All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.
Colossians 1:6
Grace, ah yes, it is the crux of gospel truth: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The Greek word for grace, charis, speaks of unmerited favor (mercy) shown to us by God. It is a gift, totally undeserved yet gladly given. As Charles Swindoll (The Grace Awakening Guide, Page 3) says, “It is on this great theological word that our eternal destiny hangs, for the undeserved favor of God is our only hope of being accepted by Him.”
Look at what the Father has done for you (Colossians 1:12-14):
He has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light
He has rescued you from the dominion of darkness
He has brought you into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
in whom you have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Because of his great love for us (Ephesians 2:4), God extended His grace to mankind down through the ages, through the wanderings and rebellions and exiles and returns, to the birth of His Son, to the hanging on a cross, through all my sins be they unintentional or willful. That is original grace, God’s grace, rich in mercy and compassion and tenderness and love, big enough to pull me out of the world’s muck into heaven, should I grab hold of it.
Once I heard it and understood God’s grace, I could not resist. Grace is most beautiful to behold when it intersects with that aha! moment of truth. Yet I doubt that I shall ever understand it in all its truth, in this life. I am surprised by grace around many a corner.
Once I had the gospel truth in my life, it became mine to pass on as it is yours to pass on. Your story with the good news is that which portrays God’s grace tangibly, ripening the fruit of soul-reaching truth.
Nancy P
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