Gospel

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Just A Thought About Grace

I don’t think I will ever understand God’s grace or be able to comprehend the extent to which it was imparted to me. I wonder how one can understand this Grace until he understands the undeservedness of the recipient and the cost of the giver? Giving that which cost Him everything to those who deserve nothing? NO ! …to those who deserve hell. He gave up heaven that we might escape hell. How can a person experience God’s grace ie. salvation, until he understands his sinfulness and the deservedness of it? I believe that some view “salvation” in the same way that a prisoner on death row, who will not admit his guilt, would view an open cell door. He would run through it to escape the punishment never looking back, with no one to thank and no remorse for his crime. Is he free? No, he is still running and one day will be caught. The one who experiences saving faith does not run through the open cell door because he understands his sentence…he accepts his guiltiness and therefore is in a position for a pardon. He then is in a position to receive grace. So if we follow this scenario a little farther, we might imagine that the State’s Governor upon learning of the prisoner’s refusal to leave his deserved punishment, decides to consider this guilty man for a pardon; and after learning of his contrite heart, sets him free. But…did the Governor show grace by his pardon? No, only mercy. He simply allowed the prisoner to escape that which he deserved and withheld punishment that was due. However, the Governor could have shown grace only if he had offered himself in exchange for the guilty man, took off his suit, put on the prisoner’s clothes, stepped into the jail cell and gave the prisoner his identity. This might be remotely an example of what Christ did for us. He bore our sin, our punishment, our sentence, our guilt; and by doing so gave us a new identity…His identity. So, I ask you… “how can we neglect so great a salvation?” Does the prisoner who goes before the Parole Board for consideration receive parole when he has no remorse for his crime? I recall a couple of prisoners in Acts who, even though they were guilty of nothing, remained in their cell even when the doors were miraculously opened; and by this act showed grace to the jailer who was about to kill himself. Then after experiencing this grace, an act which cost Paul and Silas an opportunity to escape, the jailer fell on his knees realizing he should be a dead man, and he said…”what must I do to be saved?” So, the question must be asked again. Are you like the prisoner who ran through the opened door with no sorrowful heart, never looking back, unable to understand the undeservedness of the recipient and the cost of the giver? Or does your life reflect gratitude and thankfulness which is lived out daily for Him who gave up everything for you who understands that you deserved hell?

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