IS GRACE AMAZING TO YOU?
It
is no wonder that the religious voices of our day speak of a "grace"
that is not very amazing at all. It is because the true condition of
all people by nature is denied. In ROMANS
5, the apostle Paul speaks of abundant and abounding grace. He
tells of the true grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ as it meets
the true condition and need of sinful men. What is the true condition
that grace meets? Grace meets those who are "without
strength" [vs.
6]. They have no
ability to save themselves, no ability to perform works of perfect
righteousness and no ability to come to Christ that they might have
life.
Grace
meets those who are "ungodly" [vs.
6]. They are
"without God" and therefore without hope in this
world. They do not love God, desire God, serve God, worship God,
praise God, believe God, come to God or submit to God. They are
ungodly! Grace meets those who are "sinners" [vs.
8]. Those who
must be saved by sovereign grace in Christ are those who are sinners
by nature, their very mind being enmity against God; sinners by
birth, by practice and especially sinners by proxy in Adam, their
representative. By him, sin entered in because all sinned in him.
Then,
grace meets those who are "enemies" to God [vs.
10]. They are
rebels against the throne of His glory and dominion, defying His rule
and government and defiling His kingdom. They are enemies in their
"minds,” trust their own “wicked works.” Their
friendship with the world makes them the enemies of God. The truth
is, every person saved by grace is all of these things: without
strength, ungodly, a sinner and an enemy! Now grace that can save
such as these must be "marvelous grace!"
This
grace comes to these sinners through the "obedience of One,"
Jesus Christ. By His obedience "many are made righteous."
This obedience is His obedience unto death! Because grace must "reign
through righteousness," Christ satisfied the claims of God's
holy justice on their behalf and now God can, on the basis of
Christ's blood and righteousness, show grace to them as a just God
and a Savior. All the race fell in sin. The law entered and sin
abounded. But to those who are the objects of God's grace in Christ,
"where sin abounded, grace did MUCH MORE ABOUND"!
Amazing grace it is to each one who has been saved by it. Amazing
grace is righteous grace that is in Christ crucified! Is grace
amazing to you?
-Gospel report by preacher Gary Shepard
Sovereign
Grace Baptist church of Jacksonville, North Carolina USA
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