Take some time over these next 5 days to meditate on God's grace. Under the guidance of Rich Miller, learn more about God's lavish grace that you have the privilege of enjoying!

Let Me Introduce You to Grace!

I got married when I was thirty-five years old, back in 1989. My wife’s name is Shirley Grace, and I’m really glad I married her, because God knew I surely needed a lot of grace!

The first time I met Shirley was actually ten years before we got married, in 1979. She was sitting by a swimming pool in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I was twenty-five years old and a dashing young man. She was (and is!) gorgeous. That was the first thing I noticed about her! Soon after, of course, I came to know and appreciate her cheerful disposition, her gentle, nurturing spirit, and her zealous heart for Jesus as well.

Now, you might be wondering, “If she was so amazing, inside and out, why did it take you so long to get around to marrying her?” Great question!

There are a lot of reasons—the busyness of life, not living anywhere near each other, my need to grow up in some ways, to name a few. But the main reason was that I was used to living on my own, and the idea of being married was kind of scary. Decades later, I can’t imagine living without her, but back then I had no idea how good it would be.

God offers us a new life of grace, and yet so many of God’s people still seem to live life as independent, “single” people. Why is that? If God’s grace is so amazing, inside and out, why does it take so many of us so long to get around to living by and in grace? Great question!

This might be a really good time for me to introduce you to grace. Maybe you have “met” before, but through the busyness of life, not hanging around much together, and your need to grow up in some ways, you and grace have kind of fallen on hard times. Maybe the thought of living by God’s grace rather than independently and by your own resources seems, well, kind of scary.

Romans 5:1-2 says,

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. (NASB)

We’ll talk more later about being justified (made not guilty) by faith, so hang in there on that part. But just as we are introduced to and enter into a life of freedom from guilt by faith, so we also obtain our introduction into God’s grace by faith.You might be familiar with Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.“ (NASB)

It might be helpful to translate this verse into a mathematical-type equation:

God’s grace + Our faith in Jesus = Being saved or rescued from sin and its penalty

The idea in Ephesians 2 that our rescue from sin is a gift of God is very important. That’s really what grace is—a free gift that we don’t deserve. Some define it as “unmerited favor.” In short, grace is God freely giving us what we don’t deserve and can’t come up with on our own, but desperately need.

Pretty amazing, isn’t it?

We obtain our introduction into God’s grace when we, by faith, receive God’s free gift of forgiveness in Christ. We turn away from our self-centered, independent lifestyle (the Bible calls this sin) and realize that His death on the cross was full payment for our sins. In response, we open our hearts to Jesus to forgive us and take charge of our lives, believing that He rose from the dead and is now very much alive.

Like any gift, God’s grace must be received. But unlike a Christmas present or birthday gift, which we can see, God’s gift of forgiveness (His grace) is not visible. Therefore, it must be received not by sight but by faith. By the word faith I mean that we believe God is telling us the truth, that He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do, and we say “yes” to Him. We believe. That’s faith.

Have you ever received this free gift from God? If so, you have already been introduced to grace! If you haven’t, I encourage you to do so as soon as your heart is open.

For those who have already been introduced to grace, how is your “relationship” with grace going? It’s remarkable to me that many who started out well, who are excited about and grateful for God’s saving, rescuing grace, somehow take a wrong turn away from grace at some point. Most people probably don’t even realize they’ve gotten off track.

It’s kind of like we gradually get tricked into believing that somewhere along the course of life, God changed the rules. We start off trusting in God alone to supply what we need to enable us to live the Christian life, but then down the road we come to believe it is “up to us” to make the Christian lifework. The apostle Paul couldn’t figure out how and why some of his friends had made that wrong turn away from grace and faith. He wrote:

This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (Galatians 3:2-3, NASB)

In this case, the flesh could be paraphrased “your own human effort.” The way it works is simple. You come to Jesus and receive by faith His free gift (grace) of rescue from sin’s penalty. And God gives you the Holy Spirit at that moment, by faith. Then you grow in Christ the same way: God gives you all you need in love, power, and wisdom as a gift of grace, and you walk (live) in His provision, by faith. Paul writes elsewhere:

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. (Colossians 2:6, NASB)

How did you receive Christ Jesus the Lord? By grace through faith. So how do you walk (live life) in Christ? By grace through faith. God provides what we need (which includes a community of faith, called the church), and we live our lives fully dependent on His provision. Like I said, it’s simple. Why do we so often make it complex?

Maybe this is your introduction to grace. Or maybe you are just beginning to get reacquainted, rekindling an old flame so to speak. Either way, welcome. I’ve been married for quite a few years now. I’ve been in Christ, living by faith in His grace, even longer. In both cases, I can’t imagine living anyother way.

THOUGHT TO CHEW ON

Living by grace doesn’t end when you come to Christ; that’s just the beginning!

TRUTH TO REMEMBER

“Through [Christ] also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand.” (Romans 5:2, NASB)

QUESTION TO MULL OVER

How would you describe your relationship with grace? Strangers? Polite acquaintances? Close friends? Falling in love? Not in a relationship? Something else?

Talking it over with God

Father, it’s really easy to fall back into thinking that this life is pretty much up to me. After all, almost from the time I was born, the whole world system is designed for me to learn to live life on my own, to not be dependent on anyone, to be “grown up,” which translates into becoming increasingly self-reliant and self-sufficient. I know that there’s no way I can save myself, and so in that way it’s kind of easy to see how much I need You. But sometimes it feels like a sign of weakness to have to live by faith in Your grace every moment of every day. I guess I have to admit that my relationship with grace needs some work. I really hope You can be patient with me as I learn to walk by this grace in which I now stand. Are You gracious enough to not get mad at me even though I start out at a crawl? The Bible says You are kind and patient and all that, but sometimes I doubt. Thanks for listening. Amen.