Grace is a Gift
We’ve all heard of grace--what does grace mean to you?
Forgiveness? We appreciate when our family, friends, or spouse grant us grace by forgiving us when we mess up.
A second chance? We all mess up, don’t we? Although I cannot speak for you–I KNOW I mess up (more than I want to admit). But, I’m grateful that those mistakes are not constantly held over me. My loved ones and especially my LORD grant me the opportunity for a second chance.
Forgiveness and not holding grudges are just two components of the miracle of grace. It’s a concept that is especially loving when viewed in the context of God’s gift of grace to us.
Even the dictionary definition of grace makes the connection between God and grace.
Grace: a) unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification; b) a virtue coming from God; c) a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance (Merriam-Webster).
Sanctification is is becoming pure and holy. It happens when we accept Jesus as our Lord and walk with Him in our lives. I like the description above, but wanted to look further…
Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. Isaiah 33:2
Grace is the gracious or merciful behavior of a more powerful person toward another. Grace is displayed by the Lord toward humans (Lexham Bible Dictionary).
Well . . . that’s an understatement isn’t it? If the Lord didn’t grant me grace, love, and second chances, I’d surely be destined for an eternity separated from Him. But there’s more and better to come…
Grace is granted to human beings because of their need, even though they are ungrateful and undeserving. Grace is given first–even before faith (The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church).
Ouch! I know I’m undeserving, but it stills hurts to see and hear it so plainly spoken. Of course, I know it’s true.
But, the Good News is–that’s what makes grace such a wonderful gift–God gives it to us–even when we don’t deserve it and before we know we need it!
He has saved us and called us to a holy life–not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. 2 Timothy 1:9
This is Part 5 in my series on Paul, but I haven’t even mentioned him yet. What is Paul’s view?
Paul’s belief in grace is directly related to his conviction that the greatest gift of grace is that of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Paul believed he received the revelation of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. Because he “saw” Jesus after Christ’s death by crucifixion, Paul was firmly convinced of the resurrected Lord. Paul points out that others also saw the resurrected Jesus. The resurrection is the doctrine on which the church stands or falls. Paul argued that it is the “death of Jesus alone that makes a person right with God” (Ehrman, p. 117). Thus, St. Paul’s belief that the gift of grace (from Christ’s sacrifice and death for our sins) cannot be earned; grace is a gift (Yoder).
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgression–it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:4-8
We’ve not earned the gift of grace.
The gift of grace is given even though we are undeserving.
Grace is offered–it is our choice whether to accept the gift.
If you wish, I’d love for you to share what grace means to you and how this gift from our Lord has impacted your life.
This concludes my blog series on Paul. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I’ve listed the previous titles in this series and links below if you’d like to view any you may have missed.
Part One–Paul the Apostle: Man on a Mission
Part Three–Paul the Apostle: Author, Teacher, and Missionary
Part Four–Got Christian Love? Ask Paul
Sources
Ehrman, Bart D. (2006). Peter, Paul, and Mary Madalene: the Followers of Jesus in History and Legend, New York: Oxford University Press.
Lexham Bible Dictionary, logos.com
Merriam-Webster.com
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, logos.com
Yoder, J.L. (2009). Class lecture notes for Religion 383: The Life and Teachings of Paul.
I try to describe mercy and grace together, because there is a very real difference. Mercy lessens a punishment we deserve, earned by our actions or decisions. Grace is us a gift we can never earn. I usually give an example of going to court for a speeding ticket. The judge shows mercy by waiving our fine. We were guilty, we did it, but the judge decided not to punish us for our crime. Grace is that same judge giving us the keys to a new car with cruise control because we admitted our guilt and asked his forgiveness for our crime.
I really like your examples, J.D. I think we tend to lump grace and mercy together (and often we are given both when we don’t deserve either). but, you’ve pointed out the huge difference in that nothing we do can ever deserve the awesome gift of GRACE that our Lord has granted us. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us, my friend.
Katherine, I think of grace as a blessing God pours into my life that initiates with His mercy, not my performance. He tells us to live holy lives and He continually sanctifies us, but grace is the free gift of our loving heavenly Father. It reminds us of who He is and who we are. Your post reminded me of what a blessing God’s grace is.
You expressed it so beautifully, Jeannie! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on grace. Aren’t we so blessed?
Katherine, this is a wonderful explanation of grace and the scriptures you’ve chosen speak volumes. I especially love the one from 1 Timothy.
Paul truly understood grace and is a good one to look to to see how it works.
I enjoyed your post. Thanks.
Thank you, Connie! Like you, I believe Paul is a wonderful role model for us. We are blessed that he accepted the call to be a missionary for Jesus and left us such wonderful words of wisdom through his writings. It’s all part of God’s marvelous plan. Wishing you an awesome week!
I was always taught and personally believe the old acronym GRACE as a way to remember what grace is: G – God’s R – riches A – at C – Christ’s E – expense.
I’ve not seen this acronym before, Jimmie, but it is certainly apt. Thank you for sharing!
So thankful for God’s grace. I am in constant need of it! Thankful that He knows that and He provides exactly what I need when I am in need of it!
I struggle with extending that same grace to others when I they have hurt me, or when I feel they should have handled things differently.
Again, I am thankful that God gives me the grace I need, (and definitely do not deserve) on a daily basis. With His grace and His mercy poured out on me, I work toward extending grace to others as He would have me to do.
Thank you for this reminder of GOD’s AMAZING GRACE!
I understand exactly what you mean about the struggle. I, too, am richly bless yet, at times, I struggle with granting grace to those who have hurt me or those who don’t fulfill a commitment. Thankfully, God gives me that nudge to remind me that I don’t deserve His grace, yet He still gives it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Piper. Wishing you a wonderful day and a blessed Easter.