The indispensability of God’s grace (Grace series 2)
The indispensability of God’s grace (Grace series 2)
1 Corinthians 15:10; Hebrew 4:14-16.
Continued from yesterday. Click here to read series 1
God’s grace is the ultimate resultant outcome of Christ’s sacrificial death- John 11:50-52. His death ushered in a new dispensation and opened a wide door of God’s enabling grace through the Holy Spirit. Simply put, grace is divine assistance received without any merit or work. Receiving grace doesn’t mean we have no input, rather, it’s a precursor for the work ahead of us. In fact, through grace, we can do much more as Apostle Paul attested from the text- “I worked harder than all of them”.
We see the example of our perfect Master who was “full of grace and truth” John 1:14. All His acts, mannerisms, conduct, and livelihood were embedded and displayed as acts of grace. He never did anything or made any move without first receiving divine approval and direction for it – John 5:30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
God will not issue His grace upon what He didn’t approve of or that originates from Him. Paul was another example of a man who maximized the availability of the sovereign grace of God not just for ministerial engagements but every inch of his life was divinely enabled- Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
At times, there’s a misunderstanding of how the grace of God works. You ask some people to do certain assignments or play certain roles, and they retort by saying “By the grace of God”. That’s a lovely and powerful response because the grace of God is all-encompassing and readily available for all who seek it. Rather, they use it as an excuse to be lazy and fall short of the expected outcome of the assigned task or role. Brethren, we ought to be careful of the way and manner we abuse the grace of God. Let us repent of all the wastages of the past, saddle our minds to receive the grace of God for all things, and thereby live. We can receive grace for salvation and purity of heart, to triumph over the works of darkness and the world, for victory over temptations and fleshly lust, to labor tirelessly in Christ’s vineyard, and finally to see God on the final day- 2 Timothy 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for me to depart is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith! Finally, the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day – and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on his appearing.
…To be continued tomorrow…
