The Wednesday Word - 07 December, 2022 A.D.

Jesus, The Grace of God

 

by DG Miles McKee

 

Titus 2:11-14; For the grace of God that bringeth salvation …
 
As we wrote in a previous Wednesday Word, the Grace of God has appeared in the person of Jesus Christ, the eternal Word made flesh.  Let’s face it, our Master is full of grace and truth, (John 1:14), and "of His fullness have all we received and grace upon grace.” (John 1:16). Literally we have received grace "piled upon" grace. In much the same way as the seashore is subject to the continual arrival of waves, so we have received and are receiving continual waves of grace in Christ Jesus.
Isn’t He wonderful?
 
Jesus is the grace of God in human form. When we say we are saved by grace, we are literally declaring that we are saved by someone else, the Lord Jesus Christ. As gospel believers, we consent and subscribe to the doing, dying and rising again of Christ as our only hope of salvation. 
 
His works were perfect, His works were sufficient and by faith we take His work as our own.
 
When Christ manifests His grace. He manifests Himself.
Therefore, His grace is Glorious (Ephesians 1:6).
Abundant. (Acts 4:33).
Rich. (Ephesians 1:7).
Manifold (many-sided). (1 Peter 4:10).
Sufficient (there is never a shortage). (2 Corinthians 12:9).
 
Grace is a gift, and no one can earn a gift. Think about it, if we received a gift, it would cease to be a gift if we had to contribute, even just a little, to the purchase price.  Similarly, if we had to do one thing to be saved … even as much as to raise our hand at the end of a meeting… we could say, “I did this or that, and in that way earned my salvation.” But this is not the gospel way! Grace is free. It is without works of any kind.
 
Here’s another scripture that confirms once more that Jesus is the Grace of God. In Luke 14:10 we read, “The son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Think about it. What immense grace there is in that one verse.  We were utterly lost sinners who could never find our way back to God.  Let’s say it again, we were lost! (2 Corinthians 4:3).  Unfortunately, that is a very unpalatable and distasteful truth for the average man or woman. We all, at times, like to think there is something we can do to help us save ourselves, whereas, according to God’s Word we are not only lost but also have no ability to remedy our condition. We were spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1).
 
The following story illustrates this truth well.  Back in Ireland, a man who had been recently converted, stood up in a believer’s meeting to give his testimony. He told how the Lord had won his heart and had given him deliverance from the guilt of sin.  Because of the blood of Christ, he now had a clean conscience before God.  He spoke of the Lord Jesus and His work but said nothing of any efforts of his own.

The leader of the meeting was a legalist and when the man’s testimony was ended, he said, “Our brother has only told us of the Lord’s part in his salvation. When I was converted there was a whole lot I had to do for myself. I gave up smoking and drinking and things like that.  After all, I couldn’t expect the Lord to save me until I had cleaned myself up.  Brother, didn’t you do your part first before God did His?” The man was on his feet again in an instant and replied: “Yes, sir, I did my part. I didn’t tell you about my part, did I?  Well, I did my part for more than thirty years, running away from God as fast as my sins could carry me. That was my part. And God chased after me till He ran me down. That was His part.”

Amen! Salvation is all of grace.
And Jesus is the Grace of God.

And that’s the Gospel Truth!