We could have come across the term grace so
many times in our lives, but have we really thought what it actually is? Many a
times we simply accept things given to us as it is and move ahead, without
giving a second thought to what just was given to us. Yes, this is a very
human-like behavior. Both you and I have done this at some point in our lives.
Let us today focus on one of the many gifts, yes gifts that God has given to
us. This gift is called Grace. The reason I use it with a capital G is because
it is not any ordinary gift, but a gift from God himself.
Think of it this way, if some ordinary
person gives you a gift we treat it just as a gift, but if the same thing were
given to us by some person of a higher stature, say the Prime Minister or King
for that matter, wouldn't we look at it in a different light? The gift remains
the same, but it is the giver of the gift that really adds value to the gift.
When God has given us this gift, shouldn't
we revere God's Gift as it should be?
Our dictionaries define grace as "unmerited
divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification" (Merriam-Webster ).
But from a Christian perspective, we can say that it is the love and mercy
given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything
we have done to earn it.
When God gives us something we ought to be
sure that it is enough for us, for that is his promise in
2 Corintians 12:9 (But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me)
The bible is full of examples of how God's
Grace changes our lives, here are a few.
God's Grace as an Eternal Gift
Romans
3:20-24 Therefore no one will be declared righteous
in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become
conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has
been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness
is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no
difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans
4:15-17 because the law brings wrath. And where
there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith,
so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not
only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of
Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations"
He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives
life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
Romans
5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified
through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And
we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Ephesians
2:4-9 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
transgressions—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— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Power of God's Grace
John
1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came
from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Acts
4:33 With great power the apostles continued to
testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully
at work in them all.
Acts
6:8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and
power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.
Acts
14:1-3 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual
into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number
of Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the
other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and
Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who
confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and
wonders.
Upon finding God's Grace
Esther
2:16-17 And when Esther was taken to King
Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of
Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, the king loved Esther more than all
the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins,
so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of
Vashti.
Jeremiah
31:2-3 Thus says the LORD:”The people who survived
the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the LORD
appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Acts
15:39-40 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so
that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed
away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the
brothers to the grace of the Lord.
2
Corinthians 12:8-9 Three times I pleaded with the
Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will
boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may
rest upon me.
Upon receiving God's Grace
John 1:15-17 (John
testified concerning him. He cried out, saying,
“This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has
surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received
grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Acts
20:32 And now I commend you to God and to the word
of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance
among all those who are sanctified.
Romans
1:1-5 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be
an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand
through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was
descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of
God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the
dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and
apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name
among all the nations,
1
Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little
while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
May God's Grace be with you forever.
Author - Prashant Charudatta Salvi
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