Tag: God's Grace

Grace Greater than our Circumstance; Embrace That Timeless, Inescapable, Revealed, Extravagant, Grace of God. Ephesians 1:1-14

Ephesians 1:1-14 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Blessings of Redemption

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus [a]by the will of God,

To the [b]saints who are [c]at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:  2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before [d ] Him. In love 5 [e]He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the [f]kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In [g]Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He [h]lavished on [i]us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He [j]made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His [k]kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration [l]suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things [m]in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11 [n]also we [o]have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in [p]Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In [q]Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also [r]believed, you were sealed in [s]Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is [t]given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Extravagant Grace

Ephesians 1:1-2 Amplified Bible

The Blessings of Redemption

1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],

To the [a]saints (God’s people) [b]who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Extravagance. Now, that’s something few of my friends accuse me of!

I am guilty of many things, but as miserly as I tend to be in these cash strapped days, wasting money or spending lavishly is not among them. That’s too bad, because I’ll never be fully like Jesus until extravagance is a part of my behavior.

Extravagance can be a good great and wonderful thing.

In opening his letter to the Ephesians, Paul immediately writes of his own acknowledgement and recognition of God’s personal extravagant blessing;

1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],

Paul writes that God has blessed us with “every spiritual blessing.”

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before [d ] Him.

God’s grace is “freely given” to us.

“The riches of God’s grace” are “lavished on us.”

Look at the stories of Jesus.

Aren’t 180 gallons of “the absolute very finest of wines” saved for the very end of a seven day wedding and wedding reception extravagant? (See John 2:1-11.)

Jesus didn’t think so.

Feeding all the gathered thousands with a few loaves of bread and small fish, Aren’t twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish an extravagant miscalculation of what it takes to feed a crowd? (See Mark 6:30-44.)

Jesus didn’t think so.

Isn’t a miraculous catch of fish, where none had been the previous night, that breaks the nets and then begins to sink boats extravagant? (See Luke 5:4-11.)

Jesus didn’t think so.

We might casually think, “If God really knew what I am like, he wouldn’t be so extravagant toward me.” But God does know exactly what we are like. Paul notes that God lavished his grace on us “with all wisdom and understanding.”

As with the people who enjoyed wine and bread and fish with Jesus, there are only two reasons for God’s extravagance—our forever need, his forever grace.

Timeless, Inescapable, Revealed, Extravagant Grace

Exodus 12:1-13 New Living Translation

The First Passover

12 While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: 2 “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. 3 Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. 4 If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. 5 The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.

6 “Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. 7 They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. 8 That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire. 10 Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning.

11 “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed,[a] wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. 12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! 13 But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

The grace of God for His people knows no bounds and remains within no limits.

To know the truth of this, we need look to nowhere else than the cross of Christ, by which as the Apostle Paul writes “we have redemption through his blood.”

In the book of Exodus, God instituted the Passover, which painted a picture of freedom bought at a price.

He instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a family lamb and spread its blood across their doorposts to prevent a visit from the angel of death as he passed through Egypt. The residents of each of those faithful households avoided God’s judgment of the death of the firstborn son only because a lamb died in his place. (Exodus 12:3-13).

The Israelites were enslaved to Pharaoh.

Similarly, all of us enter this world as slaves in bondage to sin and to death.

The price of our forgiveness was the very blood of Christ, who accomplished redemption as the great Passover Lamb for all who might believe in Him.

It is the power of His blood alone that frees us from death, for life, eternally.

Christ did not come to earth to tell us how to live, to make ourselves Christians.

He did not come to tell us what we have to do to save ourselves.

He came to do what we could not—to save us.

He acted on our behalf, offering forgiveness that is free to us but costly to God.

2 Corinthians 5:11-21 New Living Translation

We Are God’s Ambassadors

11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us,[a] so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.  14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us.[b] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.[c] 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[d] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

We dare not believe that God simply decided to overlook our sin; rather, Christ’s death on the cross absorbed the judgment that you and I deserve. God’s purist holiness requires sin’s penalty to be paid—and His Son provided that payment.

