God's
Grace And Man's Response
At
the heart of Christianity is the grace of God. Paul wrote to Christians at
Grace Demonstrates How God feels
about us. God is love. "He who does not love does not know God,
for God is love." (I John 4:8.) Because God's nature is love He looks
upon us, His creation, with goodwill and unmerited favor. Unmerited favor is
"grace."
When we were sinners, unworthy and undeserving,
God sent Jesus to die for us. "For when we were still without strength, in
due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one
die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8.) God is good, providing what we need
not what we deserve. We deserve hell but
need salvation. Salvation is provided by God's grace.
Our sins separated us from God.
"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His
ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from
your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not
hear." (Isaiah 59:1-2.) "Christ receiveth sinful men." And that
is exactly what grace is. Our sins made us unworthy and we are still unworthy
except for the grace of God.
Grace explains God's actions for us.
God's plan for our salvation was accomplished by His grace. Jesus is the source
of God's grace and truth. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace
and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:17.) God's grace is
available to all for salvation. "For the grace of God that brings salvation
has appeared to all men, teaching us
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly in the present age." (Titus 2:11-12.)
On the cross the one who knew no sin died
for sinners. There is no greater demonstration of grace than the cross.
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him." (II Corinthians 5:21.) Jesus died so we
might live. He suffered for sins that we might not have to suffer the ultimate
penalty for our sins. That is God's "amazing grace."
Each time we see or pick up the Bible we
should be reminded of God's grace because the Bible is called the "word of
God's grace." Paul and his companions preached "the word of His
grace." "Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in
the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and
wonders to be done by their hands." (Acts 14:3.) Paul commended Christians
to the word of God's grace. "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to
the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance
among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:32.) In our singing, grace
in our heart is connected with the word of God. "Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord." (Colossians 3:16.) Without the Bible we would not know the wonderful
story of salvation, which is the story of God's grace.
The Christian life is also a demonstration
of God's grace. It is God's grace which produces a righteous life. "So
that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness
to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:21.) It is God's
grace which blesses you and helps you in your struggle against sin. Acceptable
service to God is an outgrowth of grace. "Therefore, since we are
receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may
serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." (Hebrews 12:28.) With
Paul let us say, "But by the grace of God I am what I am..." (I
Corinthians 15:10.)
Grace demands man's response.
What a person is or is not is determined by his response to God's grace. Each
individual is responsible to love, honor, obey and serve God. Man's response
to God should be humble obedience. "Though He was a Son, yet He learned
obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He
became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." (Hebrews
5:8-9.)
Because God has done so much for us He can
reasonably expect our love in return. How man's failure to obey must grieve
the heart of the Creator. "But to
Our response to God's grace is not a
single act or decision, but a lifetime response. Paul said, "I have been
crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and
the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20.) Two elements are at
work in our salvation: (1) God's grace is extended, and (2) man responds in
loving obedience.
God wants what is best for us in this life
and in eternity. By accepting the gospel of Christ and living soberly,
righteously and godly man can enjoy everlasting fellowship with God by His
grace.
God made us with the power of choice. We
are not robots. By God's grace man has the power to choose the course of his
life. What choice are you making? Are you choosing God or Satan? "Behold,
I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the
commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if
you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the
way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not
known." (Deuteronomy 11:26-28.)
To become a Christian, God requires
you to hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Jesus (Mark 16:16), repent
of sins (Acts 2:38), confess Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9-10), and to be
baptized to wash away sins (Acts 22:16). Having obeyed the gospel you are saved
by the grace of God! After conversion, "keep yourselves in the love of
God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."
(Jude 21.)
By Charles Box,