But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)
Finding Purpose In The Grace Of God – What God Has Done For Me
The relationship between God and man was dead. Because of sin, man lost his place with his Creator and benefactor. Because God is holy and demands righteous compensation for the debt of sin, no animal blood could eternally atone for the sins of the world. The cost was unfathomable. Nothing man could do could remove the debt of sin because he deserved the wrath of God, the fierce indignation of the Lord, and the eternal penalty for sin. Everything pointed toward the destruction of humanity.
The history of the world proved the righteousness of God pure. Cain killed Abel. God disapproved. The world became so wicked that the Lord slew everything with the breath of life on the face of the earth. Only Noah and his family were spared. God raised up the Hebrews to become His people of Israel. He gave them a written law through Moses to guide them in the paths of righteousness. Israel rebelled from the beginning and never ceased. God destroyed them, leaving a remnant that returned from Babylon.
All the failures of humanity proved the word of God that proclaimed man deserved nothing. Everyone sins and rebels against God’s holiness. There are no righteous souls. Even the best of men fail and struggle with sin. Noah got drunk, Abraham lied, Moses killed a man, David committed adultery and murdered the woman’s husband to cover it up, and Peter denied he knew the Son of God three times. Aaron offered sacrifices for the sins of the people but had to make sacrifices for his own sins before offering for the people. Every story of every person since Adam and Eve bears the mark of rebellion because of sin.
The Gentile world proved man could not live as a law to themselves, and the Jews proved they could not live with the Law given to them by the Finger of God. All humanity stood on the brink of eternal destruction because they were corrupt, immoral, and sinful. From the beginning of time, animals were sacrificed and their blood offered for atonement. In the final eternal picture, the blood of bulls and goats could never atone for sin because the depth of sin was so great, it required the greatest sacrifice known to God to save man. That sacrifice could be none other than God’s only begotten Son.
Grace is not an act of kindness. It is not a small measure of goodness God had done for the world. Sin had a price tag that demanded an eternal sacrifice. Why would God be willing to offer His Son as the sacrifice for sin? What has man done to deserve such an eternal sacrifice? God knows His creation is nothing more than dust. Why waste time to save such a woeful creature? The first time grace is mentioned in the Bible is in the Garden of Eden when God reacted to the rebellion of Adam and Eve and promised a Seed. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, God could have wiped them off the face of the earth. He did not. It was in His power to leave Adam and Eve to their own devices to save themselves. He did not because they could not save themselves.
What God did in the Garden of Eden was extend His loving grace to the world to save them. His grace is rich in mercy because, even though Adam and Eve disobeyed Him, He loved them. It broke His heart to see man die spiritually, but He promised through the Seed to raise humanity from the dead and make them alive in Christ. This promise would require the gift of His Son. Because of the richness of God’s mercy and His incredible love, His creation can be redeemed to Him again and sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
What happened two thousand years ago was the grace of God’s kindness toward all men. The abundant life is found in Christ alone because of what God has done. He saved man by His grace. Everyone who comes to Christ will find purpose in their lives when they witness the grace of God. Jesus emptied Himself and became like His creation, knowing He would suffer and be killed, and die for the sins of the world. Praise God for the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Amen.
