Hello Grace:
Just to say your name brings joy to our hearts. It is why we name so many
little girls Grace; children, after all, are a gift from God. Our very existence
is born by a gracious act of God.
I looked up the meaning of your name and the dictionary says you are
“unmerited, undeserved, and unearned favor.” Each of those descriptions
carry a unique view of your character and purpose. Of most interest is that
those three words match the triune manifestation of God as Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost. All three words express the same thought: we didn’t
deserve the honor of the gift bestowed to us by the kindness of God.
The first time you appear in the Bible is when God is so disappointed and
disgusted with His creation because of their evil deeds, that He decides to
destroy them with a great flood. It looks utterly hopeless until the Scripture
trumpets, “And Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8).
As a result of God’s grace, eight people were saved on Noah’s ark, and
humanity was spared from annihilation.
The old sailor captain of slave ships, John Newton wrote a hymn in which
he called you “Amazing.” Certainly, there is no better adjective to describe
our feelings toward you. It is a sweet sound to our ears just to hear your
name, and sweeter still to whisper it with our lips; best of all, it is sheer
delight to take long drink from your cup for our thirsty souls.
Words fail me to fully tell how much that I owe you – more than temporal
life in which could be snuffed out in a brief moment, but even more so,
eternal life. My heart is overwhelmed with gratitude, but thank you seems to
be such a small acknowledgment for the gifts you freely give.
You can disarm any sin that is weaponized to destroy our souls. It is
overwhelming to our little minds to even try to contemplate the meaning of
the scripture when it tells us, “Where sin did abound, grace did much
more abound.” Sin carries a heavy burden to our bodies, minds, and
spirits, but you far outweigh the burden. The scale is always tipped in your
favor. We, who have known the dark corridors of sin and gone in the
depths of its wickedness and wallowed in it, figure we are stained forever
by its degradation, but Grace is able to make us sparkling clean. We are
able to wash in the river of Grace and come out like the leper Naaman and
have our souls clean like the flesh of a new born baby. There is no sin, nor
any amount of sin, that Grace cannot overcome and offer forgiveness. We
must proclaim as the Apostle Paul wrote, “O the depth of the riches both
of wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (2 Cor. 8:2). The Psalmist
chimes in and echoes the truth and says, “Such knowledge is too
wonderful, it is high, I cannot attain unto it” (Psalm 139:6).
We live in the age of Grace. We preach the Gospel of Grace. We approach
the Throne of Grace. We are saved by Grace. We are partakers of eternal
life by the gift of Grace. We are no longer required to work, and toil, labor
under the law, but are set free from the universal pathway of failure to the
glorious road of Grace.
God is the God of grace. Our salvation is called ‘the grace of life’ (1 Peter
3:7). We can grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18). Grace is a gift that keeps on
giving. God gives grace, not only for salvation, but also for trials of this life.
God told Paul when the apostle asked him to remove his thorn in the flesh
that His grace was sufficient for him to bear the burden.
Two companions often accompany you making you a harmonic trio of
blessing to believers: mercy and peace (1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2, Titus 1:4, 2
John 1:3). Paul consistently opened his letters in the New Testament with
phrase, “Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father, and the
Lord Jesus Christ.” (Every Book from Romans – Philemon open with this
phrase with the exception of Timothy and Titus in which he adds mercy.
Perhaps he figured the pastors of the church needs a bit more mercy!)
Grace, you are therefore such a vital component of the Christian life that is
easy to conclude that, without you, salvation and living the life of faith
would be impossible. You are foundational; you are fundamental; you are
essential to carrying out the plan of God. Therefore, we conclude that you
are nothing more than the manifestation of God in our lives. The Lord says,
“I am gracious” (Ex. 22:27). We are also reminded that “The Lord is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger; and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm
103:8). Grace is one of God’s attributes. Just as God is love and God is
longsuffering, and God is light, he is also gracious.
Sadly, people can trample on you and reject your offer. In doing so, they
unwittingly invite the unsavory side of God. Hebrews calls it “failing of the
grace of God” (Heb. 12: 15). The context is where Esau sold his birthright
and no amount of grace could restore it because what was done was done.
Likewise, if a person rejects the grace of God which leads him or her to the
salvation offered in Jesus Christ, no amount of grace will deliver them from
hell.
We must receive grace (Romans 1:5) to be justified freely by grace
(Romans 5:1). Grace is a gift which we cannot earn (Romans 5:15) and
comes in abundance (Romans 5:17). Grace is something that can be
demonstrated and perceived by others as it is manifest in a person’s life
and testimony (Galatians 2:9). We are expected to show grace to others
(Eph. 4:29), particularly in the way we communicate with others,
remembering the command: “Let your speech be always seasoned with
salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col. 4:6).
We are to sing with grace (Col 3:16). It is by grace that poisons the root of
bitterness and causes it to wither away (Heb. 12:15), and only by the grace
of God do we have the ability and opportunity to serve him (Heb. 12:28).
We are to grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18). Finally, we should remember the
most frequent exhortation in the Bible, “grace be unto you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” We have shortened it
to the phrase, “God bless you” but perhaps we should adopt the fuller
phrase as used by the apostles Paul and Peter.
We ask you, Grace, to be our constant companion for we know that a
gracious woman receives honor by you (Prov. 11:16) and the words of a
wise man’s mouth are gracious (Ecc. 10:12).
Jesus one time was speaking in the synagogue testifying about his work
and ministry. When he had finished his sermon, those who heard him
“wondered at the gracious words” that he had spoken (Luke 4:22). He
sets the example for us that our words should be gracious, even when
situations call for administering a rebuke, or reproval, or chastening, for
that’s what the Master did. And, we are his disciples.
As I draw my letter to you to a close, I am reminded of two important
principles taught to us by Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles: 1) We are
saved by grace alone (Eph. 2:8). We cannot earn it; we certainly do not
deserve it. Suppose we could work our way into God’s favor - we would be
braggadocios, elbow God out of the way, and use our arm to stretch like it
was made of playdough to pat ourselves on the back. The Bible calls it
boasting. When Grace appears, there is no space in the for anyone to brag.
It is grace that shines the bright light on center stage, and Jesus Christ is
the hero of the story. No one else takes a bow to the thunderous ovations
and encore. No one else is even noticed or recognized. For every knee
shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father (Phil. 2:11).
2) We learn that we live in a dispensation of Grace – sometimes called the
Church Age (1 Cor. 9:17, Eph. 3:2, Col. 1:25). It is during this time that
God offers salvation freely and fully to everyone who puts their faith solely
in Jesus Christ, believing that he died for their sins, was buried, and rose
again the third day from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4). This is the Gospel of
Grace.
Many songs have Grace as their theme, but perhaps none greater than the
one written by the old captain who penned these words: “T’was grace that
brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
We continue in God’s good grace for the rest of our lives.
Thank you!
© Stan Vespie 2023
Comments