GRACE

FINDING GOD’S FAVOR AND POWER FOR LIVING

The first definition that I remember hearing about grace as a new believer was the simple acrostic

It was simple enough to remember and it made sense to me at the time. But little did I know how deep the meaning was.

Can a lowly sinner find the favor of a Holy, Sovereign, and Almighty God? Noah did. When God’s wrath would be poured upon all mankind in the form of the flood, the Bible says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen.6:8). So did Abraham (Gen.12:1-3). So did Moses (Ex.33:17), and many others have too. But how?

Well, it isn’t because of some religious act or personal quality found in us. As a matter of fact, there is no amount of money you could pay for it, nor duty you could perform to merit or win God’s favor in your life (Rom.4:4). It cannot be passed down from one generation to another; neither can it be passed on from one person to another. You can’t get it from your pastor, your spouse, or from your parents. Your church affiliation or theology persuasion doesn’t grant you an automatic blessing of God’s grace. I know that these may seem like elementary things, but they are bedrock biblical truths of which we need to remind ourselves. The only way that a sinner can find God’s favor is in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Eph.2:1-7).

It was at the expense of Christ’s death that the riches of God’s favor come to us (Eph.1:2-3)—as a gift (Rom.5:15), laid hold of by faith (Rom.4:5). How does the favor of God look? It comes in a number of ways. As we survey the whole of Scripture, we discover what is called:

• Common grace (Matt.5:45; Acts 14:17)
• Saving Grace (Eph.2:8-9)
• Enabling grace (1 Cor.15:10; James 4:6)

Everyone gets common grace. Some receive saving grace. And all who have received saving grace need enabling power to do God’s will.  So how do we find it daily? The Apostle Paul gives us the answer in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:

“…Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The way enabling power is experienced for the Christian believer is not always by substitution, but it is often by transformation in the trial. Here are two key principles for experiencing the transforming power of grace:

1. Acceptance—accept the weaknesses. Your attitude is important to receiving the transforming power of grace. An old saint once said, “Ah, if you knew what power there is in an accepted sorrow.”
2. Dependence—lean in trusting faith upon the Lord. Remember, the purpose of difficulties is to humble us so that we are strengthened by grace. (Cf. Is.40:29-31; 2 Cor.4:7)

Do you need grace? Now you know where and how to find it.