I’ve just started reading “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” by Philip Yancey. Grace is a huge topic and one that seems to get its meaning trounced when intermingled with a hundred pounds of theology or overly religious explanations (though I will not deny the importance of such ventures, it’s important not to get lost in the tangled roots of man’s musings). Of course, you can always get Webster’s definition, but in this case even it lacks some of the power behind what God has truly given us.
Here follows the simplest definition of grace I can muster: an unwarranted, unearned, unmerited gift given without the expectation of future repayment.
As Yancey puts it, “…grace does not depend on what we have done for God but rather on what God has done for us.” (Yancey, 55)
In the context of Jesus’ teachings including such prominent parables as The Prodigal Son, the concept of grace shows through. If you’re not familiar with the parable, I would recommend reading it.
The most amazing part about grace comes when you realize it applies to you in your own life. No matter what horrible sin–be it sex, lust, pornography, lying, stealing, murder, hatred, etc.–God will forgive you.
1 John 1:8-10 (ESV): “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
He loves you in spite of any terrible thing you’ve done in your past, anything you’re doing in the present, and anything you will do in the future. (This is not to say that he wants you to continue in such a lifestyle.)
It gives me incredible relief to know I’m loved by God and cared about by God despite my numerous shortcomings and my failure to live a life free of mistakes. God loves you the same way.
Tags: Bible, grace, Philip Yancey
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