By grace through faith!

The Bible says salvation is by grace through faith. Both are gifts from God. Faith is easier to define, grace not so much. Some say it is a “free gift” which is redundant — all gifts are free. Some say it is God’s riches at Christ’s expense. That describes the motivation and what Jesus did, but falls short in describing what happens at salvation.

One definition sticks in my mind. I cannot quote it exactly and haven’t seen it often, but it fits with my experience of grace both in salvation and in walking with the Lord. This definition says that grace is a personal revelation of Jesus Christ that changes our lives to become like His. This is the reason why we cannot save ourselves. God must do it and He does it by allowing us to see what we will become through faith in Jesus.

“(God) who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began . . . .”  (2 Timothy 1:9)

It is true that humans become like that which they focus on. We’ve seen funny photos of husbands and wives who have picked up each other’s mannerisms and expressions, even dog owners and their dogs. My children picked up the local accents of their friends in the places we lived. When I spend time with my friends, I talk like them afterward, at least for a day or two. Imagine being given a good look at the Son of God — and God continuing to give that vision. Add to that His entrance into your very heart and life and this is grace. As the song writer says, it is amazing grace.

Of course, there are theological explanations of how grace works, and why it had to happen. Grace is God’s solution for sin. Sin blinds the mind to God because sin separates us from Him. The Bible says we are “dead in sin” much the same as physical death separates us from everything else. A dead man cannot see anything.

This passage describes this issue, but needs to be read several times to get the gist of it. Note how the writer used the redundancy of “free gift” to put great emphasis on God’s grace:

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned — for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:12–21)

Can it be said in a simple way? I’ll try. Adam sinned by disobeying God. That sin nature was passed down to his offspring and to every person born. This sin means separation from God and spiritual death. That is, no one can see God or obey Him. We are dead in sin and our capacity for God was lost because of sin. Out sin was not the same as Adam’s and expresses itself in other ways, but because of it, we cannot please God.

However, God did not wash His hands of us. He promised a Savior (see Genesis 3) and told His people to trust Him to bring that Savior. By grace, Jesus came, God’s gracious revelation of Himself to us. By His obedience in taking the punishment for sin upon Himself, we are justified; sin no longer has any power to hold us in blindness to God and in the deadly grip of sin.

This gift needs to be received, just as any gift. If I hold out a Christmas present to someone and they cross their arms and refuse it, they do not get that gift. It is there for them, but they must take it. God’s gift of forgiveness must be received for us to be set free and to have His righteousness and eternal life imputed to us.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, there is nothing more to say than thank You. You are my righteousness and my life. Because of grace, I am set free to love and follow You.