As he considers this, Paul is moved to exclaim, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Ephesians 1:3).

Considering God’s grace should always move us to praise.

But notice the phrase Paul uses in verses 7-8: “the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.”

God’s grace is torrential. It is overwhelming. He has poured it out over each one of His children, holding nothing back. And He will continue to do so for eternity.

Imagine that you have just finished your first meal in a high-end restaurant and someone picks up your check, saying, “I’ve got you covered—I’ll pay.”

That’s precisely what God has said to you, me on the grandest scale imaginable.

That is exactly what God is saying to me, to you, to His badly fractured church.

He isn’t saying there is no payment to be made.

He’s saying He has already made the payment.

God’s grace is beyond all limits, extending further than the eye can see or the human heart and soul can possibly grasp.

So, although as you look back on the last day or week, or even the last minutes, you will know that you are 100% sinful, you can also know this: you cannot sin as much as God can forgive, and you can be confident that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

Will you believe that the experience of God’s matchless grace in with you NOW?

Will we finally enter our dusty attics, open the long neglected “God in the Box?”

Will we enjoy the experience of grace upon grace upon grace for all of eternity?

Do we want to enjoy the experience of grace upon grace upon grace for eternity?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

God of abounding extravagant grace, we thank you today that you do not give in moderation but that you pour your grace lavishly on us. Through Jesus Christ, Amen.

Psalm 23 New Living Translation

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3     He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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God’s Ageless Grace Brings Purpose. 2 Timothy 1:8-12

God’s extravagant grace was present before the beginning of time, has been revealed in Jesus, and continues unchanged and unchangeable for eternity.

Can we somehow, in someway, finally let God’s grace overwhelm us today?

2 Timothy 1:8-12 English Standard Version

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to[a] a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,[b] 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.[c]

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Grace is a gift most of us do not know how to receive.

We’ve been so inundated with our earthly systems of give-and-get and work-and-earn that grace is a concept few ever fully grasp.

Yet it’s grace alone that has the power to transform lives.

Grace alone has the power to bring freedom to the captives.

By grace alone we are saved.

There could be no better use of our time than consistently and passionately pursuing a greater revelation of God’s grace.

I remember becoming transfixed with the transforming power of grace while watching and then re-watching the movie Les Miserables.

Jean Valjean was arrested for stealing a simple loaf of bread.

Finally released after 19 years in prison, he could not find any place to stay until a Bishop graciously offered him lodging.

But then Valjean stole some silver from the Bishop’s home and fled.

Captured by the authorities next day, he was brought back to face the Bishop.

But instead of accusing him, the Bishop said he had given Valjean the silver, and then in addition to the silver, Bishop also gave Valjean two silver candlesticks.

Overwhelmed with the extravagance of grace, Valjean’s priorities changed.

He surrendered his life to God and worked to help others.

God’s extravagant grace was present before the beginning of time, has been revealed in Jesus, and continues unchanged and unchangeable for eternity.

Can we somehow, in someway, finally let God’s grace overwhelm us today?

Transformation-Extravagant Purposeful Grace

2 Timothy 1:8-12 The Message

8-10 So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.

One of the greatest gifts we have been given by God is purpose.

From the time of Adam, God has always made clear the purposes we were created for.

In Genesis 1:28 God says, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 

Throughout time our purposes have changed, but God has made it clear that we all are to have lives that are valuable and effective.

Have you lived days where you’re simply going through the motions?

Have you had days where you feel as if what you do doesn’t matter?

Those days in my life are my absolute worst.

It is clear I would rather go through trial and persecution with purpose than live a meaningless day.

It’s in purpose we find satisfaction.

In purpose we find out our lives matter.

And in purpose we discover the reason we were created.

2 Timothy 1:9 says, “[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” 

Because of God’s grace and purpose we have been called to a life of wonderful and satisfying works.

The Bible teaches us a truth in opposition to the teachings of the world.

The world says to work enough to live a life of comfort and ease.

