Amazing Grace
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8
We have all heard the song “Amazing Grace.” And I am sure we have all heard the definition of “grace” which is “the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him.” What is so amazing about grace? Non Christians don’t understand what is this amazing grace God bestows on us and Christians do not really grasp the grace that God bestows on us. We know that we have it, we appreciate and love God for granting us grace.
Grace is Unmerited
We don’t deserve it. We don’t earn it. It simply is given to us. I heard a very simple definition once. Grace is something I don’t deserve but is something that I need but even though I don’t deserve it, God gives it to me anyway. Man is in desperate need of salvation. Man doesn’t deserve it. Man has not earned it. In fact, mankind deserves His wrath and judgment. Mankind does not seek after God. Mankind is evil and wicked. Is the body of Christ really getting what grace is? I mean really, really get it? We Christians repeat it all the time and it is based on Ephesians 2:8.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8 (ESV)
In my meager attempt to give some temporal perspective as to the grace that God provided us, I tried to think of something that would do it justice. Nothing will but this thought came to mind. What if a family had a loved one that was murdered. The murderer is sentenced to 30 years in prison. After 30 years, he is old and has no place but the streets to live. He deserves nothing from the family that he hurt. They take him in, clothe him, feed him and care for him and show him the love of God. They are justified in leaving him on the streets. They owe him nothing but contempt. I would venture to say that humans would likely not be able to do such a thing. It is unimaginable. Yet God’s grace towards us is vastly more than that made-up example.
What Does Grace Do?
Grace saves us from sin’s penalty.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, Titus 2:11 (ESV)
It is not our goodness, any sincerity in our religion or our religious practices or anything that we may do. It is the grace of God that brings salvation.
Since grace is unmerited, it is not based on anything we can do. In fact, there is nothing we can do. It is also unconditional. He grants us grace based on God’s mercy.
God’s grace has bestowed on people that are against Him, reject Him, and are incredibly sinful salvation from His wrath. Instead of giving us what we deserve, He has chosen to bestow upon us His unbelievable mercy and grant us salvation. He did that through Jesus, who is God in the flesh, who paid OUR penalty on OUR behalf that was not His nor was He under any obligation to do so.
When we quote “by grace through faith” let’s really understand what His grace is. It is not some scripture that we memorize and quote. The very blood of Jesus was spilled because of God’s grace towards us. When Jesus was on the cross and just before He gave up His spirit, He was alone when our sins were placed on Him. He cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” That is the cost of God’s grace.
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