God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8,10 NLT

Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:24 NLT

Paul, in his letters to the churches talks a great deal about God’s grace. Grace is defined as the “unmerited favor of God toward man.” God’s grace is offered to us, is gifted to us, through the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins and His resurrection. We can’t work for it, buy it, earn it, or DIY it. Paul tells us that we can only access this grace through our belief and faith in Jesus Christ. But the amazing thing is, it is available to everyone, to all who believe in Jesus as Lord.

But what does this wonderful gift of grace do for us? It saves us, frees us, and justifies us. Frees us from our lives of sin and death. And justifies us, we are literally moved from our state of sin and death to a new state of righteousness! Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, bearing all our sins on the cross, God now sees us as righteous through His Son. And death is replaced with eternal life.

It is like our past, our sins, never even existed. God sees us as righteous with the privilege to be called children of God. We have been given God’s grace; His love, His favor, His forgiveness, and eternal life. We are new creatures. We may know all of this, but do we “stand in this grace?” Do we see ourselves as God does? Or do we accept God’s grace, yet hold on to a past that God has already forgiven and removed?

This week, joyfully embrace God’s gift of grace, knowing you are free from sin and death, welcome your new condition of righteousness, and leave your past in the loving presence of Jesus because He has laid down His life for it. Stand strong and confident in grace, in your position as a forgiven and righteous child of God.

I thank God for each of you! And I thank you for joining me this week as we embrace God’s grace and stand firm in His grace as His adopted and righteous children.

Blessings and grace!