Grace Defined
Grace is more than just salvation and the forgiveness of sins. Grace manifests itself as we trust in the person and work of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He grants us all that we would need, all that we would yearn for, and all that we are commanded to walk in and become. All this is granted despite our inadequacy and the fact that we could never deserve, could never earn, and could never produce the merit that would earn or deserve these gifts on our own.
Grace is God’s free provision for us through His Son.
G: God’s
R: Riches (Redemption, Righteousness)
A: At
C: Christ’s
E: Expense
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” -Ephesians 2: 4-10
God is gracious. Graciousness is not something that he puts on and takes off depending on the situation. He is always gracious. He does not decide to show us grace. Rather it is just who he is. Because he is gracious he demonstrates grace in everything he does. Grace is what God does because he is gracious. Every action of God toward us involves his grace. His creation, his providence, his conviction of the sinner, his gift of salvation, his equipping of the saints, and the future he has prepared for us. All of this is due to God’s grace.
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“GRACE AND PEACE TO YOU FROM GOD OUR FATHER AND THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST.”
