Grace upon Grace
- Richard
- Jan, 02, 2017
- Today's Musings
- No Comments
The grace of God is found in a person, Jesus Christ. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ“ (2 Corinthians 8:9). Through His Son, the Father now proclaims His full message. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son“ (Hebrews 1:1-2). One of Jesus’ titles is the Word. When He became a man, He was God’s incarnate message, His Word to humanity. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” As the early disciples watched Jesus living His perfect life of godliness, they were looking at the glorious revelation of God’s uniquely begotten (that is, virgin-born) Son. “And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” His life was an overflowing demonstration of divine grace and truth: “full of grace and truth.”
Jesus showed us the kind of life that God’s grace could develop in us-a life of truth, a life of godly reality. Jesus came as the One to offer that fullness of grace to all who would trust in Him. Now for those who depend upon Him day by day, life is explained and developed “grace upon grace.” God’s grace first establishes a layer of forgiveness and spiritual new birth. Then, layers of growth, transformation, fruitfulness, victory, maturing, service, etc. are added as His grace is received by faith.
Oh, what fullness is available to us in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him“ (Colossians 2:9-10). Our wholeness of life comes from His fullness. Wherever we are in our spiritual pilgrimage, progress has come through receiving by faith from the fullness of His grace. Whatever remains to be accomplished must transpire in the same manner, receiving more fully of His fullness. Yes, daily Christian living is to be “grace upon grace”–upon grace, upon grace, upon grace-until we stand face to face someday with our Lord of grace!
Blue Letter Bible Devotional
Just as the lost don't understand the Gospel, the saved rarely understand grace.
There are few activities more exhausting and less rewarding than Christians attempting to please the people around them by maintaining impossible legalistic demands. What a tragic trap, and thousands are caught in it. When will we ever learn?
Grace has set us free!
That message streamed often through the sermons and personal testimonies of the apostle Paul.
The lost need to hear how they can go from the island of debris, filled with misery and guilt, to the land of peace and forgiveness, flowing with mercy and grace. Those bridges are built when we lovingly and patiently communicate the Gospel. You don't have to have a seminary degree. You don't have to know a lot of the religious vocabulary. In your own authentic, honest, and unguarded manner, share with people what Christ has done for you. Who knows? It may not be long before you will know the joy of leading a lost sinner from the darkness of death's dungeon across the bridge to the liberating hope of new life in Christ. Once they've arrived, release them. Release them into the magnificent freedom that grace provides. Don't smother them with a bunch of rules and regulations that put them on probation and keep them in that holding tank until they "get their lives straightened out."; Making us holy is the Spirit's work. Be faithful to dispense the Gospel to the lost and Grace to the saved. Then leave the results in the Lord's hands.