John 1:15-17
Grace is a meaningful concept that is particularly meaningful to those who follow Christ. Because of Grace, our fallen nature and sinful behavior no longer form a barrier between us and God. He bestows His grace upon us without merit – meaning we don’t deserve it and can’t do anything to attain it.
We have received the favor of this apostleship that is grace and a fitness for it that is truth. We have received grace for grace. All that we receive in Christ is summed up in this one word, grace we have received even grace, so great a gift, so rich, so invaluable we have received no less than grace this is a gift to be spoken of with an emphasis. It is repeated, grace for grace for to every stone in this building, as well as to the top-stone.
It is grace the good will of God towards us, and the good work of God in us. God’s good will works the good work, and then the good work qualifies us for further tokens of his good will. As the cistern receives water from the fulness of the fountain, the branches sap from the fulness of the root, and the air light from the fulness of the sun, so we receive grace from the fulness of Christ. It is grace to us for the sake of grace to Jesus Christ. God was well pleased in him, and he’s therefore well pleased with us in him, It is a blessing poured out, that there shall not be room to receive it. We are not straitened in the grace of Christ, if we be not straitened in our own bosoms.
Grace for grace is grace for the promoting and advancing of grace. Grace to be exercised by ourselves gracious habits for gracious acts. Grace to be ministered to others, gracious vouch statements for gracious performances: grace is a talent to be traded with. The apostles received grace (Romans 1:5; Ephesians 3:8), that they might communicate it, 1 Peter 4:10. The grace we receive from Christ changes us into the same image (2 Corinthians 3:18), the image of the Son (Romans 8:29), the image of the heavenly (1 Corinthians 15:49).
Yet God’s Grace is offered to us free of charge. All we have to do is ask for it. His grace is available to us when we are not yet believers in Christ but ask earnestly for Him to enter our hearts, and it’s available to us each time we fail but honestly seek His forgiveness. And God’s Grace never runs out. We can never approach God for grace and hear Him answer, “Sorry, but you have used up your allotment of grace.” He continually offers us His abundant, overflowing, undeserved, amazing grace.
The Bible assures us that we have been saved by grace; it is not our actions or our circumstances that brings us salvation. But a personal encounter with the Crucified does. Let’s live in light of the freeing power of God’s unmerited grace in our lives.
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