Grace. What is grace? It is oftentimes used as a name for a
girl, a church name, or maybe even a rehab center. But what does grace actually
mean? As we continue in this series, “Life After Service,” let’s take a deeper
look at what grace is and why we sometimes do not accept it.
Many Christians who “grew up” in church will automatically
say that grace is unmerited favor. This simply means that God does not judge on
a “merit” system. Elementary school teachers show us the merit system best. If
a student is behaving well and completing their work, they will receive a star
on the board next to their name. The student that is not behaving well will not
receive a star. See, our God is not like this. We cannot, nor do we ever earn
grace. It is freely given to us. The matter of being “good” or “bad” is
useless. Furthermore, we receive favor from God without doing anything at all. So,
now that we have looked at the theological definition of grace, let’s “dumb it
down” a bit.
In the beginning when Adam and Eve were created, God could
freely dwell with them. However, after the fall of man, we as humans could no
longer see the Father. As tragic as this could seem, God had a backup plan.
This plan would cover all of our sins and give us access to the Father once
again. We know this plan to be Jesus Christ the Messiah, our Lord and Savior.
Jesus stands in the place of our sin. He is THE sin substitute. So when God
looks at us, He doesn’t see our sin, He only sees the blood of Jesus. This was
the greatest demonstration of grace, EVER.
“Christian, when God looks at you He sees Jesus. End of
story. God delights and celebrates the image of His son in you, even when you
fail.” –Jefferson Bethke
If Jesus is our propitiation and grace is freely given, why
do we continue to walk in guilt? Why do we act as though we can earn grace by
our works? The Word of God says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” (NKJV) After true repentance, it is important that we accept
grace. Many times I have failed at doing this because of doubt. I would reject
grace by drowning in my guilt. As believers, we have to stop doing this. Every
time we let guilt overtake us, we simply doubt that God’s grace is good enough
to cover our sins. Accept grace and walk in God’s favor, which is love.
“God wants His
children to walk in grace not perfection.” –Pastor Vic Hudson
God freely gives us grace through Christ because He loves us
so deeply. I asked God one day in prayer, “How much do you really love me? How
great is your love for me?” A few days after, I found myself back in sin and
the Holy Spirit reminded me of the question I asked the Lord previously. I
finally realized just how much God truly loved me. Even after all of the
mistakes, Christ still wanted to be with me. This is hard to grasp sometimes,
especially if you are in a season where you are struggling. But we have to stop
trying to figure grace out and just accept it.
So how do we do this? FAITH! Romans 5:2 says, “By whom also
we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope
of the glory of God.” (NKJV) The only way you can accept grace is through
faith. Each day, believe that grace is enough for you. Ask yourself questions
like, “Do I truly trust that God’s grace is sufficient?” Also, ask the Holy
Spirit to expose areas in your life where you are still doubtful and feeling
guilty. If you continue to reject grace, you will never be able to grow a deeper
relationship with Christ. Jesus died just to have a relationship with you. When
you reject grace, you reject Christ. Let’s make it our duty everyday of our
lives to accept grace, not only at church, but home as well.
