There is much misunderstanding regarding the great subject of God’s amazing grace. A rare few have grasped its true and full meaning. Grace has never meant to serve as a license to sin as some mistakenly believe. This may serve as a shock to some who have never realized the depth of God’s grace, but it is grace that discourages a believer from living in sin. For convenience, it may be necessary to attempt a definition of the true meaning of grace. Grace, like all truth, life, and light, is so extensive that it defies an all-inclusive generic definition. Grace is the unmerited, super abounding provision of the unlimited operation of God’s infinite love, through Jesus Christ; on behalf of man and specifically those who have learned to depend on Him. It is all that God is free to do for humankind on the sole basis of all that was accomplished by the sacrificial and finished work of Christ on the Cross.  A glimpse of the operation of God’s grace may be seen in His provision for the sustenance of the natural creation. The rain, sunshine, and the function of the elements in the earth are a part of His provision for plant life. Food for animals and all other things needed to sustain their lives are gifts from His great provisional storehouse. Also included are food, clothing, shelter, and everything that is needed for the well-being and survival of human life. All of these amazing assets are provided by a sovereign God for the benefit of those who are His created ones. God’s sovereignty for His creation, though partially withheld and limited by the curse because of sin, has never failed. 

Amazing grace is another remarkable provision from God, but rather than being for the physical creation it is essentially for the spiritual realm. It is a provision of God to restore all that was lost spiritually because of the sin of Adam. It makes possible and sustains a new creation on a far higher level than any other creation. Indeed, grace is a great provision of God. It may be summed up in the following words: “He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). 

Grace is a function of God’s love. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). This great gift of the Son in death for every man is declared to be by the grace of God. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9). 

Out of His fullness there are those who were empty and needed the fullness of His grace “And of His fullness have all we received; and grace for grace” (grace upon grace) (John 1:16). Those who received this grace upon grace out of His fullness are the very ones whom Jesus loved unto the end. “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end” (John 1:13). Furthermore, to those who are chosen to be before him in love “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4). It is these who have been chosen to be before Him in love that God will, in the ages to come, display the exceeding riches of His grace. “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). In each of these references, God’s love is expressed through His amazing grace that is extended in His plan to accomplish His purposes. 

His love is infinite. “God is love” (1 John 4:16). The love that emanates from Him is eternal as are all of His attributes. None of these amazing characteristics started or stopped at any point in time. Therefore, God’s love cannot be measured as it is infinite. In loving the world infinitely, He gave His only begotten Son by means of a love that is so perfect it cannot be measured. Pause to consider this great love. It flows from infinite grace and is a perfect love that is inexhaustible. It has never and can never fail. God’s love is a special love that can be defined as impersonal love. The love that flows from Him is based on His character, it emanates from Him and finds no merit in the object (Humans). His love is a sure love because it comes from Him and finds no merit in man. If His love depended on man, it would not be a sure love. His grace is unmerited. Mankind can contribute nothing to that which God does in grace, nor can he do anything to merit it. “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise, grace is no more grace” (Romans 11:6). “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt” (Romans 4:4). Therefore, works as a means of obtaining Gods’ favor and grace, are completely excluded. God’s grace always acts first on behalf of mankind. This action is man’s enabler to act or respond in service to God’s plan of grace. 

God’s grace is much more than unmerited favor. It is His extreme favor toward those who deserve the very opposite. “But God commend his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son” (Romans 5:10). 

By the amazing grace of God, Jesus died for His enemies while they were without hope, life and righteousness. Sin cannot restrict or limit the grace of God. “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). In truth, sin made the manifestation of grace possible. 

God’s grace is the unrestrained operation of His super abounding love. While it is true that sin cannot limit Gods’ infinite love, there is something, which also is infinite, that restrained it completely. This restraining power was the infinite justice and righteousness of God, which demands that sin must be punished according to His righteous demands. God can never compromise His holy character. He is Holy now and has always been perfectly righteous and just. He does not need to try to be holy or righteous. He is and always has been perfectly righteous and infinitely just. The combination of His righteousness and justice represents His Holiness. Because God is Holy, righteous and just He is not free to do for the unbeliever all that His love may desire to do. In order that His love might operate freely and without restraint, something had to be done to satisfy every demand of His righteousness and justice. If God’s justice had to be satisfied by anyone who is a descendent of Adam (that’s everyone) that person must lose his life, because the law demands that the sinner must die. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). But if the lost one is put to death, no opportunity remains for God’s love to operate in his behalf. It becomes clear that if God’s righteousness and justice was to be satisfied, and love left free to operate, God Himself had to supply that which was needed. That is exactly what happened in the Cross of Christ. God’s love found THE WAY to satisfy His own righteousness and justice and to set love free to operate without restraint or obligation from man. 

