4 Rs: God’s Grace!

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4 Rs: God’s Grace

“God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.” (Romans 3:24–25)
Grace is the unmerited favor of God granting salvation to all people through the death and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ. This is a work of God alone and is given to each individual as a gift.
All other religions are works oriented, requiring people to justify themselves through their own good behaviors in order to make themselves acceptable to God.
Jesus Christ came into the world to save us from “self-justification.” According to God’s plan we are offered salvation based on “Christ-justification.” We must be sure that after salvation we build our lives on the foundation of Christ, and not on the foundation of self-effort.

Relationship

It is only through Jesus Christ that our relationship is established with God. We are made alive and responsive to him when we believe that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross pays the penalty for our sin.

Revelation

We have no righteousness of our own. By God’s grace he freely makes us right and acceptable and in right standing before him when we accept that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross pays for the penalty for our sin. Each and every person is a sinner, having failed God’s standard of righteousness.
The blood of Christ is the only payment acceptable to God for our sin. Faith in God’s provision saves us. God and God alone justifies us when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.

Reflection

This is one of the secrets of the kingdom that is revealed to us in God’s Word. It is life-changing! It is only because of God’s grace that we experience the power of the Holy Spirit, power that is continually at work within us, transforming our worldview and enabling us to do God’s will.

Redemption

Son Power makes it possible for us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. As we commune with God and experience the abundant supply of the Holy Spirit, we are freed from the old law of the flesh to live under the new law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

Talk to God

Father, I never get tired reminding myself of your wonderful provision of salvation. I am thankful that the salvation provided to me by the death and resurrection of Jesus not only provides me with life to come, but also your provision for daily living. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and his work in my life. I am asking and trusting you to take control of how I think, feel, and act. Amen.

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