The Season of Lent: Grace
By: Alan Morales
Devotional
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (John 1:16)
Reflection
There has been a big misconception about God: God is much more angry and unkind in the days of the Old Testament than in the New Testament. In the New Testament, God is all about grace and love. I think, however, that once we define what grace is, we will see that God has revealed His love and grace toward mankind from the very beginning.
Grace is unmerited favor. In other words, it is something that someone does for us when we don't deserve it. Adam and Eve served as our human representatives and when they sinned against God, we sinned in them. Therefore, we are all undeserving of God’s help, love, peace, and forgiveness, yet, He has freely given us all of that and much more.
In the Old Testament, God showed grace to Adam and Eve by clothing them when they had sinned against Him. God showed grace to the Israelites when, even after their constant rebellion, He rescued them from the desert and captivity. God showed grace to David, who committed adultery and murder, by forgiving him of the sins he committed. God showed grace to Nineveh, a nation that oppressed His own people, by sending Jonah to preach to them so that they would be saved. These are just some examples of grace in the Old Testament out of thousands. However, if there's something we've learned from our little survey of the Old Testament, it is that God’s grace is endless and it doesn’t stop there. All of those pieces of grace in the Old Testament came together like a puzzle in the New Testament and culminated in the saving work of Jesus.
Being fully human, Jesus served as our new representative and experienced everything that we do on a daily basis. He experienced loss, pain, anger, hunger, thirst, and sadness, all without sin. Additionally, being fully God, Jesus left heaven to dwell in this world that is marred with sin to give Himself up as the perfect and sufficient sacrifice for undeserving sinners. It is through His perfect being, or “fullness”, that we are able to be saved (John 1:16)!
To hammer the final nail in the coffin of this misconception, the beautiful news of the Gospel was not first preached in the New Testament by an apostle. Rather, it was first preached in the Old Testament by God, Himself! Right after Adam and Eve sinned, God tells Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15). When Jesus came, He gave a fatal blow to sin and death at the expense of His own life for you.
How often are we full of joy because of this great reality? These wonderful truths seem to be overshadowed during our busy weeks. At times, we may even go to the extent of believing that we deserve more than what God has already given us. This was the case for the people in the Old testament when God said to them, “I have loved you”... But you say, “How have you loved us?” (Mal 1:2) Although God had done everything to save His people from exile, they were ungrateful. They ignored all the grace He lavished on them and instead of being filled with joy for what He had done, they were filled with bitterness because they wanted more. Have you found yourself in that position? If so, I would encourage you to reflect on your life and remember all that the Lord has generously and graciously given you. When we have a prideful mentality, not only do we stop seeing God's grace for the gift that it is, but we also prevent ourselves from living a joyful life in Christ.
Maybe you don't struggle with entitlement or ungratefulness. Perhaps you struggle with receiving grace and have difficulty going to God because of your sin. You tell yourself, “How could God ever love a sinner like me?” We have all been there and that is a very appropriate question to ask. However, like the person whose pride prevents them from finding joy in grace, you are prevented from finding joy in grace by your guilt. I would like to encourage you to go to Him. Do not delay! Don't wait until you're doing “a little better.” He waits for you now, like a loving Father with arms wide open even in your unfaithfulness. You are worthy to come before God, not because of the things you've done, but because of what Jesus has done for you. His death was not meant to condemn you, rather He died to redeem you, and in His death, He nailed your guilt to the cross. Church, let’s rid ourselves of our pride and guilt and look to Jesus for the savior He is. Once we do, we will be full of joy knowing that we have “received grace upon grace” (John 1:16).