GRACE

By Kevin Rutherford

The unmerited favor of God has resulted in the hope and possibility of salvation. God’s grace sent His Son to die for mankind (John 3:16). God’s grace established the church into which one must enter to be saved (Ephesians 1:22, 23; 2 Timothy 2:10). God’s grace recorded the facts concerning salvation and preserved them for us (1 Peter 1:22-25). Thank God for His great grace.

Some have reacted to the grace of God by using it as an excuse to sin (Romans 6:1). There are those who believe that a person cannot fall from grace. These individuals believe they can live they way they choose without fear of losing their salvation. However, the Bible teaches that one can fall from grace (Galatians 5:4). A cousin to this Calvinism is the idea that Christians can sin all they want to without having to confess that sin and repent of it, and God will still forgive them. This is contrary to plain Bible teaching (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:7-9).

In contrast, others react to the grace of God by using it as a reason to avoid sin (Titus 2:11-14). Understanding what sin cost our Savior should help us to recognize the ugly nature of sin. Seeing what Jesus suffered should motivate us to sin no more. Recognizing the wonderful things God has done for mankind because of His gracious attitude should motivate us to repent (Romans 2:4).