The Five SolasEsimerkki

Grace Alone 

The doctrine of God’s grace should grip us profoundly. It exalts God as sovereign, reveals the desperate fallen condition of sinful man and bridges this gap by the all-sufficient, powerful, saving work of Christ. It is by grace you have been saved! 

To delight in and savor the riches of God’s grace, we have to first understand that we are dead in our sin. We are not sick in our sins but dead. This means that there is nothing we could do to revive ourselves from this condition. And this death refers to our spiritual death and ultimately our eternal death. The passage explains this further by saying we are enslaved to sin and we are objects of wrath and condemnation. Unless we grasp the true condition of our sinful hearts, we will never understand the depth of God’s grace. 

When we realize the depth of our sin, we long for the grace of God. The passage says we were made alive with Christ and no longer spiritually dead. We were raised up with Christ and no longer under guilt and shame. We are seated together with Him in a place of love and honor. There is a great transfer. What we deserve is given to Christ and what He deserves is given to us. 

Jesus takes the punishment, alienation, condemnation and death that we deserve. We receive the honor, glory and acceptance that He deserves. God’s grace is a gift that cannot be earned. The perfect righteousness of Christ is a gift for us. 

When we understand the grace of God, it leads to a life of holiness, humility and joy. Do you marvel at the grace of God? Does your life display the handiwork of God’s grace?