What a gift!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. – Ephesians 2:8

John, striving to help us understand what Christ’s coming to earth really means, tells us that He “came from the Father” and was “full of grace and truth.” Paul adds that salvation is “by grace through faith” and is God’s gift to us. Today, let us focus on grace and truth.

Contemporary translations of the Bible often use the word “favor” or “kindness” instead of grace, based on the rationale that people today don’t understand the meaning of the word. Our ignorance, however, leaves us deprived of a great truth. Grace is far more than God’s kindness or favor. It means God touches our lives with His strong, compassionate hand, giving us what we do not deserve, cannot earn, or never, otherwise, could have.

John Stott says, “Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.” And it is this that we are constantly in need of. God never measures grace out in teaspoons, grudgingly giving just enough to cure our maladies. He magnificently lavishes it upon us, forgiving us, cleansing us and bringing us into His family.

Jerry Bridges puts it like this: “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”

Christ was also full of truth, something lacking in a world of half-truths and gray areas of ambiguity and outright falsehoods. “He misspoke,” some now say, preferring not to say, “He lied.”

But Jesus’ commitment to truth was not one that is harsh, but one that is loving and completely honest. By telling us of our true condition, Jesus did us a great favor, showing that God’s grace cancels out our debt and brings forgiveness and healing. Yes, thank  God for His grace and truth – all part of the marvelous gift of Christmas God gave long ago.

Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to info@guidelines.org. You may also visit www.guidelines.org.