Grace Received

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. (Romans 5:1-2 NLT)

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT).

Through our faith in Christ, God saved us by His grace, even while we were lost in sin. And that only happened because of His rich mercy and great love for us.

Grace, defined as a place of undeserved privilege and unmerited favor that is not motivated by anything other than the devotion of a loving God, was made available to mankind through our acceptance and faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.  Through receipt of God’s grace, we have peace with God and restoration of relationship with Him, thus making us beneficiaries of His operational power (another definition of grace).  

By faith we are brought into relationship with God, devoid of works on our part.  We have been spiritually born again into the family of God and Jesus Christ. Now that we are in the family, we have relationship or a bond with God. When we think of our human family, we are related by birth; but there may be no other basis of affiliation.  Some people are separated from their parents at birth and know little or nothing about the character or personality of their birth parents.  In these cases of family alienation, what’s missing is fellowship.  God, in His wisdom and love, desires and has made provision for us, to have fellowship with Him.  The only catch is that we must choose to have fellowship with God through Jesus. It is our choice to be made after becoming a part of the family by spiritual birth.

After receiving grace as a free gift from God, the desired response God is looking for from us is to return His love through pursuing fellowship, friendship, companionship, and solidarity.  Fellowship with God requires us to be followers of Jesus Christ and also to imitate Him in demonstrating love to mankind.  The better we know the character and personality of God, which was personified in the life of Christ, the more enhanced our fellowship with God will be.  For example, think about your natural father telling you that all you have to do is come by the house and he will give you a gift.  Some people may respond, “ I want nothing to do with my father.” Despite that declaration, you are still his child by relationship of birth.  The only thing preventing you from enjoying the full benefit of relationship is your lack of desire for fellowship.

God not only wants to rescue you from the destructive effects of sin through a new-birth experience, He wants to lavish and enhance your life by sharing every moment and activity of your existence through fellowship.  Don’t run from God as a fearful father, but run to Him and embrace the love, peace, joy, and fulfillment He desires to give.   Grace received requires the love that spawned it to be shared.  Scripture tells us that God so loved us that He gave Christ that we might have life.  Understand and receive the freedom of knowing our faith in Christ has saved us, not our good works.  Then return God’s love by asking Him to help you to confidently and joyfully follow and imitate Jesus daily. God is waiting on you to come home. (Adrian)