"Amazing Grace"

God's word tells us that "by grace you have been saved." (Eph. 2:5) Grace is an amazing thing. I'm still learning about it, trying to grasp hold of it better. Grace is simply God's unmerited or undeserving favor extended to us. It has nothing to do with us and every thing to do with God. It comes from God's heart to us through Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with your performance or good deeds. "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise, grace is no longer grace." (Rom. 11:6)

Grace is one the most misunderstood, mistaught and abused things from the heart of God. We need to carefully read Romans 6 to get a better grasp of God's grace. Many religious people today teach grace as a blank check from God that allows one to do as he wishes, and God will save them in the end because His grace out-does sin! What an abuse of God's gift. Others teach that God has saved all the religious people, no matter what they teach, because His grace reaches all. People seem to over-look that the grace of God operates in the sphere of the truth! In the church of our Lord, some believe that the grace of God is available as long as you perform. This too is wrong.

Sometimes our songs preach better than preachers! We sing about grace many times, not even aware of what we are singing. Just listen carefully to the song "Amazing Grace". We sing..."how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." Grace is for the wretched and sinful. Grace is extended to sinners. It is for the one, who in their sins, can only appeal to God's undeserving favor through the death of Jesus. "I once was lost..." Were we? Do we really believe that? When people are lost, they feel the pressure of guilt and the sting of sin. We should feel it! Sin makes people miserable. Grace is for those who are lost and desire help outside themselves. Lost people cannot save themselves by their works! Is that not what Christ's death shows us? "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear..." Grace is a teacher (Titus 2:11-12). It teaches us to reverence God and His majesty. The fear of the Lord is what keeps one from abusing God's grace. Grace is received by faith. Grace produces trust. Grace produces obedience and obedience is not some legalistic rule-keeping. The fear of the Lord brings about a simple obedience to respond to His will. He asks us to respond in faith to receive His grace. Grace is a wonderful teacher. "Do not be carried away by varied and strange doctrines; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited." (Heb. 13:9)

Grace...God's undeserving favor to us undeserving people. Faith in Christ Jesus brings His undeserving favor right into the middle of our lives. We live by His strength, His power while simply humbly following, depending on His grace to get us through and it will get us all the way to the end.