When Grace Abounds

 

 

Does it surprise you for me to say that the word grace has many meanings? As a matter of fact, Nelson’s Bible Dictionary says that in the New Testament, the Greek word for grace is a very common word used in many ways:

 

• A pleasant external appearance as “gracefulness” or loveliness.” This definition is used today to describe a very graceful or lovely lady.

 

• A special blessing of God on a particular undertaking as in Acts 15:40 where Paul and Silas were “committed by the brethren to your missionaries when we commission them to go out in a new ministry.

 

• The word grace was frequently used in a letter to wish favor for the recipient as in Titus 3:15b where Paul said: “Grace be with you all.”

 

• But most important, the word grace is used in the sense of justification by God. This is by far the most common use of the word — the one that we use most often today.

When you hear or read the word grace, do you automatically think of God’s Grace that brings us eternal life? If you do, that is good,

because God, being rich in love and mercy, has shown great love to the human race by providing a Savior for the unsaved . . . A condition that we have all experienced.

 

Romans 3:23 says that we have all sinned and fall short of being what God wants us to be. We deserve to be separated from Him for all eternity but because of His great, Divine love, He sacrificed His only Son in order that we might be guaranteed eternal life with Him. Though His Grace, we have this free gift to enjoy if we reach out and accept it.

 

How about it? Can you remember a specific time when you said to God, “I understand that I have sinned and done wrong things. Will you forgive me? I want to accept the free gift of salvation provided by your Son and trust Him to provide me with eternal life.”?

If you can’t remember ever doing that, what is keeping you from doing it right now? God is waiting for you to accept the gift that only Jesus Christ can give.

 

by Marie Elliott