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Touching lives with the truth of God's Word.

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Location: Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Monday, January 12, 2009

A GOD OF GRACE

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved [Ephesians 2:4-5].
Grace is God’s unmerited favor shown to mankind. We cannot earn it or ever be good enough to deserve it. May I say, we need to understand certain truths about God and ourselves. First, God is perfectly holy, so He cannot allow sin in His presence. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, their intimate connection with God was broken. Since all future generations inherited their sinful nature, every person is born with a disposition that is bent away from the Lord.
Next, God’s character is just. As a result, He requires payment for all sins. The penalty He demands is death (Romans 6: 23), not just physical but also spiritual (eternal separation from Him). But thanks be to God we have a merciful God who does not treat us as our actions deserve, but instead extends His grace toward us. He designed and put into play a plan that would affirm His holy nature, meet the requirements of His justice, and enable us to become members of His family: He sent His Only Son, born of a virgin in the likeness of man, to accomplish our salvation. Born as a human being, Jesus lived a perfect sinless life, fulfilling the law perfectly. He alone qualified as the one who could satisfy divine justice. Christ took our place, bore our sins, and experienced God’s wrath over our rebellion--all so that we could be reconciled to the Father.
Note! God made this provision for our salvation while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8). Have you acknowledged your sinful state, and received His forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ? If so, are you expressing ongoing thankfulness for His grace? You thank about that.