THE BENEFITS OF HIS GRACE

Today, we want to look at “The benefits of grace.” Of all the attributes of Jesus Christ, the most significant is that He is “full of grace.” “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14).

Grace is a spiritual virtue with endless possibilities and benefits. When your life is void of Grace, it will be full of disgrace. Whatever you are today, whatever you have today and whatever you can become or achieve in the future is at the mercy of the grace of God. 

What then are the benefits of Grace? The grace of God is sufficient to change you, transform you, and perfect you. 

1. We are saved by Grace. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Tit. 2:11).

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8-9).

Without the grace of God, no man can be saved. And to receive it, you must acknowledge: that you cannot save yourself, that only God can save you, and that your only way to receive this loving favor is by faith in Christ.  

We are not saved by works. Your good works can never purchase the Salvation of your soul. 

God’s grace leaves no room for self-righteousness. No matter how good you are morally, intellectually and socially, you cannot redeem your own soul by your works of self-righteousness. 

Grace saves us through faith in what? We are saved by the grace of God through faith in the finished work of Christ. 

If you want to avoid punishment and live eternally with Christ, whether you have been a murderer and molester or whether you have been honest, hardworking, solid citizen, you must depend totally on God’s grace. 

Let us look into this issue more critically: 

1. Understand that if God started the work in you, He’s going to finish it. In Philippians 1:3,6 Apostle Paul said, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you… 6 Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” 

So, all the way until Jesus returns, God is committed to work in you. You got saved by grace. You received salvation by faith in the finished work of Christ.

God started a good work in you and the commitment He made is that He is going to perform that work until the day of Jesus Christ. So, until Jesus returns, God is at work in you both to will and to do of His good pleasures.

The beginning of the work is “saved by grace.” The performance of the work is “disciplined by grace.” 

So, God does not just save us. But He gives us a discipline to walk in. God never saves a person and then leaves him to himself to finish the good work. And that is what religion tells us: God has saved you, now you’ve got to finish the good work that God started on your own alone. 

The truth is that you will need Him to finish the good work. You can never be able do it all on your own.

So, no matter the imperfections you see in your life after you’ve gotten saved, just know that God is at work in you striving to bring you to perfection. 

Your own part of the deal is to strictly obey whatsoever the Lord instructs you to do (Isa. 1:19; Job 36:11).

Proverbs 10:17 says, “People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.”

The Psalmist said, “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me...” (Ps. 138:8). NLT puts it this way, “The Lord will work out His plans for my life…”

So, no matter what you are going through right now, the truth is that God is working out His plans for your life, and at the end of it all, everything is going to work out for your own good (Rom. 8:28).

God is not going to go half way and then abandon you. He made you and He is committed to doing the work on the inside of you until you get to maturity.

Yes, you are saved. And God is committed to working in you to bring you to perfection, and this is possible only if you obey His instructions.

This is amazing: the same grace that saved you is the same grace that will discipline and mature you.  

How is He going to do it?

Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” 

NLT puts it this way, “God is working in me giving me the desire to do what pleases Him.”

Can you say after me: God is at work in my life, giving me the desires to do only those things that please Him. Amen!

To be continued!!

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit! 

• Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor).  Feb. 26, 2023