift to you until you accept it. And that's worth being excited about!
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