Grace At The Center
By Dennis Lee
Our faith activates God’s grace, and grace puts God at the center of everything, which means that our salvation is totally a work of God, a free gift, and nothing that we can accomplish on our own.
In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul said, “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.”
Now, the standard definition for grace is “God’s unmerited favor.” And that’s correct. God loves to bless all who don’t deserve it, which includes every one of us.
Grace is a part of God’s nature. That’s why it’s important for us to understand His grace, because the more we understand God’s grace, the more we’ll be drawn to God and love Him for it.
So, what exactly is grace?
“Grace,” is when God gives us what we don’t deserve, and that is His blessings. It is where we deserve punishment for our sins, but instead God gives us the blessing of forgiveness, salvation, and heaven instead.
This is again seen in what Paul writes, but this time to the church in Rome.
He said, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
The Greek word for grace means an acceptable act, benefit, or favor. It is something that’s given without any expectation of a return in kind; hence, it is a gift, which is freely given.
Our salvation is not given based upon our ability, but upon God’s generosity, and it’s a gift freely given by God that is based upon our faith in Him, and not upon anything we do to earn it.
Grace puts God at the center making us completely dependent upon Him if we ever want to have eternal life in heaven.
Grace, therefore, is at the center because it puts God at the center, and it is through faith in God’s gracious act of redemption in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the sacrifice for our sins that gives us eternal life.
“Therefore, it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure.” (Romans 4:16)
And so, God’s grace is available to those who by faith believe and put God at the center of their life, making Jesus Christ both Savior and Lord.
Dennis graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with BA in business administration and an M.A. in theology from Talbot School of Theology. He also has an MDiv equivalency degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. Dennis is a prolific writer. He presently has two books, “From Here to There: A Journey to Spiritual Transformation,” and “Wells of Living Waters,” along with other books and pamphlets that he describes as “down the pike.” He also writes a religious column for a local newspaper entitled, “Rediscover the Bible for Life,” along with daily devotionals and thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Living Waters Fellowship’s Website. Dennis is presently the senior pastor of Living Waters Fellowship in Mesquite, Nevada.
Amen! For this I am ever so grateful. Salvation is the most important life-changing and transforming message we can pass onto our children and the next generation, as well as those around us. I can testify of that concerning my own daughter’s testimony. It’s not enough just to know the scriptures; we need to make the choice to truly take them to heart and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior by faith and have our hearts transformed forever for all eternity, our salvation being secured.
Thank you Debbie, I pray you have a great day, and it was great seeing Sammy the other day. Take care and God bless