Grace is God’s love given to us though we don’t deserve it. It means we are loved by God though we haven’t earned- and can’t earn- that love. Though we are sinners and don’t deserve God’s love, he sent his son, Jesus, into the world to live the perfect life we couldn’t live, to die the death that we deserved and to overcome sin and death on our behalf in the resurrection. Instead of giving us hell as we deserve, he gave us the opportunity to know his grace and forgiveness and life.
One way to think of grace is to use the acronym of GRACE. It is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. We get the riches of God- forgiveness, heaven, adoption into God’s family- because Christ paid the penalty for our sins on the cross.
But what does it mean for us in the here and now? What are the results of this evidence of God’s love we call grace?
Note these 7 implications of grace–
1. Holiness matters to God. If sin doesn’t really matter, neither does grace. We don’t need grace if sin doesn’t damage. But sin always damages. It kills, steals and destroys. We need to be saved from the death sin brings. But even after salvation, grace is our reminder of how damaging sin is. Holiness will always matter to God and should, therefore, always matter to those of us who follow him. Grace should lead us to holy living as we see the cost of sin.
2. God’s love is deeper than man’s. Our love tends to run shallow. We love when it convenient or when it matches our feelings or when it is returned in the manner we wish. But God loves perfectly. He loves, period. It isn’t based on a whim or because we can give him so much in return or due to our great goodness. Understanding grace can lead us to have the kind of love that lasts through good and bad; thick and thin.
3. We obey God out of grace, not for grace. If we don’t get grace because we are good, why be good at all? There is a stronger motivation for believers to obey God than earning God’s love. God’s love given to us freely becomes that greater motivation. We want to obey the Lord because we know how much he loves us. Knowing this love motivates us to obedience. Our motivation is not fear of not being loved, but a desire to please the one who has already proven the greatness of love for us.
4. We can love people who are hard to love. How in the world can we love cranky co-workers and grumpy relatives? Even more, how do we love those who have wronged us or hurt us or wounded us? God’s grace, given undeservedly to us, is the only means I know by which we can love and forgive those who don’t deserve it from us. And, when we do, it speaks volumes to this world which so seldom sees love like that.
5. We matter deeply to God. Grace is the evidence of our value to God. We have inherent value because we are created in God’s image. But that image is marred by our sin and disobedience. Yet God has given a demonstration that he loves us still. The cross is that demonstration. Calvary is that evidence. Never doubt that you matter to the Lord. Remember the proof of that love shown in spilled blood and a broken body.
6. We need to be saved, not just reformed. You will never be able to reform your way to perfection. Grace reminds us that we have no way to reach perfection because we are already broken sinners. But, grace teaches us that we can be reborn into a new life. Jesus paid our debt and we can be saved from the power of sin and hell. Jesus already did the work. Our response is to repent of our sins, place our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection and receive him as our personal Savior and Lord. Have you truly done that?
7. God doesn’t give up on us. God doesn’t love you because you deserve it and he doesn’t stop loving you because you don’t deserve it. He doesn’t give up on you because of your missteps anymore than a mother gives up on her child after their first failing steps. No one wants you to succeed in life more than the Lord. No one wants you to grow into the person he intends you to be more than your Savior. Don’t give up on your future because God hasn’t.
Grace is an incredible truth. It is a supernatural truth. Learn from it and live it and grow in it.
Remember, God loves you!
Doug Munton 