The Birth of Grace

Where does grace begin? It comes from Jesus. John’s Gospel says: 

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.… And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:14-17CloseJohn 1:14-17 So the Word became human* and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.* And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, `Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.'" From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.* For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) )

The Apostle Peter tells us that grace is the beginning of the Christian walk: 

As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious (1 Peter 2:2-3Close1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) )

His personal experience of the Lord’s graciousness led him to write this.  

Consider how Peter felt after Jesus’ death and resurrection. He had denied the Lord three times and probably felt unfit to be an apostle. But what does Jesus do? He comes to Peter and asks three times if he loves Him—negating every one of Peter’s denials. 

This is grace in action, and this is the moment that creates the Apostle Peter. Instead of berating him, Jesus challenges him to move forward, to go higher, and to do what he thought he could not do anymore. When Peter thinks he is disqualified, Jesus says, “My grace can overcome all of this. I have important work for you to do. You have a destiny and a calling.” 

This is God’s manifold grace: He has worked out good things for us to walk into. It is not because He needs us, but because we need His grace. If we come to Christianity from a legalistic standpoint, we will never understand the truth of God’s grace. We can’t think enough good thoughts or do enough good deeds to earn His favor. 

This is why Paul underlines it in every letter, and why he recalls Jesus’ words to him in 2 Corinthians 12:9Close2 Corinthians 12:9 Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) : 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Understanding grace makes the difference between losing heart and bearing fruit in ministry. God calls each of us to stand in His presence, and He also calls us to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. To do this, we must put aside all human striving and hold fast to His high calling, which is to turn many from darkness to light—to the living God. For it is His grace that makes this possible. God bless you.

© Copyright Gordon Robertson