Grace Upon Grace, and More Grace
Dearly beloved of God, God saved us by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by his accomplishments, not ours. He called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace.
The grace of God to us in Christ is beyond anything we could have ever imagined. He determined beforehand that we were to be conformed to the image of His firstborn Son.
Jesus Christ did all the work required to accomplish our redemption, justification, salvation, sanctification, and glorification. He gave his life for us. The just one died in the stead of the unjust; the sinless one for those dead in sin.
In Christ we are justified, and forgiven our sins by the riches of His grace, which He abounded to us.
We were made the righteousness of God in Christ, and now we stand before God without any sense of sin, guilt, or condemnation. Such grace!
In Christ, we received the spirit making us God's children, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. Now we have access to God as our Father by the spirit.
In Christ we are holy and without blame, and unimpeachable in the Father’s sight.
In Christ we are dearly beloved children, and highly favored in our Father’s sight.
Dearly beloved, we are complete in Christ, and the Father freely gives us all things with His Son.
In Christ, God our Father blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm. I would call that great grace, wouldn’t you?
If that was all that is ours in Christ that is more than we more than we could have ever expected, but there is more. God saved us so that in the coming ages He might display the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
The gathering together is only the opening event of the glory to come. We will obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming! We will live to see new heavens and a new earth where we will live in our Father's presence forever.
What do we have that we did not receive? Nothing! God blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm.
We did nothing to deserve such riches of God’s grace to us in Christ, but it is ours, nonetheless. Everything that is in ours in Christ is by God’s divine favor to us in Christ.
God revealed all of these truths to us in the gospel of God concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The gospel of God concerning Jesus Christ, is revealed in the Church Epistles; the books of Romans to II Thessalonians.
God determined every element of our salvation and redemption. The gospel of God concerning Jesus Christ our Lord lays it out, and explains it in detail. This good news is the gospel of the grace of God.
Dearly beloved, God would have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. He is not holding back on us. Thank God for the riches of His grace.
What began in God’s grace toward us in Christ will end in the exceeding riches of His grace, and glory; the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father will freely give us all things with Christ!
God has shown us grace upon grace, and there is more to come!
We have nothing but God’s loving kindness and tender mercies to look forward to in the ages to come, dearly beloved of God, because of His great love and the exceeding riches of His grace toward us in Christ Jesus. Oh rejoice!