“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” –Ephesians 2:8-9
I remember when my Sunday School teacher, fifty years ago, showed me these verses and told me, “Grace is unmerited favor.”
Later on, I read somewhere that mercy is about not getting what we deserve, and grace is getting what we don’t deserve.
Christ died on the cross for our sins, not His own, and we received the benefit, salvation, not from anything we did, or can do, but because God, out of His love, and His grace, chose to give us this gift.
This is unfathomable, and flies in the face of every religion, which tells us we have to earn our way to heaven. The two differences between Christianity and religion are, that we, as Christians, believe that Jesus Christ is God, and that, as God, He was able to do the works that were necessary for our salvation. Every religion is man-made, instead of initiated by God, so they believe that Christ is not God, and that we must do the work to get to heaven, or whatever they perceive to be the end-point.
Some people believe that grace is a New Testament concept that was only instituted with the coming of Christ. It is true, that the word grace is used far less in the Old Testament, but the concept is evident with Adam and Eve in the garden, with the children of Israel in the desert, and with King David, after his dealings with Bathsheba and her husband. Grace is part of Who God Is, and is apparent in everything He does. Mankind deserves nothing that God has provided!
I learned more about grace after the death of our 5 year-old son, having lost his sister to heart disease, 8 months before. I was devastated! I felt God had taken everything I had! After Sara’s death I was happy to share my testimony about the love we had experienced from God and from those around us. When I heard that David had died, I said, “God, you have taken everything I have! If You want a testimony this time, You’re going to have to give it, because I don’t have anything to give, and I couldn’t give it if I did!”
The next day was the most miserable day of my life, dealing with this God Who kills babies!
But, God’s grace is sufficient, 2 Corinthians 12:9 and through two testimonies shared with me, and an abundance of prayers from those around me, God brought me out of those depths of despair, and gave me the proper attitude that I needed. God’s grace was adequate, and I needed a whole bunch!
Think and Pray: Throughout life we deal with things which are out of our control, and our fleshly selves tend to get angry. God is there for us, in every situation. He has known before the foundation of the earth that these things would happen, He knows what happens next, and His grace is sufficient to take us where He wants us to go. Our challenge is to submit to Him! Heavenly Father, Help me to extend grace to others, in the same way that You are gracious to me in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Eldon Kibbey has served as the Director of CBMC Indiana since 1998. His earlier career included a tour of duty with the US Air Force, a brief career in the aerospace industry with McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, and then 26 years at the helm of a national janitorial service. Eldon and his wife, Sandy, are the parents of four children, and have three grandsons.