Work is done for the purpose of relaxation and comfort.

God says that we are created for a life of eternal value in which everything we do is to have purpose higher than our own comfort and relaxation.

God has placed highest value and worth on our lives to an extent we have yet to discover.

He has a plan and purpose for your life that God’s assigned to no one else.

Our life is meant to make an eternal impact for his kingdom which will reign for all time.

But in his grace God has also given you control of your own life.

You can choose to live your life according to his purposes or your own.

And you can choose to pursue comfort and meaningless relaxation or a life of true rest and satisfaction that comes only from living entirely for God.

My fervent hope is that in looking at two purposes God has for our life, we will choose to live our lives completely with and only for our heavenly Father.

And in doing so, we will steadily discover the incredible joy and passion and the purpose the Holy Spirit longs to birth in you and bring to maturity for the Lord.

The first purpose for which we were created is abiding relationship with God.

Jesus says in Mark 12:30, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” 

The Westminster Shorter Catechism says it this way: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

Loving God is your highest calling, and in loving God we will experience the fullest joy and satisfaction available.

When you stand before God in judgment, God will not look for our possessions, promotions, or social status, but rather at the fervor with which you loved Him.

We will be rewarded for acts of love, not self-seeking glorification.

And this chief purpose of loving God is the only path to the abundant life he has in store for you here.

The second purpose for which we were created is loving others in response to your love for God. Mark 12:31 says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” 

Acts 26:16 says, “But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.” 

We are called to love others out of the amazing love we’ve been shown by God.

As our hearts and souls are filled with love for God through their encountering God in their secret places, we will be filled with a longing to see his desires for others around us come to fruition.

God’s greatest longing is for relationship with his crown of creation, and God wants to use us to guide others to himself.

In loving others we will discover the incredible satisfaction of seeing the lost and hurting be found and healed.

Incredible passion and irrepressible joy comes from seeing a life transformed through the Holy Spirit interceding, ministering, working in and within us.

How incredible is the grace of our God that his purposes would be entirely rooted in love.

We who are God’s Children are called to simply love him and others with the very first love we have been shown.

He’s like a father who gives his children money to buy him a present.

He fills us with the love and enjoyment he feels for us, and then in response we can love him and others.

He fills us with the breath of life and then patiently waits for us to live our life as a beautiful song of praise and worship unto him.

May we finally come to experience today all that God’s grace has afforded us.

May we finally choose drop all of our lame pretenses to imitate, choose to live our lives with purpose and passion that only comes from loving him and others.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire to lead you to a life of abundant purpose.

“[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” 2 Timothy 1:9

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16

2. Reflect on your own life. 

Where have we been living with the purposes of the world rather than God?

In what areas are you living for yourself rather than him and others?

And in what areas of your life do you feel meaningless and passionless?

3. Receive the rejuvenation that comes from living with his purposes as your chief goals. 

Allow God to gradually but steadily revive relationships that seem to be tired, without purpose and without passion – feel empowered for God and neighbor.

Allow God to fill you with desire for your work, friendships, or marriage.

Ask for the Holy Spirit to reveal specific ways he desires to use you today.

Psalm 36:5-6 The Message

5-6 God’s love is meteoric,
    his loyalty astronomic,
His purpose titanic,
    his verdicts oceanic.
Yet in his largeness
    nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse,
    slips through the cracks.

The passion and purpose God has for us never ceases.

There will be days or seasons God leads us to rest for the purpose of renewing, loving, and filling us, for empowering us, for inspiring us, for transforming us.

There will be times of work and striving, of trials and of hardships in various and diverse manifestations, in which God purposes to mold, shape, and use us.

Psalm 138 English Standard Version
Give Thanks to the Lord

Of David.

138 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
    before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
    and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
    for you have exalted above all things
    your name and your word.[a]
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
    my strength of soul you increased.[b]

4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
    for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
    for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
    but the haughty he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
    and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
    your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
    Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Wherever God is leading any one of us today, choose to believe trust that God absolutely has only the very best best plan and purpose for you.

