In the Grip of GraceParaugs

The Story We've Joined

The Bible contains two testaments: the Old and the New. Each Testament is a crucial part of God’s revelation to us, working together to weave the same overarching story. Both are necessary to communicate the full splendor of God’s work in history: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.

In Romans 9:4–5 Paul explains the connection between the Old and New Testaments. God, in his sovereign will, chose the Jewish people as his vehicle to reveal himself to the world. It started with a promise that God made to a man named Abraham and resulted in God’s promised Messiah—God put on flesh and stepped into the world as a Jewish carpenter named Jesus. 

Many of God’s chosen people rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Paul addresses this saying that from the start, God’s plans never fail (see Romans 9:6–8). What does this have to do with grace? The story of God’s people has everything to do with grace because the blessings these people received were given, not earned. There was absolutely nothing special about Abraham that made God establish a covenant with him. God chose to establish that connection to bless the world—simply because he chose to do so. It’s all about God’s mercy. None of us are worthy of knowing God, yet God invites us into a relationship. We are unworthy of even speaking with God, yet he asks us to talk with him at any time.

This is God’s grace. And it’s the kind of grace we find throughout the Old Testament and in our story as well. When we connect to God’s whole story, it bonds us to something greater than we are. It reminds us that we aren’t isolated threads but part of a grand tapestry where a pattern of grace emerges that leads to the ultimate act of grace through the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And God is the Master Weaver.

Paul described the relationship between the nation of Israel and the church as the process of “grafting.” Believers who are not Jewish (called gentiles) are connected into the established relationship between God and his chosen people (see Romans 10: 12–13). We’ve been accepted, connected to roots that run deep, and given a chance to thrive. The good news of God’s grace is that it doesn’t matter what sort of person you are—God only cares about you. End of story.

If you’ve not taken the step to join God’s story, today is a good time to do so. Simply confess that Jesus is Lord. Say it out loud or quietly in your heart. It doesn’t matter. Just mean it. Then believe that Jesus was resurrected. He’s not a man in the grave but God in the flesh with the power over death. Confess and believe, and you will be saved. And then, be humble about it. You’ve been invited into the story not because you’re special in any way, but simply because God likes you. He loves you! (See Romans 12:3.) How amazing indeed, this gift of grace. Just confess and believe . . . and you will be saved.

Respond

How would you describe your connection to the Old Testament?

What does it mean to you that God makes his grace and mercy available to everyone?

How does a person become a part of God’s story, a part of his family? Describe where you stand in relation to God’s offer of salvation?