Grace, a short five letter word but one of the most powerful powers on earth and in heaven. Jesus never actually says the word grace in the bible. The word grace is found about 170 times in God’s Word. One of the best definitions of grace is “Jesus”. The definition according to Webster’s dictionary is: “unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification, a virtue coming from God, approval, favor, mercy or pardon, kindness, courtesy, clemency or reprieve.”
In order to truly understand God’s grace, one must experience it. It is something you must feel deep inside your soul. It is amazing how it overcomes our past and sets us free. Apart from God’s grace we remain spiritually dead. Apart from His grace we experience guilt and shame because of our sin. We even feel unlovable. Broken or wounded is a common feeling to those of us who have not accepted God’s grace or even grace from others.
Grace changes everything. God accepts us just where we are. No cleanup needed beforehand. No suit and tie required. God is saying, “You are fully accepted, you are my son or daughter”. There is no need to try and hide or conceal anything from God because he knows all already.
Ephesians 2:1-10 (NLT) tells it better than I can.
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,
5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.
7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
If you have accepted this gift of grace from God, then you have experienced His grace. You have felt His forgiveness deep within your soul. Our responsibility is not to judge others but to point them toward God’s grace. It may take time to build trust and true friendship before someone is willing to accept the grace God offers. Never give up on anyone. God will call them when His timing is the perfect time.
Jim Everett
