God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10
Grace is one of those words we like to use, but I sometimes think we really do not understand the impact of God’s grace. Salvation comes to humanity from God through Jesus in a totally free package. According to Paul, we are saved by grace when we believe the good news of the gospel. Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected for us. God does it all. We cannot boast about anything we do to “earn” our salvation because we did not earn our salvation. You cannot be good enough to be saved. In fact, we all are sinners and deserve death (Romans 6:23). Jesus saves us from ourselves. So God’s grace is the gift that gives forever.
Perhaps we can think about the gifts that God gives us. They start with the blessing of life. Not the blessings of life, but the blessing of life. Life is an extremely precious commodity that we often take for granted here on planet Earth teeming with all kinds of life. We can become numb to the life around us and even our own life. Suicide is a major issue in our society. People take their own lives because they see no value in it. Abortion is another life issue that tears the fabric of our society apart. The lack of value we place on unborn life reflects our overall perception of life. God grants us life in the most prosperous nation in the history of the world. We enjoy freedoms unheard of in past civilizations. We are able to discuss and preach the gospel without hindrances here and in most parts of the world. God’s grace is abundant in our lives.
All of creation is a reflection of God’s grace. Our world and everything in it present the gift of creation to all humanity. Imagine a world that is not finely tuned by God. One that experiences years of darkness or cold or heat or any one of another of calamities that we do not know because of God’s grace. Consider the Creator’s foresight to leave ores and energy sources and clean water for us to find and use that supports billions of people. My personal favorite creation of God are the animals he produces. From dogs to horses to birds to butterflies, God’s imagination and grace are ever present in His living creatures. In fact, I love the amazing assortment of trees and flowers He makes for us. God’s grace is an all-encompassing facet of our world.
The Exodus story is a foreshadowing of God’s grace in our lives. Remember God’s people were slaves to the Egyptians for hundreds of years. They knew of no other life than that of slavery. God sent Moses to rescue them from their plight. They moved through the water of the Red Sea, learned about God and His vision for their future at Mount Sinai, and eventually journeyed through the desert to enter the Promised Land. What did they do to earn their freedom? They were simply the remnants of the tribes from the lineage of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and his brothers. God brought them out of bondage to the Promised Land because of His grace based on a promise He made to Abraham. The story of these slaves’ journey to the Promised Land is our story today. God rescues us from the bondage of sin and death through the leadership of His son Jesus. Jesus guides us out of our chains of sin and addiction and idolatry through the waters of baptism into His Kingdom. We do not deserve salvation. God presents it to us via grace. We follow His son here on Earth to the promised land of His Kingdom here and in heaven eternally.
So, grace was always a part of God’s plan for humanity. Here on Earth, like the desert, we learn many lessons about God. We put our faith in Him and trust Him to lead us where we need to go. The great king David penned Psalm 23 about God leading His people beside both still waters and through the valley of the shadow of death. Life is filled with challenges that are so much less complicated with God leading us as opposed to us trying to make all the decisions about where to go and what to do. Love is the greatest lesson that humanity learns on earth. We see and experience love in our lives and endeavor to become children of God who live lives filled with love for both other people and God.
Grace is a word we should be familiar with in our lives. We should revel in the grace God has for us everyday in every way. But let’s remember Paul tells us that God saves us for a reason. Not for what we have done, but for what He has planned for us to do (vs 10). As God’s people, He opens doors for us to lead others to Him. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:20 says “we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” So God’s grace is transmitted through His people. We are spreading the gospel to everyone in the world. Our God’s grace can forgive all of humanity if we are willing to “come back to God” through Jesus, the ultimate face of grace in the world today.
Comments