What is the grace of God? A lot of questions and controversies revolve around the grace of God. Many believers talk about God’s grace, but only a few understand what it truly means.
Somehow, I have seen believers use the word grace as a yardstick to keep sinning. While this is an extreme about the concept of grace still, grace covers a multitude of sins. Now, you need to understand the balance of grace as opposed to the freedom to sin. To do that, you must first understand what the grace of God is.
WHAT IS THE GRACE OF GOD?
According to the Greek origin of the word ‘Grace,’ it means favor, kindness, divine blessing to man through Jesus Christ. Alternatively, the Bible also talks about grace as a gift from God. Invariably, it is not something we work for or deserve. God gives grace liberally to all.
You are saved by grace through faith. So, irrespective of how you try to be pious or sanctimonious about your life, your act cannot make you right before God. Trying to be holy is not holiness. Righteousness is by faith through grace (I will discuss this later in this blog post).
UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE GRACE OF GOD MEANS
GRACE OF GOD Black T-Shirt
Let me show you some of the ways you can fully grasp what the grace of God means:
- Grace is God’s power at work in us
- Grace is God’s Unconditional love
- God’s Grace is a gift
- Salvation is by Grace
- Being Blessed is by the Grace of God
- Grace is God’s power in you
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
Grace is God’s power at work in us. There are things you cannot do on your own without God’s grace. For instance, trying to live a sinless life without grace will only lead to struggle. You need to accept God’s grace through faith in Jesus to be free from sin. Grace empowers your heart to love the Lord as you receive victory over sin.
2. Grace is God’s Unconditional love
IN LOVE WITH CHRIST PINK T-Shirt
The grace of God is an expression of his everlasting love for humanity. Even before you loved God, He had first loved you. Interestingly, you did nothing to qualify for this unconditional love. Therefore, do not think there is something else you will do that would make Him love you less. Yes! Love is God’s nature. Although God hates sin, He does not hate a sinner. The Bible says that God wishes that all sinners come to repentance (2 Peters 3:9). God’s unconditional love draws us nearer daily.
3. God’s Grace is a gift
A gift is given without you having to work for it. This is different from a reward, which you receive in exchange for your work. God’s grace is a gift to humanity through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Therefore, grace is free for all but only accessible by faith in Jesus Christ. I want you to receive the grace of God right now as you ask in prayers.
Pray this simple Prayer:
Father Lord, I believe in Jesus as my Lord and salvation. Therefore, I receive the gift of grace through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen
JESUS IS MY SALVATION BLACK T-SHIRT
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—”
– Ephesians 2:8
Whenever God looks at you, what He sees is not your work but His grace. Grace presents us before God as holy only to those who have received the gift of grace by faith in the giver. Therefore, it means that although grace is for everyone, only those who receive it by faith enjoy the dividend of grace. No measure of hard work can equate to God’s grace. So, you must understand that grace is not about what you do but what Christ did on your behalf.
5. Being Blessed is by the Grace of God
“John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.“
John 3:27
Now, another way you should see grace is in the aspect of being blessed. The riches, wealth, promotion, favor before men and the increase you enjoy today despite little or no effort is a function of God’s grace. God’s grace is God’s kindness and blessing shown to humankind.
Interestingly, grace eliminates the fear of the unknown, which might arise in the future. You must remember that whatever God gives you by His grace is forever. It requires no sweat or effort. The truth is, whatever you receive by grace, you do not need hard work to preserve. No. God’s gift of grace is without repentance.
IS GRACE A YARDSTICK FOR SIN?
Now, this is a common misconception about the grace of God. Some extreme Christian doctrines make grace look appealing to sin. They present grace as a license to sin. If you think you can sin under grace without consequences, I want you to think again.
God’s grace does not cover the consequence of sinning. Grace works in you to help you overcome sin and not to keep sinning. It helps you make out time for Jesus through daily fellowship. Grace is God’s power to the believer to live victorious over the life of sin.
Of course, the Bible said;
“My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
-1 John 2:1
Now, this is a conditional statement “if the believer sin”. Yes, if you sin as a believer, you can ask for forgiveness and grace covers it. But being in sin and saying the grace of God abound, God forbid. Apostle Paul said, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2).
At Salvation, you became a new creation in Christ. This transformation takes away the sinful nature in you and puts in you the life of Christ. So, sin and sin consciousness dies when you are saved. You do not take grace for granted to continue sinning after being saved. A new creation in Christ is not a sinner and a sinner is not in Christ. You can read that again.
YOUR LIFE PLEASES GOD
As a believer in Christ Jesus, the Spirit of Christ intertwines with your spirit to please God effortlessly. The Spirit of God dwells in your spirit and He alone knows the mind of God. Hence, it only takes the Spirit of God to please God. Your flesh dies so that your spirit may be alive in God.
However, many Christians still resurrect their flesh through sin-consciousness. Whatever you are conscious of, you become such things. The moment you try to say, I do not want to sin, you end up sinning. You need to reassure yourself that YOU CANNOT sin because your flesh is dead and your spirit alive through Christ Jesus.
Now, you will realize that some Christians still struggle with sin, despite the complete victory over sin Christ performed for them on the cross. The ignorance of their victory in Christ is what the devil maximizes to keep them down as a slave to sin.
You are not a slave to sin anymore. You are a child of God. And as a child of the Almighty, God’s Spirit dwells in you both to will and to do God’s bidding. Your life pleases God because any moment He looks at you, he no longer sees the sinful you but Christ in you.
RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH GRACE BY FAITH
Come to think of it, what did humanity do to God for Him to breathe his Spirit into ordinary clay? Of course, nothing. What about Abraham? The scripture says;
“For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.”
–Romans 4:3-4
Abraham believed and it was accounted unto Him for righteousness. Seriously? Abraham committed so many atrocities. He slept with his wife’s handmaid, lied about the identity of his wife, and did so many detestable acts. Yet, God called him righteousness. This is righteousness through grace by faith.
Henceforth, I will urge you to walk in the light of God’s grace. Live by God’s grace and you will enjoy all the benefits that come with grace.
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