Come, Holy Spirit, breathe on me, that I may Choose to live your life with God’s purposes weaved deeply and intricately weaved within my heart and within my soul, and may I experience the passion that can only be found in living for God. Father, focus our eyes and our ears on your extravagant grace. May we become spellbound with the mercy of Jesus Christ so that we offer ourselves totally to your service. Amen.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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I have encountered the Resurrection. Receiving the free gift of God’s Grace: “Charisma” Romans 5:15-21

1. Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Refrain:
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!

People love to receive presents, especially good ones that are useful, and that reveal how the giver put forth some thought and effort into the purchase.

In the Bible we are continuously told of the best and most beneficial gift of all.

Many will seek the favor of a [a]generous person,
And every person is a friend to him who gives gifts. (Proverbs 19:6 NASB)

12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13 moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it. And God has so worked, that people will [a]fear Him. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-14)

7 “[a]Ask, and it will be given to you; [b]seek, and you will find; [c]knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what person is there among you [d]who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, [e]will give him a stone? 10 Or [f]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 So if you, despite being [g]evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:7-11 NASB)

The Apostle Paul proclaimed, “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b)!

God offers to everyone, without exception, the free gift of eternal life, and the free gift of His grace to make the choice to walk in, experience spiritual victory.

Even so, there are those individuals who have refused eternal life in the Son; and there are even those within the body of Christ who are not abiding in their God-given freedom.

The reason why some people are not living in victory is because they have not yet understood or received God’s grace.

Those who have not fully received His grace are walking about in judgment and condemnation.

For the “unbeliever” who has not accepted the gift of God,

he or she is indeed condemned to eternal separation from the Lord.

But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His [a]face from you so that He does not hear. (Isaiah 59:2 NASB)

and a fiery judgment

11 “But when the king came in to look over the [a]dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet, and throw him into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place.’ (Matthew 22:11-13 NASB).

The Bible is abundantly clear in this matter.

For the “believer” who has not fully comprehended the gift of God, he or she is living in bondage from a self-imposed form of condemnation or self-reproach.

God offers the free gift of His grace and a complete pardon from sin; however, His gift does no good just sitting there all wrapped up and looking pretty.

God’s gift must be received and opened; and in this devotional message today,

Faithfully, hopefully, prayerfully, Gracefully, our goal is that we are going to come to a more informed understanding of what is entailed in receiving and benefiting from the greatest gift of all time.

Paul Shared God’s Gift of Grace.

Today, we are going to look at some words shared by the Apostle Paul. Paul is someone who felt compelled to emphasize “the free gift of God.”

In both Romans and Ephesians (2:8, 3:7, 4:7) he taught extensively about the gift of God’s grace, for he believed that receiving this gift was essential for redemption unto God and eternal life.

In Romans chapter five, Paul stressed in great detail the significance of what he called “the free gift of God.”

Right now, I want to invite us to brush off the dust on the covers of our bibles, to open them together with me in humble honor of the reading of God’s Word.

Romans 5:15-21 New American Standard Bible

15 But [a]the gracious gift is not like the offense. For if by the offense of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one offense, [b]resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the gracious gift arose from many offenses, [c]resulting in justification. 17 For if by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

18 So then, as through one offense [d]the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness [e]the result was justification of life to all mankind. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 20 [f]The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

In this passage Paul emphasized the word “gift” six times.

If we view the original Greek, there are two words from which the English word gift has been translated.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb95/rom/5/15-21/t_conc_1051015

When Paul spoke of the singular word “gift” he used the words dorea or dorema, which are simply translated as gift or bounty.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1431/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/

When he utilized the phrase “free gift” he used the word charisma, which by definition means “a favor with which one receives without any merit of his own,” and “a pardon of sin and eternal salvation.”

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5486/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/

Paul also directly mentioned “grace,” and he used the word charis, which means “good will, lovingkindness” and “favor.”

