THE WORD “GRACE”
The apostle Paul uses the
word “grace” time and time again in his letters in the New Testament.
“Grace” is a word that is
rich with meaning and application. Paul used it both in the greetings and in
the closings of his letters. He also used it in benedictions, as well as to
inspire generosity. He used it in explaining salvation and in explaining how
the Christian life works.
In John 1:14, the apostle
John used the term “grace” to describe Jesus as “full of grace and truth.” John
also used the word in the opening and closing of two of his letters. And so did
Peter.
“Grace” is an important word
in the Bible, and it’s important that we understand it.
God’s grace is often defined
as God’s unmerited pardon or unearned forgiveness. It may also be described as
the blessing of a new life, a redeemed life in which God gives us, through
Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, a new heart that delights in doing God’s will,
a heart that is freed from sin so that we can love others as God loves us.
Jesus came to us as a man,
having laid aside his prerogatives as the Son of God, yet still full of grace
and truth, fully devoted in the power of the Holy Spirit to do all of the will
of his Father. As one of us and in our place he was perfect and sinless. He put
others ahead of himself and suffered the consequences of doing so. He died for
us, and he was raised from dead for us. He ascended to the Father, and there at
the Father’s right hand, he stands in for us and
represents us as the perfect and sinless Human.
We humans are sinners,
spiritually poor and in need of a changed heart that is rooted and grounded in
God’s love. We feel deep inside the desperate need for someone to love us
unconditionally, to forgive us and to stand beside us before God and to
intercede on our behalf. And, our Lord, Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth,
does just that.
God’s grace empowers us to
bring the wealth of his love into the spiritual poverty of others. Grace
encourages us, lifts us and strengthens us to live like Jesus in the world. We
can keep going because we know that God’s love for us, his mercy toward us, and
his presence with us, keep on going. God will never forsake us; he will never
leave us, despite how many times we fall down. In that confidence—confidence in
God’s grace and love, not in our own successes—we can continue to get up and
keep going.
That’s called Christian
growth. Peter wrote of it in 2 Peter 3:18: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now
and forever! Amen”
Knowing that God loves us,
knowing that his grace toward us is certain, we are sustained through every
difficulty, every challenge, every desperate trial, and even every new
opportunity that we might face in our lives. The more we know God, the more we
trust him, and the more we trust him, the more we feel and experience the
freedom he has given us to love others as he loves us. Grace comes from love
and leads to love. And love is what makes life worth living.
I’m Joseph Tkach speaking of life.