You’re not guilty because of God’s grace!
Imagine for a moment that you have been done something very wrong. You are now in court because of your wrong-doing. When time for the verdict comes, the judge says that you are guilty of what you did. And, therefore you will be facing death penalty.
As tears begin seeping down your cheeks, the judge continues saying: “no, don’t take him. He actually did nothing wrong. I am the one who did it all. Therefore, I am to face death penalty.”
That is exactly what God did for you and I. He made us not guilty even though we’re the ones who did wrong. That is God’s grace!
God’s grace a gift God gives you when you have nothing to give Him in return for it. God’s grace is an undeserving free gift He offers to you and I.
Based on Revelation 7: 9-16, there are two very important things we should say about God’s grace:
First, God’s grace is all about salvation
Salvation belongs to our God (the Father) who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. This is the primary theme we actually find in the entire Bible. God’s plan from the very beginning is about saving us from sin.
Second, God’s grace means the hope for all to be saved
Everyone from every nation, all tribes and peoples and languages will stand some day before God’s throne. It is God’s hope that not only salvation is given to humankind, but that everyone from everywhere can be saved.
Here’s how you should understand God’s grace in your everyday living
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, can help you with that. He looked at God’s grace in 3 forms:
1. Prevenient grace
God’s grace is available to all before we know it. In other words, God is at the door of our hearts and always knocking. We often kick Him out based on the different choices we make in life. But, even when He’s outside, He always waits patiently for us to hear His voice and let Him back again into our lives (Revelation 3: 20).
2. Justifying grace
We experience God’s grace after we answer to Him. When we respond and invite Him into our lives either for the first time or back again in our hearts.
3. Sanctifying grace
God’s grace sustains throughout our faith journey. This takes place through our own spiritual discipline and in the context of community (faith community).
God’s grace translates into 2 things for you
1. God’s grace offers you salvation
Titus 2: 11, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.” —
The idea of grace has to do with God. It is about what God can do for you, which is perceived as salvation.
Salvation isn’t something that we can earn because of what we do. It is a gift, a response to God’s grace.
But, you’ve got to choose to reach out to God’s grace!
Hebrews 4: 16: “let us approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
How do we draw near to God? How do we approach God’s throne of grace? And how do we do it with confidence?
To draw near to God deals with: attitude, plan and action.
Based on James 4: 6-8:
- Be humble. This is an attitude we choose towards God. It is the acknowledgment of our imperfections and inability to be good and gracious without God’s grace. We cannot save ourselves from anything. God is the only One who can save us from our corrupted and broken human nature: sin.
- Submit yourself to God. This means being intentional about the way you live in relation to who God wants you to be. It affects how you live: day, weeks, months and years. This requires you to plan your life and how you should live out your faith (salvation or God’s grace) throughout everyday in your entire life. Your plan affects how you use your resources: time, relationships, gifts and talents.
- Resist the devil. Whether you believe or not that there is an existing of Satan or evil spiritual beings, evil is a reality. It is also a force that will always want to make you do evil to yourself, people or nature. Therefore, you’ve got to resist the devil. You’ve got to resist anything that prevents you from experiencing God’s grace.
- Believe and claim your victory over any kind of evil through Jesus Christ
- Know that you’re a winner, no matter what happens to you. And celebrate it even when you’re going through darker times in your life.
2. God’s grace helps you overcome sin
Romans 6: 14, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”
Victory over sin is the starting point for anyone to begin experiencing God’s grace.
You cannot overcome forces around you if you cannot win over your inner battles.
Our victory over sin was fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is prevenient grace, which tells you that you’re already a winner through faith in Jesus Christ.
But, the next step is to make this victory your own by inviting Jesus Christ into your everyday living. Make Jesus your Lord and Savior in all aspects of your life.
Victory over sin means victory over anything that prevents you from becoming the best of who God wants you to be.
God’s grace invites you to celebrate by sharing it with others
1 Peter 4: 10, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
Here’s how you celebrate God’s grace:
- First, change the way you think about others. In order to do this, you will need to have the mind that was in Christ. In other words,
- do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself.
- Look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2: 3-4)
- Second, watch the way you talk with others. The way you talk matters. It tells others of who you are and describes how you choose to relate to other people.
- Third, be aware of the way you deal with issues in your life.
- Be an inspiring, empowering and encouraging person even in impossible situations.
- Be a problem solver. You can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4: 13).
God’s grace aims at “everyone from every nation, all tribes and peoples and languages to stand some day in order to sing and praise God at the end of time!”
God’s grace makes you not guilty and will therefore help you, not only and personally experience God in your own life, but also celebrate it in your everyday living.
The celebration of God’s grace in your life means living in a way that “everyone around you will hopefully stand some day to sing and praise God in this life and the one to come!” You are not guilty because of God’s grace.
I would be glad if you can share this post with someone else who may need to hear they also can be guilty because of God’s grace!
This reflection was based on the sermon, A Celebration of God’s grace. Click below to listen to the full audio sermon.
