I was listening to a profound message by a prominent teacher on the topic of GRACE. While listening, something about the message seemed a little top heavy in his dissertation and at the time I couldn’t put my finger on it. This is not to say that there was anything wrong with the teaching but instead it suggests that possibly more needed to be said on the subject. The following is what I believe to be at the heart about this message of grace for me.
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Grace is a gift from God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). With the believer’s command to love God, a life of GRACE is what we receive from our love relationship with Jesus Christ. The beautiful thing about the love of Jesus is that he would still be madly in love with us whether we responded to him or not. His love for many who do not know him is like the endearing passions of a “Secret Lover.” Truth is, God’s love was always present, we merely became aware of it when we (by faith) received his son Jesus and when we did…we experienced GRACE!
Grace should not be confused with mercy. Mercy is renewed every day (Lam. 3:22-23) because of man’s predisposition to sin. Mercy is extended to us through the love of God and it withholds the condemnation and judgment that is a penalty of sin. Mankind is prone to sin and struggles daily with the temptations upon his unruly nature that opposes the will of God. Grace is a gift from God as a result of His love for us and it allows us to experience the goodness and blessings that come from a love relationship with God. Grace has many layers from the many expressions of God’s love. Mankind receives this wondrous grace whether he/she walks in righteousness or not. Consider the breath of life, the beauty of the earth, the order of the heavens and the magnificence of the human body, all effortlessly maintaining order day after day and working in harmony for our good so consistently that too often we take it for granted. Now, that’s GRACE!
Mercy is God’s everlasting promise to pardon our sin, established upon the cross while grace is a gift from a love relationship with God. Grace, as an intimate relationship with God, one we can have with him on the earth and it comes as an open invitation from God to every human being. This invitation is extended to us until Jesus’ second return. The intimate blessings of grace are conditional upon a relationship of love. Without love, there is no relationship. Without relationship, there is no grace. Grace, in essence, is “Living in the Presence of God.” You see, FAITH redeemed us. MERCY pardoned us and GRACE blessed us and keep on blessing through the attributes of God’s love. Eph.2:8, 1 John 4:16, James 4:6
So in the words of Paul in Romans 6:1, now that we know we have mercy from God, regardless of what we do from day to day, does that mean we have the liberty to keep on sinning because we are secured in having God’s love and grace? Again the answer is No! You see, sin abuses God’s love which becomes an obstruction to the flow of his GRACE! Sin is something WE so, and as a result, it creates a blindness and distorted view of the grace that God genuinely has to offer us. This is why Jesus said “If you love me you will keep my commands,” John 14:15. In the language of grace this passage is merely saying “If you love me, you will want to please me.” THAT’S LOVE. Isn’t this the expectation we have in your human relationships of love? How unreasonable then is it to expect that God wants the same from us.
In the Old Testament, we have a shadow of God’s grace until Jesus first coming. In the New Testament, we have the reality of God’s grace until Jesus second coming. After Jesus second return, grace will be ETERNAL. In each of these dispensations, the believer is called to take full advantage of God’s measure of grace while it lasts. What might surprise you is that with each of these dispensations, the believer’s respective reality of God’s grace has an end date. The end date of God’s grace on earth for the believer is demonstrated by either their natural appointed time of death or at the appointed time of Jesus coming. With each dispensation, the believer is responsible for taking full advantage of the grace (love) that is given them.
The true substance of the believer’s walk of faith is one where he/she is endeavoring to experience more grace in their love relationship with God. This could be defined as “Quality of Life” or life in the “Fullness of God.” As with any love relationship, it is grace that causes that relationship to grow deeper and sweeter with time. As with any love relationship, grace is demonstrated (1Corn.13:1-13) through love and if love is real, grace will abound.
The long-standing theological definition for grace has been, “God’s unmerited favor.” Well, I think we can confidently say that this “unmerited favor” is actually what is exchanged in any healthy love relationship. However, most people don’t give a thought about what makes love flow. I tell you it’s GRACE! This flow of love is, in essence, the Spirit of Peace.” Now, let’s analyze this for a moment. 1John 4:8 says “God is love.” Isaiah 9:6 says Jesus is the “Prince of Peace.” Matthew 5:9 says “Peacemakers are called sons of God.” So you see, God’s love is peace and this peace is what we experience in God’s presence and it impacts our lives on in fathomable ways. We have a privilege to this peace because we are the sons and daughters of God.
So, let us strive to grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus Christ (doing what pleases him most in the workings of our heart, mind, and spirit) so we may experience the wonders of his love. The wondrous blessings of God’s grace cannot be compared to any human relationship but our relationships give us a clue to the grace that God desires to flow in his relationship with mankind. This is why Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” Hebrews 13:5. God’s grace is with us in every test and trial of life. It is with us in every season that this world (which is so riddled with wickedness) may bring. Grace passionately loves, it comforts, it forgives, it sacrifices, it gives, it encourages, it supports, it understands, it tells the truth, it rebukes, it accepts, it heals, it delivers, it hopes, it believes, it brings light into darkness, it brings joy to sorrow, and peace to all unrest. Grace is warm and full of compassion and in every circumstance of life, it is the source for all you need.
Karen Gaithers-Life Discipleship 