A lot has been written and said about grace, but what does it mean to have grace?
Grace means forgiveness
First of all, grace means forgiveness. It is an incredible gift that we receive when we repent from our sins and accept Jesus as our Saviour. Without this gift of forgiveness, we would be lost forever. Jesus paid for our sins, once and for all. (Ephesians 1:7.)
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that he will forgive your sins. If you do, times of spiritual strength will come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19-20 (GNT).
Grace means help
In the old covenant, people also received forgiveness of sins, by sacrificing animals, but they couldn’t get any help to stop sinning. It was a constant cycle of sinning, forgiveness, sinning and forgiveness. In the new covenant we have a better hope. Jesus broke this cycle and overcame in every temptation. He made it possible for us to also come to an overcoming life, firstly by forgiving us our past sins and giving us a new start, and secondly by teaching us to overcome in temptation, just as He overcame. (Hebrews 10:20.)
“Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 (NCV).
“When we need it.” That is the moment when we realise we are being tempted to sin. Before we fall in sin, we can ask for help from our Saviour (who was also tempted in the same way as we are), and through the Holy Spirit, He gives us grace and help to overcome – before we fall!
No matter how bound in sin I am now, I can receive enough grace to overcome and become completely free.
Grace means time
“We work together with God, and we beg you to make good use of God's gift of undeserved grace. In the Scriptures God says, ‘When the time came, I listened to you, and when you needed help, I came to save you.’ That time has come. This is the day for you to be saved.” 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (CEV).
As we read this and sense a longing to overcome sin, we still have a time of grace over our lives. But this time of grace won’t last forever, and we don’t know how much time we still have. Today is a day of grace; today we have the opportunity to come to God, to receive help to be saved, to be set free and overcome, and no longer be a slave to our selfish desires and our selfish ego. Let us make good use of our time!
The humble receive grace
God gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6.) I need to admit that I can’t be good and pure on my own. I need to admit that I completely need Christ’s help to overcome all the evil in myself. Only then, God is able to give me grace.
Grace also means that everything I achieve in my spiritual development and even earthly things, I have received from God, therefore I should give Him all the honour.
Grace means it’s possible to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives
“For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all people. That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world, as we wait for the blessed Day we hope for, when the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ will appear. He gave himself for us, to rescue us from all wickedness and to make us a pure people who belong to him alone and are eager to do good.” Titus 2:11-14 (GNT).
So, what does it mean to have grace?
Grace means forgiveness. Grace means help and strength to overcome all the sin God shows us. Grace means time to work on our own salvation. This grace is available to all who are willing to accept Jesus as Lord. It is available daily, at God’s throne where there is grace, to all who are willing to humble themselves and cry out to God for help and power to overcome the sin that rises up in them. Today is a day of grace!
