When I look at our salvation, I am reminded of Ephesians 2,
verses 8-10. “For by Grace are you saved…” and though I quote that all the
time, I realized I do not process it properly in my life, because I lack the
wisdom to fully understand what God’s grace means to me.
For one thing, it is the action of his son, motivated by his
love for us, he became poor for us, that we might become rich in him. 2
Corinthians 8:9. The grace part of this is evident in how this is worded “…that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
We have to ask, when and how was the Son of God ever in poverty? We tend to
equate God’s grace with the “…that you might be rich” part of the passage. But
what does it really mean for God’s son to be poor, and on the other hand, for
any one of us humans to be rich? You really cannot use a monetary system to
understand this, the analogy falls far too short to describe this grace spoken
of here. So what do we use to understand this? Sin. That’s right, sin. Starting
with me, I understand what sin is, I know its filth, its destruction, its spiritual
poverty I know all too well. It is something I had and had no way to get rid
of. In contrast though, it is something that Christ did not have. He never knew
its filth, destruction, and its poverty. So this grace was an act of God’s Son,
taking my sin, becoming sin, experiencing my sin with its filth, destruction
and poverty, the same way every human has ever experienced it. He became
poor---{Breathe} when he took my sin, I became rich when it was gone.
Secondly, still looking in the second chapter of the book of
Ephesians, just after he tells us that we are saved by grace, he said this in verses
11-12 “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh…”
Being labeled as a Gentile may set on edge a little, but in the context of
things, this statement is very important to fully comprehending the grace of
God, to grasp the depths in your soul, in your heart of hearts, why Grace. Reading
the rest of this passage helps us understand why we are labeled Gentiles. “…That at that time ye were without Christ, being
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise…”
A careful study of the Bible will reveal that God chose the nation of Israel, decedents
of Abraham, through the line of the child of promise, Isaac, and the twelve
sons of Jacob, who became Israel. They knew the one true God. They were given
the law. They had the hope. The messiah who we call Christ was sent to them. We
were as the last part of this passage states …”having
no hope, and without God in the world…” Think of the millions of people all through
the world’s history that never heard the gospel, never heard the law, never
heard about the God of Heaven. Millions of people that lived in a family, a
tribe, a city, a nation that Satan had taken advantage of with lies that would
turn the clear evidence of God in creation into another form of religion. Died without
hope and without God, and opened their eyes in a lost eternity. But Grace says
this in verse 13 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” “Oh God my
Father, thank you for your grace. Reveal to me a full understanding of your
grace today!”
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide, what can avail to
wash it away? Look! There is flowing a crimson tide; Whiter than snow you may
be today. – Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse
within; Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin.
Mikeee
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