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5485/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/

The words for “free gift” (charisma) and “grace” (charis) are interchangeable; therefore, when Paul spoke of the “free gift” (Rom 5:15, 16, 18) he was referring to the free gift of grace.

In Ephesians 3:7, Paul declared, “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace” (3:7a NIV).

https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb95/eph/3/7/t_conc_1100007

The Bible teaches that God’s grace is a free gift that He offers willingly to those who will freely receive it.

There Is One Who Receives the Gift

The One who offers the gift of grace is God.

The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave . . .” (Jn 3:16).

The Lord “gave” to the world – to each and every person. Love is not so much shown in the words “I love you” as it is demonstrated by action.

John said, “Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18); he also said,

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

God revealed His love by “sending” or “giving” the gift of His Son “to be the propitiation,” or rather the atoning sacrifice, to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind.

Notice the word used to express the degree and measure of that Love – Agape.

USED THREE TIMES IN THAT SINGLE VERSE!

https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb95/1jo/4/10/t_conc_1163010

When Paul declared, “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” in Romans 6:23.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb95/rom/6/23/t_conc_1052023

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5486/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/

The word “gift” is translated from the Greek word charisma, meaning grace.

The “gift of God” is therefore the “grace of God.” God is the gift giver, and He offers the gift of His grace.

Paul identified the gift as “the grace of God” (Romans 5:15), the “abundance of grace” and “the gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17).

Grace is the Lord’s gift of righteousness to mankind.

The Bible says that through Jesus all who believe in Him are to become the “righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Therefore, God saw that mankind needed to receive the gift of righteousness.

The Gift Giver Considers the Need

When someone wants to give a gift, then he or she must first consider the need. So, why is an abundance of grace and righteousness necessary for mankind?

Paul spoke of the death, judgment, and condemnation that resulted from the one man’s offense, disobedience and sin.

The “one man” he referred to was Adam (Romans 5:14), the very first man created. If you will recall the biblical account, he and his wife Eve ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God had commanded the man and woman not to eat of this tree, and when they acted in disobedience and ignored God’s commands, sin entered the world.

At that moment they were evicted from paradise and separated from God (cf. Gemesis 2:16-17, 3:1-24).

Adam committed the very first sin in history, and sin has plagued mankind ever since (Romans 5:14).

Adam demonstrated how sin results in death, judgment and condemnation.

Paul said, “Through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation” (Romans 5:18).

When Adam sinned then all mankind became enslaved to sin.

Paul said elsewhere, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

There is not one single person on earth who is without sin (Romans 3:10), and sin results in death. Paul stated, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23);

and the death he referred to was a spiritual death of eternal separation from God in the flames of hell.

Mankind was condemned to death, and the Lord saw that the need was for life.

The Gift Comes with a Price Tag

Every gift comes with a price tag, meaning there is a purchase price to be paid.

Just as sin came through the “one man” Adam, the gift of grace came through the “one Man” Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15, 17-19, 21).

We read that this gift came by way of His “righteous act” (Romans 5:18), or His act of payment.

What was the price for God’s grace and forgiveness to be shown to the world?

In Acts, Paul said that Christ “purchased [us] with His own blood” (20:28).

He also mentioned how “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3),

and that “when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

Jesus purchased the world’s freedom with His own life.

The story goes,

When Billy Graham was driving through a small southern town, he was stopped by a policeman and charged with speeding.

Graham admitted his guilt but was told by the officer that he would have to appear in court.

The judge asked, “Guilty, or not guilty?”

When Graham pleaded guilty, the judge replied, “That’ll be ten dollars – a dollar for every mile you went over the limit.”

Suddenly the judge recognized the famous minister.

“You have violated the law,” he said. “The fine must be paid – but I am going to pay it for you.”

He took a ten-dollar bill from his own wallet, attached it to the ticket, and then took Graham out and bought him a steak dinner!

“That,” said Billy Graham, “is exactly how God treats repentant sinners!”

The price of your redemption unto God was Jesus’ death. The Bible says that everyone is supposed to die for his or her sins (Romans 6:23);

however, Christ stepped in and took your place in death.

