“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:8-9 (NIV)
How refreshing to receive something special that you did not deserve! That’s grace in action. God saved us by His transforming grace. In mercy, He did not give us what we deserved. In grace, He gave us what we did not deserve.
Grace is better than mercy. Grace is the blessing that places us in Christ. Once we are in Christ we live the rest of our lives in light of our new identity in Christ. We are blessed with a new position, a new power, and a new purpose.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Cor 5:17 (NIV)
How many portraits of grace have you known? What kind of portrait of grace have others seen in you?
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care