Today, I’m sharing an article written by my friend and ministry partner who chooses to remain anonymous. Using Scriptures, she teaches us about the boundless riches of God’s grace, which not only saves us, but also empowers us to live godly lives that bring glory and honor to God.
I invite you to read her article carefully, mediate on the Scriptures, and apply them to your life.
Until next time….
Chizobam Idahosa
“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:14 ESV
We know from Scriptures that we are living in the last days (Hebrews 1:2, Acts 2:17). Therefore, it is crucial that we take our walk with Christ seriously because we are closer to His return than the early believers were. With this in mind, I have been deeply saddened by some Christian messages that inaccurately portray the grace of God as weak, the same grace that empowers believers to prepare for our Savior’s return. This prompted me to write about God’s grace based on the Word of God.
What is Grace?
Grace is God’s free and undeserved favor toward sinful humanity. It is His unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their spiritual rebirth and sanctification. It is His gift to us, a divine benefit.
One can’t adequately define God’s grace because it is all-encompassing and affects every area of our lives. Praise be to God because we have been saved by His grace through faith, and we did nothing to deserve it (Ephesians 2:8 ESV).
God’s Grace Empowers
The same grace that saved us is also the same grace that empowers us to live godly lives in this world as we await Christ’s return. Meditate on Titus 2:11-14 ESV.
“For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.”
Titus 2: 11-14 tells us that the grace of God saves us and then,
- Trains, instructs, and teaches us to renounce ungodliness
- Trains us to renounce and reject worldly passions: corrupt desires belonging to this present age
- Empowers us to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world while awaiting the return of Christ.
God’s grace accomplishes all this in us through our obedience to the Word.
Personal Testimony
I can testify to the power of God’s saving and transforming grace in my own life. I am very different from the person I was when I received Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. The sins I welcomed and embraced as a sinner, I now shun. His grace has worked and is still working through my obedience to His Word to transform every aspect of my life. Every day, my thoughts, words, behavior, aspirations, and motives are continually being changed to conform to His will. To Him be the glory forever and ever!
We see that God’s grace is not only needed for salvation, but for the entire Christian walk. We are not to receive His grace in vain. It is meant to transform us.
“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” 2 Corinthians 6:1 NKJV
God’s grace also empowers us to carry out our God-given assignments
Consider Timothy; He was Paul’s traveling companion and fellow laborer, and Paul also considered him a beloved son. At a young age, Timothy was made a church leader at Ephesus. Although he had received God’s gift to do the work of the ministry (2 Timothy 1:6 ESV), and prophetic words had been spoken concerning him (1 Timothy 1:18 ESV), he still needed God’s grace to fulfill God’s calling on his life. Paul commanded him to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1 NKJV).
Consider Apostle Paul; He was once a persecutor of Christians (Galatians 1:13 ESV). By the will of God, Paul was called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:1 ESV). No human being taught Paul the gospel. Instead, he received the gospel through a revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:12 ESV). Apostle Paul also received abundant revelations from Christ (2 Corinthians 12:7 ESV). He labored greatly to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (Romans 15:17-21 ESV) and authored most of the books of the New Testament. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he acknowledged that he accomplished his work by the grace of God.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV
“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.” 1 Corinthians 3:10
In the same way Apostle Paul and Timothy needed God’s grace to fulfill their God-given assignment, so do we. We must imitate them.
Obtaining God’s Grace
Based on our understanding of Titus 2:11-14, we must therefore make a practice of daily availing ourselves of God’s grace to empower us to live for Him and fulfill His calling on our lives. As believers in Christ, we already have access into this grace (Romans 5:2 NKJV); we just need to obtain it by doing what Hebrews 4:16 tells us.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16, ESV
When we pray to our Heavenly Father, He makes grace available to us.
Personal Experience
I remember once when I traveled out of my residential state. I forgot to pray in the morning before leaving my hotel room because of the change in my morning routine. It was shocking to me how easily I got irritated and offended during the day. It was then it dawned on me that I had forgotten to pray! I made up my mind that day to never start my day without going to my loving Heavenly Father to obtain grace to obey Him for each new day.
Growing in God’s Grace
We are also to grow in the grace of God. Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3:18 commanded the saints to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Earlier in his letter, he had told the saints how to grow in God’s grace. Consider 2 Peter 1:2-3 NKJV,
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.”
The word translated as knowledge is the Greek word epignosis. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance G1922, epignosis means full discernment, and full knowledge. This is not a mere mental knowledge of God but a precise and correct knowledge of Him that comes from knowing and experiencing God through obedience to His Word.
When we engage with God’s Word in this way, His grace is multiplied to us: empowering us to live godly lives and fulfilling our God-given assignments here on earth while awaiting Christ’s return.
Failing to obtain God’s Grace
We have been given God’s grace through Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:4 ESV). Therefore, we must allow His grace to accomplish His purpose in and through us by embracing obedience to the word of His grace (Acts 20:32 NKJV). The grace we received at salvation is not a license or liberty to sin. The author of Hebrews warns of the sinful consequences if we fail to obtain the grace of God. Consider Hebrews 12:15-17 ESV,
“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.”
Finally, let’s not forget the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 6:15 NKJV
“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!”
Prayer
Father, I pray in the Name of Jesus that you help us continue to practice drawing near to Your throne to obtain grace through prayer. Grant that Your grace will multiply to us more and more as we grow in our knowledge of You. Help us to not receive Your grace in vain but allow You through Your grace to empower us to grow in godliness and fulfill Your calling on our lives as we await the return of Your precious Son, Jesus Christ. AMEN!
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Chizobam,
Thanks for sharing. Beautiful work by a beautiful soul!
You’re welcome, Donna.
This was beautifully laid out. Thank you. I am surprised though, that the article didn’t talk about 2 Cor 12:9. God didn’t take away Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’s but told him “my grace is sufficient”. This was the verse that got me thinking about empowering grace. We can rejoice in our weakness when it comes, because it’s opportunity to receive His grace.