Exploring the Depths of God’s Grace

Last week we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ and everything He has purchased for us through His great sacrifice.

But what did Christ really give us access to?

What did God’s grace give to us?

Salvation Through Grace

We are saved through the free gift of God. We are only righteous through what Christ did for each of us on the cross. His blood, not our works, justify us before God.

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 of works, lest anyone should boast.

We are only righteous because of Him, not because of any good work we could ever do. It’s the red blood of Jesus that makes us white—righteous in God’s sight.

Eternal Life: The Ultimate Gift of Grace

The gospel is centered around the gift of eternal life through Christ.

Romans 6:23 says,

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus tells us what eternal life is in John 17:3,

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Walking with God

Christ gave us access to a restored relationship with the Father. We see how involved God was with His people in the Old Testament, so how much more is He available to us now given Christ’s sacrifice for us?

The Christian life isn’t about just waiting for Heaven. It’s about us developing a real relationship with the Father here on earth.

The New Covenant we have with God through the blood of Jesus is much greater than the Old Covenant which was established through the blood of animals. We have better promises and greater glory as believers under grace than those under the Law.

The Abundance of God’s Grace

Throughout the New Testament, the grace of God is connected to the words “more,” “much more” and “abundance.” (James 4:6; Romans 5:20; 2 Corinthians 9:8).

God’s grace isn’t just a nice Christian word, it’s the power of God. It’s the strength and help from God. It’s the substance that enables us to serve others effectively in God’s will.

The Power of Grace

2 Corinthians 12:9

And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul begged the Lord to take away his pain, his “thorn in the flesh.” But Christ told him His grace, which He called His strength, was made perfect in Paul’s weakness. We see here that grace is the substance of God’s strength in the areas of our weaknesses.

Grace to Help

Hebrews 4:16

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

We are told to come boldly to God in order to find His grace to help us. Again, grace is a gift God gives us to help us in times of need. We also see here that mercy and grace are two different things. Mercy is a pass from what we deserve, but grace is the gift of God’s power to help us.

Stewarding the Grace of God

The grace of God has to do with the various gifts God gives each of us. This is any ability—both natural and spiritual—that we should use to serve others in love. These are gifts that must be stewarded.

2 Peter 5:10,

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Living in the Fullness of God’s Grace

God, through Christ, freely gave us much more than we deserve. He upgraded us to new creations in Christ, better promises and greater glory.

The free gift of His grace isn’t just a pass to Heaven, but the enabling power to experience everything He purchased for us here in our lives on earth.

His grace causes us to experience the more we were made for.