Knowing Grace
(1Co 2:12)
God is the God of grace(Ps 103:8; 1Pe 5:10).
He wants to be gracious to all(Jer 32:18; Mt 5:45), and
He freely gives the best(Mt 7:11).
Faith is knowing what grace and its value are, and
The life of this faith is considering eternal life given by grace to be more precious than breath(Mt 16:24).
Grace refers to God's gift, what He freely gave.
While some treat it as unimportant, thus, easily forget about it,
Others, when tempted, easily toss it away.
The difference between receiving grace or not is
That between heaven and hell;
The difference between knowing grace or not is
That between heaven and earth.
It is, therefore, important to examine whether one truly knows grace or not.
Because God wants all men to receive grace,
He gave in stages:
1. All things - to whomever - for breath(Rm 1:19);
2. The Only Begotten Son - to believers - to give eternal life(Jn 3:16).
Deceived by the devil,
Adam sinned(Ge 2:17, Ge 3:4-6), because of which
The flesh of all men would return to dust after their death(Ge 3:19),
While the spirit would be thrown into the second death, the eternal death(Rev 20:14).
The men who found favor in God's eyes in the Old Testament were:
Noah and his family who were saved from the flood(Ge 6:18-19); and
Lot and his family who were saved from the destruction of Sodom(Ge 19:19).
For they found favor in God's eyes,
The Israelites put the blood of the Passover lamb around the door frames(Ex 12:7-13) and
God delivered them from death that reached the entire land of Egypt.
The commandment that God gave them after their exodus
Promised them longevity in the land that God gave them(Ex 20:12).
The mercyseat(the atonement cover) inside the sanctuary(Ex 25:10) and
The golden vase of manna that reminded them of God's grace in the desert(Jer 31:2)
All reminded them of the God of the life of the flesh(Nu 16:22) and
The fact that there is life in the blood(Lev 17:11).
Thus, sacrifices were always present in the Temple of Jerusalem.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-20),
Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give not longevity of the flesh but
Eternal life to the spirit for
He is the Son of God who brought life inside His flesh(Jn 5:24-26),
The bread of life that God graciously gave(Jn 6:33-35).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Laid down His life for the heavenly throne that God wanted to give Him(Jn 10:17; He 1:2);
2. Judged the devil, the ungrateful Satan(Is 14:12-15; Eze 28:12-17); and
3. Absorbed the price of Adam's sin, eternal death, into His body for three days, and sprinkled His blood on all men to give grace to them(He 2:9).
He rose and ascended to heaven, and
Sat on the throne of grace(He 4:16).
The Holy Spirit lets believers know
What God has freely given them(1Co 2:12):
Before the universe was made,
Before man was made,
Before Adam sinned,
Before the creation,
God decided to make men, not angel,
The objects of His favor(He 2:14-16).
Those who know the grace of God
Not only by knowledge or experience,
But by the Holy Spirit
Consider the Only Begotten Son, the death of Jesus, the blood of Jesus,
As grace, as the best, the most precious, the costliest gift.
Therefore, they never lose His grace,
Even if it means losing their breath.
O Lord,
I can lose my family, my possessions...even my breath.
But I can never lose Your precious blood that You gave tearing Your flesh!
I have truly received grace.
Let all You have given me also know this grace!
Amen.