He took the penalty upon Himself, so that those who believe in Him (Romans 10:9) would not have to perish.

In Galatians, Paul said,

“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:3-4).

Jesus died for all mankind in order that those who choose to believe will have life.

Paul stated that the life he now possessed was “by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The Receiver Appreciates Its Worth

God has given the free gift of His grace, which is His divine favor and pardon from sin.

Paul declared, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

In order to receive this gift, you must first appreciate its worth.

What did it cost? It cost God His one and only Son.

John said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

The forgiveness of sin is impossible to earn.

It could have only come by way of God’s perfect Son.

The Bible further says,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

You and I must make the sincere effort to realize the cost of our salvation and recognize that the cost is far greater than anything you could pay by yourself.

If you and I believe that you and I can work our way into heaven, then you and I will forever be working and always owing.

Paul said, “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt” (Romans 4:4).

Jerome was a church father who translated the Greek manuscripts into Latin and put the Bible in the language of the people.

He purposefully lived in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

One night, Jerome had a dream that Jesus visited him.

In the dream, he collected all of his money and offered it to Jesus as a gift.

The Lord said, “I don’t want your money.”

So, Jerome rounded up all of his possessions and tried to give them to Jesus.

The Lord said, “I don’t want your possessions.”

Jerome then recalled the moment in his dream when he turned to Christ and asked, “What can I give you? What do you want?” Jesus simply replied, “Give to me your sin. That’s what I came for; I came to take away your sin.”

The Receiver Recognizes the Sacrifice

In order for us to receive God’s free gift of grace, we must also recognize and acknowledge Jesus’ great sacrifice.

Do you and I truly understand what Jesus did for us, and do you and I know what it is He offers us?

Jesus told the woman at the well,

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (John 4:10).

If you and I truly understand the gift of God’s grace, and we realize that Jesus is offering you the gift of Himself and the gift of living water and eternal life,

then we should be unhesitant in receiving this indescribable gift!

You and I should be impossibly eager to take hold of it immediately!

The Receiver Must Unwrap the Gift

Once you and I appreciate the worth and recognize the sacrifice involved in the gift of grace, then you and I must receive it and unwrap it.

Grace will not take effect in your life until it is embraced.

In verse 17, Paul spoke of the need to receive.

He said,

“Those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17b).

You and I obtain life in Christ by “receiving” the abundance of His grace; and once you and I have received the gift then you and I must unwrap it.

The Bible shares how to lift the corner of the wrapping paper and open the gift of eternal life. 

Romans 10:9-10 says,

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

When you and I finally recognize the sacrifice of God’s one and only Son who paid the price for your sin, then our understanding must move from the head knowledge unto and into our heart knowledge before grace will take effect.

You and I must not only know in your mind what Jesus did, but you and I must believe and confess with all of your heart that He died for your sin and mine.

God offers you the free gift of His grace this very moment.

He has seen yours and my own futile attempts at becoming right with Him.

The Lord knows you and I are helpless sinners,

and that is why He gave His one and only Son.

Jesus wants to be our atoning sacrifice to step in and pay the price for your sin. He wants to give you the gift of eternal life.

Will you and I genuinely allow Him?

2. Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
threaten the soul with infinite loss;
grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
points to the refuge, the mighty cross.
(Refrain)

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!

3. Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
brighter than snow you may be today.
(Refrain)

4. Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?
(Refrain)

In Revelation we read,

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (22:17 NIV).

If you and I genuinely desire God’s gift of grace and salvation then you and I have to reach out and take it, tear into it with enthusiasm, and unwrap it!

I want to extend Jesus’ invitation to come, and invite you, the reader, to receive the gift of grace, the 100% free gift of salvation from your sins and eternal life.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, the more I recognise my sinfulness, the more I understand the incredible grace that is being poured out on me and on all humanity. Thank You that the more my sin is exposed, the much more I realize what amazing grace has been bestowed on me – and on all who have trusted Christ for salvation, for the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting. Thank You in Jesus’ name, AMEN

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