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). 

“And HE IS the propitiation (that which satisfies His righteousness and justice) for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). No sin escaped the covering of His atoning blood.

Apart from the death of Christ, God does not deal with fallen man on any other basis than law and justice. However, when Christ died, the restraint upon God’s love was removed and love was set free to act. This removal of the restraint upon His love is essential to Grace. What a price, by means of His suffering and shame, the Son of God paid that God’s love might be set free to operate in grace! Aren’t you amazed? I certainly am, draw closer and you will be too!  God’s grace is more than love; it is love operating righteously in view of the fact that the penalty for sin has been paid. All that was required to accomplish this amazing effort was performed on the Cross. As a result of Christ’s finished work on the Cross God became free to fully exercise His love, without compromising His righteousness and justice. (His holiness) God’s grace is not a mere expression of pity or compassion from a gracious and forgiving God. Also, it is not the setting aside of righteousness and justice and passing over sins which should be punished. It is not to forebear or tolerate all sins. It is, listen closely, full forgiveness of sin because the penalty has been paid by a unique Another! This is the uniqueness of grace, and it is where grace and truth rest. Apart from the propitiatory death of Christ, there can be no grace of God nor rest for mankind. 

Let it be declared, God’s love did not ignore the law; it satisfied its every demand! It fulfilled and established it, and then made possible a way for God to deal with those who, by faith in His provision have established the law. This beautiful way is His unrestrained love set free by grace. Believers are not under the law because the penalty has been paid in full. They are under grace which is an entirely different method by which God deals with man. Under law man couldn’t do enough and failed miserably. Under grace Christ succeeded and accomplished all that was required for the salvation of men. This is a part of the reason he screamed… “it is finished”!! He did not start something for man and pass the ball to him and say, “I’ve done all I can, now it is your turn. Work hard, you are almost at the finish line”. No, No, No! He said, the territory has been conquered for you by me… it is finished! The ball is already on the other side. You can do nothing; I have done it all! I have done it for you and not because of you. When God’s justice and righteousness has been satisfied once and for all, grace becomes sovereign and reigns unto eternal life.  

Grace is extended for and on behalf of those who believe. Grace is the function of God’s love on behalf of man. There is no hint in the scripture that declares God’s grace functions on behalf of either fallen or unfallen angels. Whatever may have been extended to the angels is not defined in the scriptures. Therefore, God’s grace appears to be reserved for mankind alone. Two aspects of grace have been extended to every man. It was by the grace of God that Jesus tasted death for every man, in order that God’s righteousness and justice might be satisfied. “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). Amazingly during the age of grace, God offers eternal life and withholds judgment upon the unbeliever. His grace is applicable only for those who believe in Jesus Christ. It does not apply to those who do not accept His gracious offer of salvation that resides exclusively in the person of Jesus Christ. “To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:26). One of the basic acts of God’s grace is to save the lost, but His so great salvation extends only to those who believe on His Son.  Another statement from God’s word declares that faith is a condition for the operation of grace. “It is of faith, that it might be by grace” (Romans 4:16). Faith in Jesus Christ, then, is the condition for the grace of God to operate on man’s behalf. Faith in and of itself has no merit. It is not faith in faith or the power of faith, the merit in faith is its object. 

The merit in faith for salvation must be centered in and through Jesus Christ. Grace comes only through Him. Apart from Him there is no grace, apart from grace there is no salvation. “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:16,17). All things that are of grace are centered in Christ, by Him, and through Him. All spiritual blessings in heavenly places are exclusively in Christ. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). In our precious savior alone is “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). The one who believes in Him is “Justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). What did God, so graciously do for you? Here is what He did… He gave, He gave! 

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). The individual who by faith receives the Son, receives with Him the great gifts of His amazing grace. Therefore, Grace is God’s provision to bring into eternal reality His new creation in Christ Jesus (that’s you and me) and to perfect and sustain them forever. This amazing grace operates and extends His infinite love to those who are not worthy of eternal life but fully deserve everlasting punishment in separation from God forever. But amazingly, the outpouring of His infinite love is possible only because Jesus Christ, by His death, fully satisfied all the demands of God’s righteousness and justice. As grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, only those who receive Him are benefited by his marvelous grace. “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).  

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that BELIEVE on His name” (John 1:12). 

Do not believe that you are too far away to receive His gift of eternal life. The issue is He is not far away; He is the only Savior. He is the only entrance into heaven. You can go nowhere else. If you seek eternal life in any other, you will find that you have failed to enter by the only door that leads into heaven and that is through the Savior who invites you to enter through Him. He did all of the work of redemption, something you could never do. Look to Him. Believe on Him. Receive Him as your Savior. He will save you if you call on Him. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). “Call upon me and I will answer thee and will show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3).