Advent Words 2023 ~ Word 7: Grace

 

Advents Words 2023
Word 7: Grace

“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

This verse in John’s Gospel describes the advent of Christ that we look back on.  John tells us the Word, Jesus Christ, became flesh. God the Father sent God the Son into the world, and He became a man, and he dwelled among us. God with us. Not only did he live among us, but he made God and his glory visible to us in the flesh. When we see Jesus, we see God; we see glory.

Then John gives us good news, God the Son came from God the Father full of grace and truth. God’s grace through Christ means freedom for sinful mankind.

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:21-26

It’s not that grace was not present before the appearing of Christ, but rather that God's grace was fully realized in Christ. The nature of God's grace was made manifest, it became visible, in Jesus Christ.

 

Grace, in its shortest definition, means the unmerited favor of God. It is an act of His loving kindness given to those who do not deserve it and who have not earned it. Paul reminds us of this in the book of Ephesians:

 

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

 

In the incarnation, the Word becoming flesh, Jesus made God visible to us. In Jesus, God made grace available to us. Jesus, the Word, came from the Father, full of, and abounding in, grace and truth. This is the Good News! 

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