Grace

Beautiful, featured photo courtesy of Aaron Carley

 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9 (KJV)

What is a fitting definition for God’s grace? And just for a moment, forget about the very accurate but overly familiar acronym,

This acronym is a great place to start to think about grace, but if we are not careful it can cause us to think poetically, not deeply.

Instead, let’s look at God’s Word.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,

(and we beheld his glory,

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)

full of grace and truth.

John 1:14 (KJV)

Jesus was made one of us. Except He never sinned. He just touched us. He wasn’t distant. He dwelled among mankind. God’s Son. Full of grace and truth.

The richness of grace is knowing that it is offered to undeserving sinners by Jesus, our substitute.

You see, the little acronym above is flawed without the skilled teaching of a spirit filled pastor. It is reduced to making us feel good.

It could almost sound like any sweet childhood story where a kindly father would do anything for his children, without regard to their imperfections, at great cost to himself.

God did have regard for sin. He had perfect holy wrath for it and still does.

So, the “truth” should have been added to the acronym. Look at this scripture:

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

John 1:17 (KJV)

Grace and truth meet to complete the story.

Truth is where we face our guilt. Grace is God’s outpouring of His Son’s free gift on us for salvation, in spite of our sin nature, when we accept the free gift.

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Ephesians 4:7 (KJV)

That far exceeds the definition of the little acronym.

We have a generous gift waiting to be given to us that can be received when we acknowledge our truth. We need grace.

Then as God patiently pursues us, truth enters into our hearts.

Grace and Truth. God’s rich Hesed love for you and me.

Over the next few weeks, Seed Basket is going to look more at some passages about God’s grace.

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

John 1:16 (KJV)

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free—
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of His love—
Leading onward, leading homeward
To His glorious rest above.¹

Share the Gospel in your world.

How beautiful are the feet of those

who bring Good News to the world!

Isaiah 52:7

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

1. O, The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
   Trevor Francis
   Ca. 1879
   Public Domain ↩︎