"And of His fullness have all we received,
and grace for grace."
John 1:16
In the hymn Amazing Grace are these words: "It's grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace shall lead me home." The Christian life is a journey which begins with grace and continues in grace. It is indeed grace for grace. This fullness of grace is found by faith in the person of Jesus Christ. It is truly amazing, because grace does for us what we could never do for ourselves.
This grace comes in God's goodness common to all people. He gives us life and sustains every breath. His grace precedes our faith in Christ. It's the Spirit of grace drawing us to Christ (Hebrews 10:29). Saving grace comes to all who believe on our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). We grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ as believers (2 Peter 3:18). During difficult times for the believer, God's grace is sufficient through every trial. Life in Christ is grace for grace.
We are eternal debtors to the grace of God. It could never be repaid, because it is never earned. Our relationship to God is all of grace. We say as the apostle Paul, "By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). We are eternally grateful to God for the fullness of grace.
After attending a church service where the people sang Amazing Grace, a child asked her dad, "What is grace?" He said to her, "Honey, let me put it this way. Grace is all about Jesus. When we know Jesus, we know God's grace." She was satisfied with his answer, so she smiled and said, "If it's about Jesus, it has to be good." Her comment tells us what grace really is. Grace is the goodness of God to us in Christ Jesus.
Father, we praise You for the fullness of grace in Christ Jesus.
