Outreach Ministry For Jesus Christ Volume One May. 2014 | Page 12

God's Grace And Favor
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves,
it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV).
Grace means to get something that we do not deserved. It is unmerited favor from God. God's
greatest act of grace is the gift of salvation that is available to all people. The scripture clearly states
that it is not by our own works. Grace is a gift from God. Human goodness is nothing compared to
God's goodness. Throughout the Bible, God's grace and favor was among many of the people. For
example, In the Book of Esther,
“The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight
more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of
Vashti.” (Esther 2:17, ESV).
Esther came from a background where she was a Jew and an orphan. During those times, it was
impossible for anyone with Esther's background to become queen. However, because of the works
of God by giving her grace and favor, she was made queen. It is not about the the works of human, it is
all about the works of God.
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to
me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that t
he power of Christ may rest upon me.”
(2 Corinthians 12:8-9, ESV).
We do not deserved the grace of God through salvation, however, because His love for all people are
unconditionally, His grace shines through our weaknesses. We must understand that human goodness
are weakness. It takes the grace of God through salvation to makes us strong. It is by His power and not
our own. While it is true that God has made His grace available to all people, we have to make a choice
to come to Jesus and receive His gift of grace. We must make the choice to come to God and receive
His gift of salvation.
“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law
comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus
Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus.”
(Romans 3:20-24, ESV).
We all have sinned and has fallen short of God's glory. Because of the love of God for all people, He
gave His only Son, Jesus Christ so that we may have salvation through God. The grace of God is an
unconditional love for all people. Human goodness has no comparison to God's goodness. We are not
justified by our own works, we are justified by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Salvation is
saving our souls from sin. We are redeemed through Jesus Christ. God's gift of grace and salvation is
through love and His desire to have us with Him.