What do you think of when someone says the word
“grace”? Do you think of the little
prayer people say before a meal? Or
maybe you think of a ballerina or ice skater elegantly dancing. While these are both meanings of grace,
there
is another meaning
which is far deeper and more powerful. undeserved, unmerited,
A meaning which is particularly unearned favour
relevant as we celebrate Easter.
Grace can also be defined as undeserved, unmerited, unearned favour. In other words it can be defined as a gift that we do not deserve in any way, shape or form. There’s a short passage in the gospel of Luke which is one of my favourite Bible stories and illustrates this concept perfectly. Luke 23:39-43 (TNIV) says:
39 One of
the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren't you the Messiah? Save
yourself and us!'
40 But the
other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under
the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting
what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.'
42 Then he
said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'
43 Jesus
answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.'
The criminals hanging on the cross with Jesus weren’t nice
men. In order to be sentenced to
crucifixion they had to have done some pretty horrible things. And one of them held true to form while he
was there, continuing to hurl insults and abuse at Jesus and no doubt anyone
else in earshot. But the other criminal
didn’t, there was something in his heart which told him that Jesus was who he
claimed to be. We don’t know how he
knew, maybe he’d seen or heard about what Jesus had done during His ministry,
or maybe he just heard Jesus pray for forgiveness for those who had crucified
Him (Luke 23:34), but somehow he knew who Jesus was and in his dying moments he
wanted to engage with Him. He doesn’t go into huge detail, or try to argue his case,
he just says one simple sentence. Incredible, illogical and inexplainable,
He simply asks Jesus to remember him. but also wonderfully reassuring
And despite the pain he was in, Jesus responds.
He recognises the heart of the man hanging next to Him, He sees his humility and repentance, and He welcomes this man into eternity with Him. This man had literally nothing to offer, he was hours away from dying. He had done nothing to deserve forgiveness, in fact to be crucified he must have committed some serious crimes. And yet here we see the exemplification of grace. Despite how undeserving and unable to do anything this man was, Jesus forgave him and accepted him into the Kingdom of God. Incredible, illogical and inexplainable, but also wonderfully reassuring.
Romans 3:23-24 (TNIV) says: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by
Christ Jesus. And Romans 5:8 says: But God demonstrates his own love for us in
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. In other words, we were in the same
position as that criminal. Completely
separated from God and undeserving of His love because of the wrong things we
have done. And yet He loves us so much
that he gives us the same grace that the criminal received. If we will simply recognise Him as our
saviour and invite Him into our lives we can enjoy eternity with Him. We can be set free from our sin
and live in His victory.
It’s not something we have to earn Easter isn’t about eating fish on Friday
or ever could. or chocolate on Sunday
It’s not something we deserve
or receive because of anything we have done, it’s there because He loves us so much he sent Jesus to bear the penalty for our wrongdoings and to win salvation for us. That is the real meaning of grace. That is the meaning that we should be focusing on, particularly as we celebrate Easter. Because Easter isn’t about eating fish on Friday or chocolate on Sunday, it’s about the Son of God coming to earth to live amongst us and show us the love of God, and then offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins so that we can experience God’s incredible grace in our lives.
I would encourage you if you have made it this far to take
some time to reflect further on the amazing gift of grace that God offers all
of us. Find a Bible and read the gospel
of Luke or the book of Romans.
If this
is all new to you,
or you want to know more, the message of God’s grace and love
get in touch with a is the most important message you’ll ever hear
Christian
friend
or your local Church and ask them to talk you through it. If you’re a Christian, spend some time
meditating on the Word and allow God to give you a new understanding of His
grace. But whatever you do, don’t just
dismiss it, because the message of God’s grace and love is the most important
message you’ll ever hear.
