Scripture: John 1:14-17, Romans 3:21-25, Ephesians1:4-6, Ephesians 1:7-10
In volume 1 of A. W. Tozer’s “Attributes …”, (pg.98), he writes “an attribute is something God is, not what God has … grace flows out of the goodness of God.” The attributes that we have been considering, as well as the few still remaining, are not earned or developed by God, but are part of the very character that defines our LORD. And even better than that, God will grant them as gifts to those who put trust in Him! And these gifts are just that – gifts; gifts that are unearned, undeserved, indescribable, and unanticipated.
Today’s attribute – grace, or graciousness – is that aspect of God’s goodness that brings divine goodness, in its many forms, to our lives. Forgiveness comes by grace; healing comes by grace; a relationship in Christ comes by grace; the love of God comes by grace; and worthiness to stand before the judgment seat without fear comes by grace.
Grace is referred to a number of times in scripture, but it is mentioned nearly 10 times more frequently in the New Testament than it is in the Old Testament. It would seem that grace has been with us forever, but it only became obvious through the life of Jesus! So let’s look and see what scripture tells us about God’s great gift of Grace.
Read John 1:14-17
The first thing we read in this passage is that the incarnation of Jesus Christ was made possible through nothing less than GRACE! And not only did the LORD come to earth in the form of a man, but He came in that form to walk and talk and teach us once again, just as He did in the garden with Adam & Eve. (Genesis 3:8-9). He came, not to chastise us for our sinful ways, but to show us a better way to live through Him. And the best part is that the Christ came, not to stand apart and aloof from us, judging us, examining us, considering who we had become, but rather to “dwell among us” – to live with us, not separate from us; to walk with us, not around us; to establish a personal relationship with us, not simply as God above and beyond us. (Ezekiel 37:26-28)
By God’s grace, He has become present with us, right in the middle of our reality. It is no longer “what has been” or even “what will be” - it has become “what is”. By the grace that has been shown to us in Jesus Christ, God has become present and personal for each and every person on the face of the earth. And the only contingency occurs in whether we accept His presence or not.
It was the law that God gave to Moses, and then which he gave to Israel, that was the first step in our experiencing grace. Instead of expecting us to figure God’s way out on our own, the commands that God had for our lives were handed down on Mount Sinai. But when we started meddling with them, that was the beginning of the failure that law brought to our lives.
So a new aspect of grace came to revitalize and renew the grace already given. It wasn’t that God failed, it wasn’t that Moses delivered the wrong message – it was our failure to let God’s way become our way, instead of putting our own edits and stamp of approval on His word.
So grace came to us again, in a new form – a human form, and not simply in written word that we might meddle with again, but in a holy Word – God Himself in Christ Jesus. God’s grace will never cease to bless us, to teach us, and to make us whole through Him, if we allow it in.
Read Romans 3:21-25
Paul reiterates what John said in the beginning of his writing, that the righteous life is no longer based in the law, but through faith in Jesus. This doesn’t mean, though, that the law has gone away. Jesus told us that the law – God’s law – will never fade away, but more than that, He has come to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. (Matthew 5:17-18) What Jesus and the apostle are telling us is that God’s law is still appropriate for our lives, but that it has nothing to do with proving either our righteousness or our salvation, for that can only come through the faith that we claim in the name of Jesus, and the grace that is shown to us by the love that Almighty God has for His creation.
And Paul is quick to point out that no one is worthy of God’s gracious salvation, for no one can ever obtain it on their own. Once a sinner, always unworthy! But God has offered us a hope that the law never could. The law requires perfect obedience, which is impossible for the likes of you and me. But in Jesus, the grace of God, we have been redeemed from our sin through the atoning sacrifice of God Himself at Calvary.
Can you even imagine this! Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, the only perfect Man who will ever live, taking upon Himself all the sin that will ever be committed, and freely submitting to the penalty that we so richly deserve, solely to allow us, by faith, to live eternally! And why would Jesus have to do this? Because it was the sin of humanity that is our downfall, and therefore it had to be a man who would pay the price. But since mankind could never pay for all of their sin, it would be up to God to be the Redeemer for us all. Human sin, human penalty, and Godly forgiveness – resolved completely by One Person - a Man to pay the price, and God to be the Redeemer! It was the only way!
Read Ephesians 1:4-6
The plan of redemption through Jesus Christ has been in place since before the beginning. God knew that His Law would never be enough, but He also knew that His grace had to work its way into our lives – beginning with imperfect and incomplete human effort, then through Perfection itself. But the Plan for our redemption, and the offer of adoption into the family of God, would never be sidetracked. Its conclusion was pre-ordained and the LORD knew that it was the only hope that we could ever have. And grace continued its work - for our benefit, and to the glory of the One who came to be our salvation.
The LORD deserves our undying gratitude, for He has paid the debt that we owe for the sin we have committed. How great a love must God have for the sinner! The unworthy have been made worthy; the sinner has been proclaimed righteous; the mortal has been offered immortality; and the one who deserves death has gained the right to eternal life. And all that it will cost us is the surrender of this finite and futile life through faith in Jesus Christ.
But does that mean that grace costs practically nothing?
Read Ephesians 1:7-10
It’s true that grace cost us nothing, but consider what it cost our LORD! He had to leave the glory of His heavenly home and trade it for the animosity of earth. He had to suffer the hatred and intrigue of the Jewish religious leadership, He had to endure the disbelief of the masses, and the distrust of the Roman authorities. He was demeaned, falsely accused, convicted, and sentenced to death, beaten within an inch of His life, and executed as a common criminal by the most horrid and painful means known to man, and in the moment that He took on every sin that the world had known, His own Father had to turn His face away from His precious Son. The pain and humiliation was excruciating, and God took it all on Himself willingly.
Jesus took the worst that this world had to offer, and in return, He offers His exquisite, priceless, loving, and infinitely costly grace. Faith in Jesus is the only truly uniting factor that we will ever know, while at the same time, it results in the greatest divisiveness that we will ever know.
God’s plan of redemption and salvation for humanity has never changed, never delayed, never been disrupted, and will never end until all is in place for the Day of Christ’s return and judgment. And our only hope is to give our life over to the teaching and way of Jesus Christ, to confess Him as LORD of our life, now and always, to depend on the atoning power of the blood He shed at Calvary, and to trust Him and Him alone.
And it is all made possible through the grace of God in Christ Jesus. How have each of us experienced God’s grace at work this week?
Isn’t it marvelous?
