Day 12: Grace
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:21-24
This passage, containing three brief sentences, contains the full gospel of grace. It contrasts for us the law and grace. What the law could not do, God did by grace for those who believe in Jesus Christ. We are reminded in this passage that we are all sinners. Everyone of us has sinned, but God offers us a gift we can freely receive by His grace through the redemption that came by His Son.
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
In the incarnation , Jesus made God visible to us. In the incarnation, God made grace available to us. Jesus, the Word, came from the Father full of - abounding in - grace and truth. This is the Good News! Pastor Ray Pritchard explains the significance of the words grace and truth used together in this verse:
"These two words explain why Jesus came to
the earth. They go to the very heart of the gospel. Because he was full of
grace, he died for you and me while we were yet sinners. Because he was full of
truth, he was able to pay for our sins completely. He forgives the sinner
because he bore the sin himself. Here is truly good news for people like us.
Because he is Grace-full, you can come just as you are. Because he
is truth-full, you can come in complete confidence that he will keep
his promises. When he promises a complete pardon for your sins, he means it. Do you need a trustworthy Savior? Fear not. Jesus is
full of truth. Do you need a forgiving Lord? Come to him for he is full of
grace."
Advent is a celebration of the incarnation - the gift of God's grace through His Son Jesus Christ!
No comments:
Post a Comment