|
The grace of God was manifest when He chose us before the foundation of the world. It is mentioned as early as
Genesis 6:8 where the Bible says, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Grace is God’s unmerited favor, and it
has touched the lives of more people than we could possibly imagine. By the sacrificial death of Jesus and the quickening
power of the Holy Spirit, God reaches out to undeserving sinners and saves us from the awful, eternal penalty of sin.
Grace is indeed amazing, and it is one of the most wonderful subjects of the Bible.
In this chapter, we will look specifically at the grace which emanated from our Lord Jesus Christ. Time and time
again, the New Testament speaks specifically of His grace. One such reference is found in 2 Corinthians 8:9. Paul said,
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye
through his poverty might be rich.” Christ was manifesting grace when He left heaven in order to die for the sins of His
people. What wonderful grace! The grace of Jesus Christ is so important that it is the final thought of the entire Bible.
John wrote these memorable words in Revelation 22:21, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
Not only is the grace of Jesus Christ among the final words of the Bible, it is also among the most famous.
Multiplied millions have rested their hope of salvation upon His grace. Paul expressed the sentiments of many of us when
he said, “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they” (Acts 15:11).
Is that your hope today? While it is true that we are the recipients of grace from God our Father and the Holy Spirit,
it is said to come through our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). As God sent the “Law” by Moses, grace was given to us in the person of Christ. When He came
into this world and died for our sins, Christ truly extended grace to fallen man.
However, grace is invisible and can only be seen as it works to accomplish the will of God. For that reason, grace
is brought into view when God touches and changes lives. Those who possess the wonderful gift of faith and live
devoted lives do so because of grace. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul declared that he “laboured” through God’s grace. So
then, grace becomes visible on the canvas of human lives. Paul said of Barnabas, “Who, when he came, and had seen
the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord” (Acts
11:23). God was working in the lives of many at Antioch, and Barnabas was witnessing the grace of Christ among them.
God’s grace can be manifested in many different ways. Since the various workings of grace are too numerous
for us to consider all of them, we will consider some of the more common ways that grace may be displayed.
Undoubtedly, the most important aspect of His grace is saving grace. It is the first and most obvious manifestation.
Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works,
lest any man should boast.” When someone mentions grace, don’t you automatically think of salvation? According to
Romans 3:21 all of us have sinned, thus we need grace. All except Jesus were born in depravity and sin. Throughout our
existence, sin continues to alienate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Furthermore, the Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is
death” (Romans 6:23a). If there were no remedy for sin, the entire posterity of Adam would have forever been consigned
to hell. Since Jesus is the only One Who has no sin (1 Peter 2:22), He is our only hope for salvation. We should feel
unspeakable joy at this announcement, “the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).
How hopeless we would be without grace. The only way possible for us to gain the bliss of heaven is through the grace
of Christ. Grace is “God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” The first letter of each word put together spells g-r-a-c-e. Grace
indeed! Christ died for us and paid in full the debt of all the elect. That, my friends, is salvation by grace!
Though salvation by grace is a wonderful experience, it is only a part of the grace of Christ. The grace of Christ
also enables us to suffer the many burdens of life. You may remember the experience of Paul, the Apostle of Christ. He
had a “thorn in the flesh.” While we may never know exactly the nature of the affliction, we do know that it was difficult
for Paul to endure. Therefore, he prayed repeatedly for the Lord to remove it from his life. Even though it was not God’s
will to do so, He promised sufficient grace to withstand it. The Lord said, “... My grace is sufficient for thee: for my
strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul responded by saying, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Have you ever needed such grace?
Probably all of us have experienced some problems so great we could not handle them alone. We all need grace as we
suffer the many difficult times of life. Thank God, we have felt the all sufficient grace of Christ during life’s most
difficult moments.
There is yet another work of grace that we are often blessed to experience. It may well be called “serving grace.”
Among those who endeavor to serve Jesus Christ, many feel inadequate to accomplish their goals. Try as we may, we
sometimes fall short of the desired objectives. We need more strength than we find in ourselves, so we need grace to help
us. Were it not for the grace of Christ, we could never succeed. But by grace, multitudes of saints have filled their
lives with deeds which glorify Jesus Christ. Paul declared that grace was the secret of his success. He was an Apostle of
Christ and, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote many of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. He
established churches and edified an incalculable number of the saints redeemed by Christ. How did Paul achieve such
great accomplishments? He said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me
was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1
Corinthians 15:10). Therefore, we must take no glory for our good works, for clearly they are the effect of the grace of
Christ. What incredible power we possess, through His grace.
Although the half has never yet been told and much more could be said of His grace, we must close our study. In
doing so, let us briefly consider a few additional “tidbits” of truth. Paul said, “Where sin abounds, grace much more
abounds” (Romans 5:21). In the superabundance of grace, all our needs are met for “Of his fulness have all we received,
and grace for grace” (John 1:16). James tells us that “He giveth more grace” (James 4:6) and because of the grace of
Christ, we are rich beyond our understanding. Paul said of Christ, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” What more could we possibly ask of the grace of Christ?
Conclusion
May we resound the words of John Newton: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch
like me! I once was lost, but now am found: was blind, but now I see.” As we rejoice in the grace of Christ, let us always
give praise and glory to the Lord we lovingly serve. We can never repay Christ for His grace, but we can devotedly live
every day for His glory.
|
