The Challenge of Grace (cont)

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Jesus called his disciples to be the “light of the world” – a people living an alternative to the world, grounded in faith and repentance where we acknowledge Jesus is Lord of all.
Yesterday we looked at The Challenge of Grace. Grace is one of those words that we sort of know the meaning of, but we often find difficult to explain. Grace is much, much, more than what we say before a meal. It is extremely profound, in fact the apostle Paul calls it a mystery.

Simply, it is the favour God freely gives to you and to me without expecting something in return. God loves us, God forgives us, and God provides for us, without us having done anything to earn it and without God desiring anything from us. All this comes to us from God free of charge. Jesus Christ willingly died to open up the way so that God’s endless, abundant grace would be available to us. All we have to do is receive it, that’s all.
Regardless of how bad you are, how many sins you have committed, and how many times you think you have failed, God’s grace extends far enough to cover them all. Paul writes that where sin increases, grace keeps on increasing to meet it so there is no sin, or any amount of sin, that can separate a person from God.
God never punishes any person for their sin. They will suffer the consequences of it, but never the punishment for it. Why? Because when Jesus was executed on a cross he paid the penalty and took the punishment for the sins of the world. There is no punishment for sin left.
This is what grace is all about. Grace costs God everything and costs us nothing. Most of us find it hard to believe, hard to accept, and hard to receive. Yet, even though we don’t deserve it and struggle to understand it, it is still freely given to us.
Grace means that no one is too bad to be saved. Not even you. I trust God grants each one of us a clearer glimpse of grace, and that we will receive it with open hearts, minds and wills.
Stephen L Baxter
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