Grace is the undeserved blessing of God – for both salvation and sanctification.
A key passage for this topic is Romans 8:1-17, which might seem odd, since the word grace does not appear at all in this section. But looking at Romans 8 as a description of blessings we’ve received but don’t deserve tells us much about grace.
In Romans 7, Paul admitted his powerlessness over his sinful nature. “For I do not understand my own actions,” he wrote in verse 15. “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Perhaps you can relate to such a sentiment. I certainly can.
Grace for Salvation
As Paul begins the next section of his letter, he declares, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” That is an incredible announcement. Because here’s the truth: you and I have earned and deserve condemnation. In our sin, we are traitors against the God who created us.
When God shows us grace for salvation, He is definitely giving us something we don’t deserve. And He is giving us something we could not receive in any other way. We have zero chance ofearning God’s favor. We fall so very far short of His perfect standard that convincing Him to accept us based on our performance is insanity. We simply can’t.
But, as Paul says, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25) As we often declare at Summit Church, Jesus did what we can’t. He lived a perfect life that we owe to our Creator, and died a sacrificial death so that His perfection can be applied to us. When Jesus cried “It is finished” (John 19:30), He really had finished performing the perfect atonement in obedience to the Father. And when He rose in victory over sin and death, He proved that His sacrifice is effective.
Grace for Sanctification
Paul goes on to instruct believers, “if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13) The Spirit gives us power to live into our identities as children of God. This is the process of sanctification.
And here is the key distinction: people who live by works do good deeds to try to earn God’s favor. But people who live by grace do good works to thank God for the favor that He gives without our deserving. We put to death the things that kill us and live into the things of life as a natural response as we grasp that we’ve been given so much that we don’t deserve.
I think of the sinful woman in Luke 7 who came to wash Jesus’s feet with her tears and hair. The Pharisees looked with disgust on such a scene, but Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” (Luke 7:47). This woman was not more sinful than you or me (especially me). But she understood that forgiveness was a work of God’s amazing grace, and she couldn’t help but react with love in action. That is the Christian life in a nutshell.
Adopted
This great passage in Romans 8 ends with an amazing truth: “you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” To call the Creator of the universe by such an intimate term is a result of radical grace. God loves His children and takes good care of them. He listens to them and delights to hear and answer their prayers.
We have grace for salvation so we can be adopted. And we have grace for sanctification so we can grow in Christ-likeness and live like beloved heirs with Jesus. Grace is at the heart of the Christian life. Thank God we receive so much that we could never deserve. Now, let’s share our Grace Stories with a world who needs to hear them.