Grace

               What is grace? It’s something we don’t deserve. We can’t earn it, can’t buy it. We don’t deserve it. Yet it’s given freely. And it cost something. It cost more than any of us would dare to pay. It cost a life. An innocent one. Jesus sacrificed himself so we could have grace.

               Let’s start at the beginning. How does one get saved? Throughout religions and history, people have tried to answer that question. A common theory is through good works and though this is a good thing, it won’t get you saved. The answer to the question is found in Ephesians 2:1-10. Paul starts by explaining what we are without Christ; dead men walking. Verse one starts off by saying, “As for you, don’t you remember how you used to just exist? Corpses, dead in life, buried by transgressions” (the Voice translation). Now, we aren’t dead. Not in a literal sense. Paul is saying that without Christ, yes you’ll find pleasure in the material things but it will never fulfill you. When we give in to those desires and look for gratification, you’re follow the ways of the world. And the world is corrupt.

               Grace is God’s love exercised through the death of His son. We have been brought to life through Christ and there is nothing anyone can do to separate us from the love bestowed on us. This does not make us better than the people who aren’t saved; after all, we all sin. But, because we have this grace and have realized it, we should extend it to those who have no hope. Everyone needs grace.

               How do we access this grace though? That’s the most important question. The answer? Through faith. Faith is the proper response to grace. It is your choice whether or not to believe that God exists. It also your choice whether or not to accept the grace He gives. Grace is found through salvation in God. It’s a gift and all you have to do is ask and He will give it to you joyfully.

               Grace is a testimony of God’s character. We deserved death. That’s why Jesus had to die. But through God’s unfailing, eternal love, He gave us a way out. Instead of damning us all because we deserved it, He provided salvation. That’s His nature. God is loving and kind and so, so generous. And because of that, we are free from sin and death. We are alive in Him and there’s nothing that can separate us from His love.