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Grace

Grace is a gift.

Why?

Because it is given to the recipient whether he or she deserves it.

It is not a reward that requires merit. It is not something that we can earn according to our own righteousness, but only through the righteousness imputed by Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:9). If we believe in Jesus Christ and what He did for us, we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Grace offers us an opportunity to be sons and daughters of the one true living God. To be able to call out to our Father, “Abba!” and have a relationship with Him, no longer separated by sin. Grace is the difference between approaching the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) with confidence and preparing animal sacrifices with shame. 

Grace is freedom from the Law (Romans 7:6).

Grace is what saves us. The Law is what shows us how filthy, sinful, and imperfect we are by nature.  

The gentle urgings of grace towards righteousness is more effective in reaching the “unreachable” than the stern, accusatory bark of the Law. 

Don’t be confused, though. Grace is not an excuse to sin. In fact, it encourages us to do better. All we have to do is truly recognize the scandalous nature of God’s gift. How it accepts, and even searches for us when we’ve gone astray. It’s the arms that warmly embraces the prodigal son, a proper disgrace in society’s eyes, after excitedly running over to greet him. It’s the Shepherd that won’t stop looking for the lost sheep, even if the rest of the ninety-nine are safe. It’s the scale that is far more concerned with equality than justice. 

That being said, the tenderness and fondness a Creator would ought to have for His creation to understand the consequences of such a gift, and give it anyway -- that’s enough to stop anyone in their tracks. Well, at least anyone in need of grace. 

Grace is what allures the sick and condemned to the place of healing. That includes the prostitutes, homosexuals, and convicts. The critical, exclusive nature of the Law is what bars them out. 

The Law is what nailed Jesus to the cross. Grace is what exonerates us from that same fate.

I choose the gift that was so necessary, it required the ultimate sacrifice: the blood of my Savior, hung on a cross.

What do you choose?