"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God..."

Grace and Peace

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is the way the apostle Paul opened many of his letters. The single most important problem in the world is that our sins have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). But God, in His eternal mind, had a divine solution the moment sin entered the world (Genesis 3:6, 15).

Our Creator has poured out His love onto humanity in the gift of the perfect sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. “But God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). It becomes evident why Paul could greet the brethren, speaking of grace and peace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

There is no one who can reconcile themselves to God, except that they come to Him through Christ (John 14:6). Jesus Christ came to submit to the Father in total obedience (Hebrews 5:8). The Lord wants us to respond to His love with the same obedience and submission, as we follow in the steps of Christ (1 Peter 2:21). Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

The gift of God is the spiritual cleansing of Christ’s blood, when we show our living faith in submission to His will. (James 2:14-26) “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:26, 27) When we submit to baptism into the death of Christ, we are raised as a new spiritual creature (Romans 6:3, 4), because His blood covers our sins. We can then experience the things that Paul spoke of in his greetings: grace and peace.

When the grace of God is poured out into your life, you can have a peace that goes beyond human comprehension. (Philippians 4:7) Christians alone can enjoy the grace and peace that only God has to offer through His Son, Christ Jesus. If you haven’t yet, let the simple truth of Christ transform your life. (2 Cor. 11:3) Grace and peace are free for the taking.

-Cary Gillis D.Min.

September 6, 2020

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