GodReflection: Breathing Grace

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

My cultural use of the word faith is rather weak.

I have faith in my favorite sports team. However, my faith lacks a guarantee. I have faith in my candidate—no guarantee here either.

To believe in a successful business adventure or a stock with promise does not guarantee success.

Cultural usage seldom ties faith to the assured.

Biblical faith is different. Every holy promise comes with the Creators seal of guarantee.
I like the way Paul affirms that seal:

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

I think back to the claim of Jesus:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Jesus is the only door that leads to God.

I have to exhibit the faith to believe that he is the door through which grace flows. To receive the promises of God it is imperative I trust the Son.

To receive God’s free gift of Grace I must place my faith in Jesus.

God’s grace is expressed through His kindness to me by His gift of Christ Jesus on a tree and in an open tomb.

So Paul’s explanation to the church starts to make sense.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus . . . [my last post, Living in Heavenly Realms Now]

Paul continues his explanation:

. . . in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2)

So here is how I understand it to be only through faith that God’s grace comes my way.

God wants only His best for me.

For the best to become my reality, my sin—set in motion by Satan’s garden lie and by humanity’s betrayal of God’s relationship—had to be removed.

The only way that could happen was for God to reconnect sinful mankind with the holy. He had to undo what happened in the garden.

To make that possible His loved holy son must  become human, remain sinless, and experience life in a human body.

The son would be kill by Satan and men who submitted to the Devil’s rule.

The death would cause the mixed blood of the human and divine to flow over the garden sin and establish a faith bridge whereby God’s grace of the sacrificial gift of His son would be available to all who cross over.

God in His kindness not only allowed His son to be sacrificed but out of His kindness, He conquered death so Jesus could return as King of the universe and funnel God’s grace to me that includes my eternal resurrection.

Thus by faith in Jesus I find God’s breath of grace.

Both eternal and rather neat don’t you think?

Stay tuned.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells

A GodReflection on Grace Is Available Through Faith.
Gary@Godreflection.org

http://www.MakeYourVisionGoViral.com
http://www.GodReflection.org