God is the God of grace. Grace has been described as “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” Grace is the method of God’s divine dealing in salvation and in the believer’s life and service. At the conclusion of the third chapter of his 2nd letter with the theme “Last Days,” the Apostle Peter exhorts Christians, “But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18). To “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” means to mature as Christians. In doing so, we become more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ. And, of course, reading and applying the Scriptures and spending time in prayer are absolutely essential to Christian maturity.
In the Gospel of John we read, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Grace is in contrast with the law which was “given through Moses.” In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul writes, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy . . . so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4,5,7). Under the law, God demands righteousness. In contrast, under grace, God givesrighteousness to men. “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). In other words, our salvation is not dependent on anything we have done or will do. Salvation is entirely a free gift from God because of the “kindness and love of God.”
Grace is a subject we cannot exhaust because of what it does and means. Because of God’s marvelous grace, the Christian can rest in a perfect salvation wrought for us on the Cross by Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, who is now in heaven. Hebrews says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God . . . Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14,16). Because of God’s grace, we can approach His presence with great confidence, since He has set us free from all fear and doubt. Hence, the Scripture gives us the assurance that we can “with confidence draw near.” Also, it is at “the throne grace” that we receive mercy. Because God is God of mercy, He does not give us what we really deserve, that is our sinfulness. Thank God for His mercy and grace, which every human needs.
All believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith, have a “perfect standing” in God’s grace. Paul writes, “Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). The more we explore the teachings of God’s word, the more we realize the significant importance of God’s grace in the life of the believer in Christ. For it is through the praise of God’s glory why we are accepted in Christ because God actually chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:5,6 says, “He predestinated us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
Paul writes on the results of justification telling us “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1,2). “Standing in grace” means that the believer stands in the place that only Jesus Christ could claim. Hence, we can absolutely rejoice in His mercy. William MacDonald writes: “Also we enjoy access into an indescribable position of favor with God. We are accepted in the Beloved One, therefore we are as near and dear to God as His own Beloved Son. The Father extends the golden scepter to us and welcomes us as sons, not strangers. This grace, or standing in favor, embraces every aspect of our position before God, a position that is as perfect and permanent as Christ’s because we are in Him” (Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 1696). This commentary is absolutely fitting because it explains “The Practical Benefits of the Gospel” as MacDonald points out.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is most wonderful to be a Christian, knowing that we are accepted and blessed in God’s Beloved Son, who loved us and gave Himself for us. Also, being “near and dear to God as His own Beloved Son.” To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.