the grace of god
“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
His glorious appearing is more than an incident of the past; it is the hope of the Christian future. There beats in the heart of every child of God the glorious hope of Christ’s return.
This hope is a stimulant toward righteous living and conduct and makes Christ more than a figure of history. This hope gives Him the living breath of reality. The expectancy of His coming again makes Christ a vibrant living being who even now prepares Himself as the bridegroom to meet His bride, the church.
The motive of grace is the infinite, compassionate love of a merciful God, but the work of grace was the death of Christ on the cross.
Unless we view the grace of God through the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, we cannot comprehend its true meaning and significance. When I see Christ hanging there, the spikes in His hands, the crown of thorns on His brow, the blood being shed for our sins, I see the picture of God’s grace toward men. I know then that man cannot work his own way to heaven, and that nothing can equal God’s infinite love for sinful men.
Only as we bow in contrition, confession, and repentance at the foot of the cross, can we find forgiveness. There is the grace of God! We don’t deserve it! A man said some time ago, “When I get to the judgment of God, all that I will ask for is justice.”
My beloved friend, if you get justice, then you will go to hell. You don’t want justice. What you want is mercy—the mercy of God, the grace of God as it was in Christ Jesus who died for us and rose again.