“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV).
I spent a solid 20 minutes trying to explain the concept of God’s grace to someone who was terrified that if they made a mistake, God might smite them somehow. This had been a longstanding fear of theirs. Unfortunately, after I talked in circles for a while, my friend’s face just showed confusion and mixed feelings rather than the relief and joy I was hoping to see.
Have you ever worried that God might be mad at you? That you don’t do enough? Or that He might punish you if you don’t stick to the straight and narrow and check off all the right boxes? Whether we need to earn God’s favour to stay out of trouble or earn His favour to deserve blessings or answered prayers, this is a painful position to find ourselves in.
Oddly enough, after speaking with this friend the next day, I found a song that perfectly explained God’s grace! What I tried to explain had already been beautifully expressed in a 3-minute, toe-tapping song with catchy rhymes, too. The singer, Richlin, says, “Here’s some good theology that will set you free. When He looks at you, He is only pleased indeed. Not because of what you do, but who you’re tethered to (…) His smile stays fixed on you, ’cause it’s Jesus that He sees you through, even on your worst day, or after a mistake.” In other words, the Good News is that the debt was paid, and now, when God sees you and me, He doesn’t see our flaws or how much we mess up. He sees Jesus. He sees what we could never earn or deserve. He sees His beloved son.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV). Since we were “dead in transgression” when God saved us, we know, for sure, that we didn’t deserve or earn God’s favour because a dead man can’t accomplish anything – he’s dead.
The beautiful thing here is that no mind games or guesswork are needed. There are no hoops to jump through or complicated riddles to work out. Amazingly, in the pages of Scripture, we find God Himself telling us who He is and where we stand with Him. After a long and complicated history between God and humanity, we now enjoy the grace that bridges the gap between Him and us. And since we can draw close to God and enjoy His presence, we get to experience His peace, joy and unconditional love, which we could never earn!
Understanding the truth of being positioned in Christ results in grace, also known as ‘undeserved favour.’ This fundamental concept of grace sets us free from striving or trying to keep track of a score God already knows is pitiful. It also sets us free to know who God made us to be and to experience a beautiful relationship with God. It is undeserved favour through trusting God, which saves and redeems us.
Heavenly Father, thank you for being a good father who gives us what we could never earn. Thank you for the beautiful freedom to live in your grace and for seeing me through the lens of undeserved favour. Please help us all to fully understand the radical beauty of grace and the scandal that unworthy people like us can have access to without limits! Thank you, God, that by grace, we can draw close to you and spend time in your presence where joy and peace reign.
